Six Wins for CVHS Football

Photos by Alyssa TSABETSAYE
Cornerback Zeal Shumate has been shutdown this season, and is a big time playmaker for the Falcons in the secondary.

By Vincent PAGE

Six weeks into the Crescenta Valley Falcons football season, and the team has captured six wins and sits at a perfect record going into the final stretch of their season. Their most recent win came last Friday, when they defeated the Burbank Bulldogs by a final score of 45-14.

As is the case in most Falcons games this season, their rushing attack led their offense. Running back Maximus Grant had another spectacular game, tallying up 111 yards on 22 carries, making it look easy in the process. Quarterback Chase Center chipped in as well, running the ball 11 times for 76 yards. While neither found the end zone on the ground, they were able to navigate this offense consistently throughout the field to set up scoring opportunities.

Maximus Grant (2) and Vincent Parrot (5) have provided reliability throughout the season, and are two huge weapons on offense for the Falcons.

In addition, the Falcons passing offense was also heavily utilized in this game. Center completed 13 of 18 pass attempts, totaling 251 yards in the process. He threw four touchdowns as well, as star wide receiver Colby Rees hauled in scores and senior standout Angel Ochoa caught one long, 47-yard touchdown as well. While he didn’t score, Grant helped in the passing game as well, catching three balls for 70 yards.

Ochoa was not done scoring for the night, as he caught another touchdown on Friday…from the other team. Ochoa picked off a ball while playing defense, and brought it back 67-yards for the score.

Quarterback Chase Center reads the field as he prepares to make a pass. In his first season as a starter, Center has proven to be a star in this offense

This game was a perfect summary of CV’s season to date. Center and Grant combined to total 512 yards on the night, something they’ve done all season. In six games, the duo has 1,914 total yards. They are the focal point of this Falcons offense, and the team’s chances of winning the Pacific League and competing for a CIF title rest on their shoulders when it comes to the offense.

On defense, this unit has been phenomenal all season. They’ve allowed an average of 13 points per game, as they’ve limited offenses the entire season. They’ve only allowed one team to score more than 20 points against them, and that was Montebello High School in the second week of the season, when reserves played a large portion of the second half.

When it comes to this starting unit, however, it’s one of the best groups defensive coordinator Dennis Gossard has ever put together. Veterans such as Zeal Shumate and Ochoa have led the secondary, with two interceptions each. Sebastian DeLeon has averaged 14.3 tackles per game, and has patrolled the middle of the defense efficiently all year. The defense has also averaged three sacks per game, putting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

All in all, the one word that describes this team best is dominant. They sit at 6-0, 3-0 in the Pacific League, and have two weeks of soft scheduling to prepare for bouts against Muir and Arcadia, which could very well decide the league champion.

However, the season rolls on this Friday first, as the Falcons host Glendale at Moyse Field, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.