Trojans grieve over “Grizzly” defeat
After much anticipation for their first playoff appearance in many years, the Trojans ultimately left San Ramon disappointed as Cal High won decisively 47 – 0. On Nov. 19, the Trojans submitted to a stronger Cal High, ranked 15th in the state.
Throughout the four quarters, the Cal High Grizzlies had control of the entire game, both on the offensive and defensive ends. Reminiscent of their previous match up earlier this year (a Cal High victory of 45-14), the Grizzlies had an answer for every single one of Castro Valley’s plays.
With the Grizzlies already leading 21-0 during the first quarter, a fumbled kickoff from Castro Valley sealed the Trojans’ fate as Cal High took control 27-0. Throughout the entire course of the game, the Grizzlies held Trojan offense to 157 yards while they themselves rushed for 377 yards. On the upside, senior running back Damion Rosby carried much of the Trojans’ offense with 101 yards.
“It feels good knowing I was in the class that went to playoffs for the first time in seven years,” said senior Moner Afschar who is still proud of his team for doing well during the season and witnessing his teammates make it into the postseason, although Cal High crushed Castro Valley’s dreams of advancing in the NCS playoffs.
“The one thing we could have done better to beat Cal High would have to be less injuries on the team. We did not have all our guys healthy and that played a big role for us,” explained Afschar who admits that he wished that the team was a bit healthier when they competed against the formidable Grizzlies.
“I hope the younger guys learned something from me and the rest of the senior football players and good luck next year. I learned a lot about myself thanks to my coaches and teammates. Football was the best thing I could do in high school,” said Afschar as he demonstrated how happy he was to be part of Trojan football throughout his high school career, and left the underclassmen with some parting words as the Trojan season comes to an end.