Carrillo’s Homecoming football game

A MCHS football player (Courtesy of Nhat Hudson)

Saayan Shah, Staff Writer, and Aiden Damasco, Features Editor & Web Developer

The night before the Homecoming Dance brought plenty of energy to Maria Carrillo High School as the MCHS Pumas faced Milpitas in a hard-fought football game. Milpitas ultimately took victory, but Maria Carrillo showed flashes of strong offense and defense throughout the night.

Milpitas scored a quick touchdown early in the first quarter and added a field goal for an early lead of 7-0. Carrillo responded with a field goal of its own in the first quarter, but Milpitas continued to find the end zone. By halftime, the Pumas trailed 35-10.

Carrillo attempted to reverse the game’s trajectory in the second half, adding a touchdown and a point after touchdown (PAT), slightly evening the score to 38-17. Milpitas responded with another touchdown, but Carrillo refused to give up. In the fourth quarter, the  Pumas scored a touchdown with two minutes and 22 seconds left in the game. In the end, the final score was 52-24.

The unfortunate loss to Milpitas dropped Maria Carillo's win-loss record to 1-2, while Milpitas’ standing in the league improved, now at 3-1. Despite the result, Maria Carillo continued to compete throughout the game and showed determination by improving much more in the 2nd half. The Pumas are still improving and look to learn from the game, using their newfound experience to continue their season in a more positive direction.