Injuries, turnovers hurt Falcons in Homecoming loss to Mountain View

The Oct. 4 Homecoming game vs. Mountain View was supposed to be a chance to grab the year's first home victory in front of alumni. Instead, sloppy play and five turnovers led to a 13-7 defeat.

Some of the sloppiness was understandable. Star quarterback Jonathan Walters had suffered a concussion two weeks earlier in a comeback victory against Willow Glen, and stalwart middle linebacker Christian Lee suffered a season-ending knee injury in the same game.

The Falcons, led by backup quarterback junior Evan Lindeman, struggled as they were unable to execute on drives in the first half. The defense played well in the first half, and the game was 0-0 going into halftime.

The second half showcased some offense as both teams scored touchdowns on their respective first drive. Lindeman and senior running back Jacob Marr connected on a 45-yard touchdown to put the Falcons on the board.

However, two consecutive turnovers in Falcon territory led to two Spartan field goals to put them in front 13-7. After a third turnover, and strong defensive play, the Falcons had one more chance to win the game.

After key plays by Lindeman and junior wide receiver Joey Medeiros, the Falcons found themselves in Spartan territory. Coach Tim Lugo called a trick play on fourth down. With under two minutes to go, Medeiros took the handoff and threw a pass intended for senior wide receiver Travis Stokes, who was wide open in the end zone. Stokes was unable to hold the pass, and as the ball fell to the turf, the Falcons' hope for a comeback ended.

A constant problem so far this season has been turnovers. Going into the Oct. 11 game vs. Milpitas, the Falcons had committed 13, a number too high to way many games.

The offensive line and running back play has been dramatically better compared to last year, as the Falcons have been able to find success in the ground game. The passing game, though, has not kept pace with last year’s success.

On the defensive side, the team has looked stellar at times, but the defensive players have to be on the field a lot due to the turnover problem.

Assistant coach Eric Wong thinks that one of the reasons for the team’s struggles is a lack of preparedness.

“Teams have had a year to prepare for us so they have a better idea of what to expect,” said Wong. “To compensate for that we need to execute better than we did last year, but we've struggled to do that consistently and it's shown.”

Senior cornerback Adrian Fong thinks that injuries have been the biggest issue.

“I think that we came into the season with huge expectations and when [Lee] and [Walters] got hurt, we were unprepared to fill their shoes,” Fong said.

Wong said that he thinks the team still has the chance to get its season back on track, but it needs to execute better.

“We're still a very talented team,” Wong said. “We need our backups to step up and for everyone to work on improving our execution by going out and making plays when they're presented to us. If we do that we'll be fine.”

The team struggled against the size and speed of powerhouse Milpitas in a 54-14 loss to the Trojans. The team will look to get their first home win against Palo Alto on Oct. 18.