Despite a loss, it was still a night of memories for the Falcons when they returned to the field.

By Brandon HENSLEY

There aren’t many high school students who can say they pitched five innings of a baseball game and two days later were throwing touchdown passes on the football field.

Those sports seasons don’t usually line up, you know.

But due to a unique year in sports scheduling, Brendan Pehar can now say he did just that during his senior season. If it isn’t something to brag about, it’s at least been quite the experience.

Not to say everything about the April 8 football game at Moyse Stadium was a good experience. In fact, the Falcons (2-2) lost to the Pasadena Bulldogs (4-0) in a sloppy game, a 47-20 defeat that was seen by a sparse crowd due to social distancing – or social limiting, in this case.

The only game for CV this season didn’t have the usual students roaming the stands, there just to be seen, or a party planned for after the game. Students weren’t allowed at all; just parents happy to see their sons finally being able to run around on the gridiron.

Pehar, the senior quarterback who was a part of the CIF championship team last season, said that was enough.

“Emotional,” is how he characterized it. “Not knowing throughout the past year if we were going to play here again. The fact that we got to play on this field again one last time … it was important to me.”

The Falcons play their last game of the season Friday at Arcadia. Five games, and that’s it. No playoffs, and certainly no championship celebration this time.

But that’s not what mattered to most people at the game because at least there was some sense of normalcy in that, for the second time this year, the cheer squad was there and for the first time the school band was back, seated in the stands at midfield (it’s usually off the side near the west end zone).

Not only that, but the senior players were recognized pre game, and the pep squad and drumline seniors were recognized at halftime. To top it off, the school held a coronation ceremony for Homecoming King Ciaran Pierce and Queen Alexis Hernandez.  

Maybe the aspect that made it feel at least a little like football season was the weather. Glendale nights are just as chilly in April as they are in October.

It took patience and perhaps a new perspective on high school life for the night to happen. Varsity cheer captain Meeka Arlante and varsity co-captain Lala Keshishzadeh both said that before the monotony of the cheer schedule could wear down some of the girls.

But limited opportunities this year have them loving every minute of it.

“We look forward to every event to cheer because it’s an opportunity for us, versus before [COVID] we would be everywhere at every game, so I think anything that’s given to us is an opportunity and we take it because we want to be out cheering,” Keshishzadeh said.

The squad spent last summer working out via Zoom with head coach Christina Bircher, who led from her dance studio, The Vault, in Pasadena. When things somewhat returned to normal this spring, the girls were happy to finally be around one another in their usual way, even if time had taken something from them.

“It allowed us to appreciate the games more. It kind of sucks that we’re graduating, but it was good for the underclassman because they’re going to look forward to these things a lot more,” Keshishzadeh said.

“We definitely get sad [thinking about it], but it brings us all together,”Arlante said.

The football team had to sacrifice, as well. The guys have only had about a month of real practice. Previously, they had distanced practice when they were put in conditioning pods to work on throwing and footwork.

The Falcons knew Pasadena would be their toughest opponent. They were right. The offense couldn’t get in sync in the first half. With the score tied 7-7, Pehar fumbled deep in his own territory when he was hit by a rusher coming off the edge, and Pasadena recovered. On the next play, Ahmed Jolley ran the ball in for a touchdown.

The first half also saw Pehar throw an interception in the red zone. And as the half was ending and when Pehar did find an open receiver at midfield for a potential huge gain, Mark Reyna let the ball slip through his fingers.

The offense finally picked it up in the second half, but it was one step forward, two steps back. Pehar completed a nifty lateral pass to Grant Carl, who scored from 11 yards out. But CV missed the point after try, and Pasadena ran the ensuing kick back for a score to make it 34-13.

Bulldogs’ quarterback Dante Coronel had 212 yards passing and four touchdowns. 

“Especially after the film we watched, it was going to be tough,” Pehar said. “We couldn’t afford any mistakes.”

And so, several days after Easter Sunday, the Falcon seniors had played their final home game. It’s not how they wanted to go out, but Pehar was able to appreciate the effort by everyone involved.

“It’s great having the band here. It felt a lot more like a football atmosphere,” he noted.

The significance of the night certainly wasn’t lost on anyone.

Arlante came from a private school when she tried out for the cheer team as a freshman. She was paired with Keshishzadeh that week, and they’ve been friends ever since. They’ll certainly have something to reminisce about years from now – how senior year didn’t go as planned.

“But I’m going to be grateful for the little time I’ve been given because it’s better than nothing,” Arlante said.