By Vincent PAGE

In his inaugural season as head coach, Hudson Gossard has led the CVHS Falcons varsity football team to a Pacific League title. The 2019 season has been one of the strongest for the Falcons in team history, and that was proven last Friday night.

In the biggest game of the season, the Falcons beat Muir High School by a final score of 28-14. The Falcons were dominant in every aspect of the game and clinched its share of the Pacific League title by being so.

On offense, the usual suspects led the way. Chase Center combined for 122 yards and a touchdown through the air while also running for 102 yards. Maximus Grant added on 69 yards of rushing, as well as a score.

One thing to watch for with the Falcons: Center left this game early after suffering an apparent leg injury. His presence will obviously be huge when the Falcons go up against Arcadia in the final week of the season, and he’ll be someone to keep an eye on in the CIF playoffs. Should Center miss any time, Brendon Pehar will get the nod as quarterback for the Falcons.

Aside from a couple of big plays, including PJ Weinmann flying through the blockers en route to blocking a punt in the second quarter setting up a Falcons’ touchdown, the Falcons’ defense was the great unit we typically see under coordinator Dennis Gossard. They had nine tackles for a loss, six sacks, and two forced fumbles on the night. They were just too physical for this Muir team to keep up with, and the intensity was maintained all night.

This was as perfect of a performance as Hudson and his coaching staff could have hoped for from their players. Muir will always be expected to make some long plays, and they did last week, but the Falcon players never wavered and stayed resilient until the clock hit zero to end the game.

Now CV needs to finish business this week against rival Arcadia High School.

While Arcadia has won only four games this season, they were able to rally against Burroughs last week. While the Falcons should be able to win Thursday’s game with or without Center at quarterback, a rivalry game always brings out the best of both teams and this one could get interesting if the Falcons don’t stay focused.

With a win against Arcadia (or a Muir loss to Pasadena), the Falcons will have an outright Pacific League title and enter the CIF playoffs as the No. 1 seed. However, a loss could mean a shared title with Muir and a drop in CIF rankings.

It will all be determined this week on Thursday, Oct. 31. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Moyse Field (Glendale High School).

Another highlight of Friday night was the presentation of the homecoming court and the naming of king and queen. After making their way onto the field in golf carts,  Josh Kibler  and Faith Sales were named this year’s king and queen.

  Vincent PAGE