With the Jets down 20-0 at halftime and their offense not being able to generate much momentum, it was evident that the Hornets lead would be almost impossible to come back from. Encinal had held the Island Bowl title for the past 6 years, but it was rival Alameda who walked away with the 68th Island Bowl to the tune of 34-0. The Hornets, who only lost by one point last year, put on an extremely strong offensive performance this time around.
“Our main goal was to really just stop their momentum on defense, but we couldn’t,” said the junior running back Alexander Marston. “[At some point] we were really just trying to score back and make something happen.”
The one-sided win for the Hornets was a hard watch for Encinal supporters at Willie Stargell Field. It was a tale of two sides. Alameda (4-0) has given up only 16 total points throughout four games this season while the Jets (1-4) have only scored 3 points in their last three games.
The Hornets’ senior quarterback, Eli Slez, hit three different receivers – Landyn Cole, Will Roizen, and Will Hester – for touchdowns. Along with the strong passing plays, there were also two short rushing touchdowns by Alexander Gonzalez and Deon Bier.
Alameda’s defense only allowed the Jets from possessing the ball one time in Hornet territory. The drive began at the Hornets’ 49-yard line but didn’t progress any further.
“There’s nothing much we can do about it now, the game is over,” said Marston. “We had nothing to do other than keep playing, we still have games left to go in our season.”
“Well, the coaches and the players believe in short term memories. They told us to keep our heads up and to learn – but not linger – on our mistakes so we can focus on the next game and strategize for a win,” added sophomore Keller Johnson.
Several Encinal players had to be removed from the game due to injury and fatigue. The Jets, who only have seven seniors, have many player who need to play both ways.
“Injuries didn’t have much of an impact on us. In the sport we play, it’s always about the next man up.” said junior Marco Garcia.
The Encinal football program has seen a decline in players in recent years, only being able to field a varsity team during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The current team fields eight freshmen as their is no JV team to play for. Despite this, the Jets are focused on the future and improving their game one step at a time.
“Our bye week is definitely a great opportunity for us to improve. During this extra time, we can really focus on the small details that will help us become a better team [after the Island Bowl],” added Garcia.
Encinal faces Berkeley, a league opponent, on the road on October 6.
