The lifeblood of football is rivalry. Rivalries are across all levels of the sport, with college rivalries that are hundreds of years old, division rivals in the NFL competing for world titles, to your high school’s crosstown rival. Football shines under this spotlight and brings a new intensity to the sport.
Miramonte is no exception to the trope. Just ten minutes down Moraga Way lies the campus of the Campolindo Cougars. The rivalry between Miramonte and Campo is a story as old as time. Following Campo’s establishment in 1962, the two have butted heads ever since. And the battle continues this year on the football field.
The rivalry between Miramonte and Campo is bitter, and the team has had this game circled the entire season. The Matadors were scheduled to face the Cougars on the 8th of November, and the team was feeling energized coming into game week. Starting on Monday, the team was both mentally and physically preparing for the week ahead. “We watched a lot of film, ran a lot, and practiced really hard,” sophomore Jack White said. The team practiced extremely hard. They poured their hearts out into hours of practice after school like every other week. “Not once at practice did someone mention the word Campolindo. We prepared to play another football game like the 9 other regular season games,” sophomore Lleyton Brown said. But the weight of the rivalry still weighed heavy on the teams shoulders. “People were flying around during practice, and energy was higher than it’s ever been,” Brown also said.
After receiving the ball, Campo was quick to strike. On their first drive, junior quarterback Reid Habas connected with senior receiver Joe Revelos in the endzone for a 5-yard touchdown, putting them up 7-0. Miramonte was unable to respond during the first quarter but was quick to recover in the second. After a failed drive, junior kicker James Rodgers put the football down the uprights, closing the gap 3-7. Following a successful defensive stop, junior quarterback Carson Blair charged the team downfield. As they neared the end zone sophomore running back Derek Youn rushed in for a 3-yard touchdown, placing them in the lead over Campo 10-7 at the end of the half.
Coming into halftime, Miramonte head coach Nick Safir was interviewed by the announcers.“Campo is a well-pushed team. They are going to everything they have, and we just got to keep playing through the game,” Safir said. Miramonte was up by a small margin, and the winner of the game was still unclear.
Following halftime, the Mats received a kickoff from the Cougars. The Matadors gained significant yards but were forced to give possession away. Campolindo turned the ball over soon after, but the Matadors were unable to create any points, and the ball fell back into Campo’s hands. Shortly after, Habas connected with junior receiver Sean Parker for an 84-yard touchdown, giving the lead back to Campo again. Miramonte responded with 3 minutes remaining in the quarter as senior wide receiver Mitch Reichenbach rushed 11 yards into the endzone. The quarter ended with a tight score, 14-17. Miramonte was looking in good shape to beat Campo for the first time in the past years.
However, the Matador’s luck turned on its head in the 4th quarter. Campo scored in the 9th minute of the quarter, leaving Miramonte with a mountain to climb. Down by a touchdown, the Matadors started marching down the field until disaster struck. QB Carson Blair threw a wild ball, which tipped off into an interception. Campo took control of the game following the turnover, with runningback Micah Parker running 46 yards downfield to put Campolindo up by 2 touchdowns with 5 minutes left. Miramonte attempted to hold onto the reins of the game and get moving. But another catastrophe struck with a fumble from QB Carson Blair, recovered by Campo. At this point, Miramonte’s hopes of a win were dimmed, but any lingering hopes were quickly extinguished by Parker with yet another touchdown.
Miramonte came up short in the end, losing to Campo 17-35. Seniors were hit with waves of emotion as the game ended.With this being both the last regular season and rivalry game of their high school career, a bittersweet emotion overtook some seniors.
Miramonte has set their sights on the NCS Championship as they begin their playoff run. “We had to move on (from the loss) and focus on playoffs because we know our bracket is winnable and we can be back-to-back champions,” Brown said. Miramonte is currently set to play Newark Memorial as their first playoff game on Friday, November 15th.
The game had a somber tone as students and players honored the memory of Miramonte football player Thomas Wilson. Wilson was both an accomplished athlete and student running back for the Mats who bore #24. A memorial was placed near the tunnel into the field, where visitors could pay their respects. Everyone also joined in a moment of silence across the field for the family of Wilson in attendance.
