MHS football loses fourth straight in difficult season

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The Malibu High School varsity football team continues to struggle as their season comes to a close. Last Friday night, the Sharks played league rival Grace Brethren and lost 45-6, dropping the Sharks’ record to 1-7-1 on the year.

The Sharks entered the game without starters Matt Mason, Brennan Cassone, Jordan Alexander, and David Sandborg, players who have made major contributions to the team’s season. The Sharks have struggled with injuries throughout the season and have had to promote many junior varsity players to fill in for the injured varsity players.

The game began unfavorably for the Sharks, with Grace Brethren running the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Malibu quarterback Chris Konkol throwing an interception on the Sharks’ first offensive drive of the game. Following the interception, the Lancers used good field position to score on a 22-yard touchdown run, putting Grace Brethren up 13-0 with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The Lancers continued to win the battle on both sides of the ball. They forced a Sharks’ fumble and then proceeded to once again score a rushing touchdown off the turnover, putting them up 19-0 with four minutes left in the first quarter.

The Lancers continued to score points during the second quarter, with a pair of touchdown passes (one of which came after a muffled punt by the Sharks) put Grace Brethren up 33-0 with nine minutes remaining in the opening half. The Sharks responded with their only score of the game, with quarterback Konkol threw a touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Apollo Loomis, putting the score at 33-6, which was the score at the conclusion of the half.

The Sharks dealt with yet another injury during the second quarter. Sophomore Will Rosenthal had to be carted off the field by paramedics after he dealt a devastating hit to a Grace Brethren player.

The Sharks began to move the ball better during the second half. The team ran more plays out of the shotgun formation and let their receivers run wild. However, the Lancers proved to be too much, as consistent stops on defense did not allow the Sharks to score any points in the second half. The Lancer offense, on the other hand, continued to pile on points, with a 40-yard touchdown pass and a one-yard touchdown run at the school’s Homecoming night. The Sharks attempted one last scoring drive at the end of the game, but were held short after advancing the ball within the Lancers’ five-yard line.

The Sharks have struggled in many aspects this season, but the hard truth about this team is that they are young. This season, Malibu has started five sophomores and used numerous others in rotation.

“We’ve been trying to find answers,” head coach Ray Humphrey said. “We’re a young team trying to play against experienced guys, and we’ve actually gotten younger over the course of the year. We just had to much adversity to overcome.”

The Sharks’ final game of the season is Friday at home against Santa Clara, another league opponent. The Sharks will host their annual senior night in which they honor all of the seniors on the team and the hard work they have put in over the years while at the same time trying to finish the 2010 season on a high note.