It was 1984 when the Santa Clara High School Bruins last beat the Wilcox Chargers. So, when the teams met up for the annual Mission City Bowl on Nov. 8, Santa Clara had something to prove. Would this be the team that finally knocked down the mighty Chargers?
It didn’t take long for that question to be answered. And, on a night when Santa Clara honored former principal Don Bordenave by renaming the field in his honor, the Chargers dominated the Bruins with a 68-10 victory.
Wilcox scored fast and often, with the team’s first touchdown coming on a one-handed catch by senior Sione Finefeuiaki. Senior Delshawn Mitchell followed it up two and a half minutes later with a 70-yard touchdown run. Wilcox then scored again on a touchdown by sophomore Julian Jones.
Late in the first quarter, controversy arose when Wilcox blocked a field goal attempt. Santa Clara recovered, however, an inadvertent whistle caused a replay and senior Leo Hernandez nailed the second try.
The second quarter started with senior quarterback Kenny Dipko rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown. Mitchell scored on the two-point conversion attempt. Mitchell then recovered a fumble and scored on a 40-yard rush, giving Wilcox a commanding 33-3 lead.
Mitchell scored again on a 20-yard rush, followed by Dipko with a 50-yard rushing touchdown. With a 46-3 lead, Dipko was done for the night, but junior Johnny Carmack picked up where he left off. Minutes after entering the game, Carmack handed the ball to junior Blajon Lux who ran for 15 yards and another Wilcox score.
Just after halftime, backup quarterback junior Adam Hernandez rushed for five yards and a Charger touchdown.
When senior Robert Bowles kicked off, there was a glimmer of hope for the Bruins. Senior Adam Garza caught the ball at Santa Clara’s 10-yard line and hustled his way through the pack, dodging defenders when necessary, and running for 90 yards and the Bruins’ only touchdown of the game.
Wilcox’s final score came on a 28-yard touchdown run by senior Branden Wong.
“We’ve had a lot of injuries,” said junior Marco Delcourt, rationalizing the loss. “I’m injured and I was a starter…We’ll be back next year.”
Wilcox (8-1, 5-1 league) hosts Saratoga (3-6, 2-4 league) on Fri. Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Likewise, Santa Clara (2-7, 1-5 league) hosts Palo Alto (4-5, 3-3 league) at 7:15 p.m. on the 15th.