More than football: Livingston High trip more about beaches, bowling and bonding.
The Livingston High football team’s weekend trip to the coast was about more than just a Saturday afternoon football game at Stevenson School. The Wolves struggled to keep pace with an explosive Pirates team that cruised to a 49-12 victory. There was some immediate disappointment and frustration, but the Wolves planned to quickly turn their attention to the experience available to the players and coaches.
“It’s going to be tough but I’m going to try to wash this off in about 5 minutes and then we’re going to go bowling in two hours, we’re going to the beach, we’re going to watch a movie, we’re going to have a good time,” said Livingston head coach Steven Wine, whose team dropped to 0-3 on the season.
Wine said the team intentionally took the infamous 17-mile road to the game as they approached Pebble Beach so the kids could see the beaches and the Pacific Ocean. Wine said there was a lot of oohing and ahhing as they made the twists and turns on the scenic approach.
After facing one of the top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section last week against Sonora, the Wolves again found themselves across the field from another talented team. Stevenson moved the ball up and down the field alternating an effective passing attack and a strong rushing game. Pirates quarterback Fin Mink threw four touchdowns and ran for another score.
The Wolves chances weren’t helped when quarterback Alexander Zuniga left with an injury in the first quarter and didn’t return. Senior Roberto Rivera moved to quarterback from receiver and did a solid job, but Livingston struggled with turnovers. “There's no doubt we played hard,” Rivera said. “We like to hit. I think it was just too many mistakes, fumbles. We’ve got to do better., I think we're a pretty good team, you know, we just have to fix those things.”
Rivera did connect with receiver Christian Partida for a touchdown pass late in the first half. Mathias Valencia added the Wolves second score with a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. The Wolves will now head into their bye week before opening up Western Athletic Conference play on Sept. 19 at Ceres.
They can worry about that next week. First, Saturday night was about some team bonding, bowling, movies and the beach. “We've been together all summer, but this is a better opportunity to hang out with each other than just seeing each other at football practice,” Rivera said. “We’ve got all day and all night so it’s a chance for us to bond more. Then we can get prepared for league next week.”
Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.