To kick off their playoff debut, the varsity football team played at home against their first competitors of the playoff season, Reavis High School. Due to it being playoffs, this game would determine which team would continue their season for another week and who would be sent home and forced to end their season. While both teams made the playoffs, the Sequoits were projected to win due to their undefeated record of 9-0. However, expecting to win the game easily was not the mindset the Sequoits had going into the game. Despite the rankings that came out earlier in the week, they knew their season was at stake if too many mistakes were made throughout the game.

The game did not occur under its typical Friday night lights but instead occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, October 27. To start the game off, senior Benjamin Nauman made an early run to the end zone and scored the first touchdown of the game for the Sequoits. Creating a domino effect, more touchdowns came from teammates Treshawn Watson and Athan Kaliakmanis in the first quarter. Kaliakmanis was able to push through the defense of the Reavis Rams and make the second touchdown for the Sequoits while Watson was able to make a run using his speed which moved the Sequoits to 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

“That was really impressive for the team to get such a big lead in the first quarter,” manager and senior Avery Malicki said. “I know that our team is really good but I wasn’t expecting such a big lead during a playoff game.”

In the second quarter the game began to slow down a bit with the defense from Reavis beginning to pick themselves up. However, a quick pass from Kaliakmanis to junior Brandon Reynolds was able to break through the defense and create another touchdown for the Sequoits with five minutes left until halftime. A last minute play made by Kaliakmanis to senior Zach Grindley gave the Sequoits another touchdown and a lead of 35-0 going into halftime.

“The success from the first half just motivated us to continue that into the second half,” Grindley said. “We weren’t going to let our foot off the gas that early in the game.”

In the third quarter, the Rams began to create opportunities for themselves by slowly moving up the field but it wasn’t enough to make a touchdown. Grindley was able to come back to make another play for the Sequoits and score a touchdown in the final minutes of the third quarter which moved the score to 42-0 with a quarter still left in the game.

In the final quarter, the Sequoits changed the lineup a bit giving other players time on the field. Using the opportunity to his advantage, sophomore Gavin Calabrese scored the final touchdown of the game for the Sequoits making the score 49-0.

The Sequoits will now be taking on their cross-town rivals, the Lakes Community High School Eagles, for the second time this season in the second round of playoffs.

“Lakes creates a different type of competition for us to compete against,” senior Kevin Tebbe said. “It’s more than just a normal game, it is a whole season and rivalry game all in one.”

Make sure to come watch the Eagles try to take revenge against the Sequoits from their earlier defeat this season on Saturday, November 23, at 1:00 p.m. on the Sequoits’ home turf.