After five years, “The Log” trophy has finally returned to Woodside following a close 17-14 win against Sequoia at the September 15th football game.
Students, family, and faculty gather annually for the Redwood City Rumble, where Sequoia and Woodside’s football teams face off in heated competition. The games marked the first victory after a string of losses, with scores of L 34-15 in 2022, L 53-0 in 2021, L 27-21 in 2020, and L 40-20 in 2019. This year, Woodside’s “Black out or Back out” spirit theme contributed to the atmosphere at the game. Varsity coach Justin Andrews, who has worked with Woodside football for the past 11 years and coached varsity for the past eight years reflected right after this exciting and competitive game.
“I could not be more proud of these guys,” Andrews said. “They are self motivated. Since they love our football practices, they have been bringing it. [The] energy has been great. They are great with each other [and] for each other.”
Following the first quarter, spirits seemed low after Sequoia scored the first touchdown, bringing the score to 7-0 for Sequoia. Luckily for Woodside, this disappointment was short lived after junior running back Evan Usher scored Woodside’s first touchdown of the game, making the score 10-7 for Woodside.
“I would say the breakout run where I got that touchdown [was my highlight of the game],” Usher said. “[It was] my favorite touchdown so far. It’s super fun just sprinting into the end zone, trying to evade tacklers.”
Woodside’s lead was sadly short-lived following a second touchdown by Sequoia to close the gap to 14-10 for Sequoia. Senior running back Oliver Lyssand’s quick feet brought Woodside back into the lead with another touchdown, making the score 17-14 for Woodside.
“The touchdown I scored to take the lead was pretty awesome,” Lyssand said. “This year, we’re way closer all together. All these guys played last year together. We had the same team from last year.”
In the final seconds of the game, Woodside’s defensive efforts to run the clock stopped Sequoia from scoring, leading Woodside to victory.
“There weren’t a lot of big plays,” Usher said. “It was just marching down the field both on offense and defense. We just didn’t give up any big plays which allowed us to stay in that game. I think that’s the reason why we came out on top.”
As a central member of the team, it was no surprise that the crowd was shocked after Usher was tackled leaving him sprawled out on the field. However, a quick visit with the athletic trainer put him right back into the game.
“I came back right after that play,” Usher said. “It was nothing serious, just a helmet to the knee. It never feels good. [But I] went back right after that play, and I think we got the offense rolling.”
For the players, the immense support and guidance from the coaches helped cultivate a tight-knit community and team necessary to perform well during games.
“Our coaches are amazing,” senior captain and linebacker Mason Furtado said. “They prepped us amazingly. We all just rose to the occasion.’’
With this win, the Woodside football team has climbed to three wins and zero losses, making this a successful start to the season that the players look forward to building on.
“I feel like that was just the beginning,” Usher said. “Honestly, we have so much more of our season left to go. Sequoia was just another obstacle on our way. I think we played a great game. Sequoia had a great game too, but we came out on top.”
