It wasn't always easy but the Cougars came out with a convincing win against the Aragon Dons at their San Mateo campus Friday night, 36 - 10. Aragon was able to gain yards but was held to a single field goal until the 4th quarter. During the week of practice, receiver Nolan Mullins made numerous catches to test the defense and was named Scout player of the week. His effort helped the defense to play well and limited the Don's to 4 completions on 12 attempts and just 89 yards. Peter Valdez and Ayden Courtney led the team in tackles, and each had a tackle for loss. Jordi Sanchez also had a TFL in his first Varsity start on defense. Connor Heath, Gael Segura, Hermes McClellan had multiple tackles along with Dio Lucido who broke up a pass in the end zone. It was tough to decide on Defensive player of the week but Ivan Aguilar was given the honor for his overall play with multiple tackles including one for a loss while switching from his normal linebacker spot to strong safety. On offense the running game piled up 267 yards, led by Offensive player of the week PJ Modena. Totaling 128 yards on just 11 carries, Modena had two TDs including a 34 yard bolt where he didn't slow down while running over an Aragon defender at the 25 yard line. Liam Harrington was 5 of 8 for 76 yards passing and after a deft fake, ran untouched for a two point conversion after the first Cougar touchdown. Harrison Tobias had a nice game with 49 yards on 11 carries including a touchdown but saved his best for special teams. Special was the right name for two exciting plays in the kicking game where the Cougars executed two on-sides kick offs. Segura and Julian Jimenez both struck perfectly bouncing kicks recovered by Lucido and Heath. Tobias, our Special Teams Player of the Week, wasn't to be outdone when he blocked a punt deep in Aragon territory to give the Cougars prime scoring position and the knockout blow against the Dons.
This week the Cougars host rival Terra Nova on Friday night at home at 7 PM. The match against the Tigers is the final regular season game but the Cougars will be in the CCS playoffs the following week with the location and opponent to be decided this weekend. Go Cougars!
This week’s Community Cougars are the Seaton Family. The Seatons have been a part of Cougar Football for multiple generations. Mike, John Francis Award Winner, was a standout multi-sport athlete who coached Pop Warner Football on the coast for years. Mike and his family have manned the chain gang for years up on Cougar Hill. His wife Audrey, was a team mom for many years. Mike’s children and nephews all wore the black and orange and were standout athletes. His nephew, Michael Seaton, had his #1 jersey retired. Michael and his father, Dave, coached for the Cougars for years. Currently, Michael is now coaching his son, Dom, in Pop Warner Football. All the Seatons know the relevance of this game to Half Moon Bay and are an excellent family to recognize this week.