The Half Moon Bay Cougars put an exclamation point on their undefeated season Friday night, defeating rival Terra Nova 56–19 in the 22nd annual Skull Game! The Cougars came out firing, jumping to a 15–0 lead in the first quarter and never looking back. With the victory, HMB improves to a perfect 10–0 on the season, keeping the coveted Skull trophy in Cougar territory!
The Cougar offense was firing on all cylinders, racking up 482 total yards, including 287 rushing yards and 195 passing yards. Joedoln Flores led the ground attack with 102 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries, including an explosive 49-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. Brandon Melo added 76 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Luke Pimentel contributed 41 yards. Auggie Lujan, Lane Miller, and Declan Lourenco also joined the scoring party with rushing touchdowns!
Quarterback Paxton Holden was a perfect 7-for-7 passing for 195 yards, connecting with Preston Wyatt for four receptions and an impressive 145 receiving yards. The Cougars finished with 21 first downs and converted four of five third-down opportunities, showcasing their offensive efficiency throughout the night.
Defensively, the Cougars came up with key stops and forced two Terra Nova turnovers, including an interception and a recovered fumble. Auggie Lujan helped lead the defensive effort with four tackles, five assists, and a sack, while Tahlon Davis contributed four tackles and four assists. The Cougars also played disciplined football, committing just three penalties for 12 yards.
With the victory, Half Moon Bay completes a remarkable 10–0 undefeated season, an incredible accomplishment for our players and coaches! The Cougars now look to carry their momentum into the postseason as they continue their pursuit of a section championship.
The Skull stays HOME! GO COUGARS!
Link to Skull Game Recap: http://www.hudl.com/v/2UZWAJ
Rocky Perry Players of the Game
Offense- Senior Wide Receiver, #88 Preston Wyatt
Defense- Senior Defensive Lineman, #72 Vince Parmann
Special Teams- Senior Kicker, #8 Soren Brown
Scout- Senior RB, #17 Brian Ventura
Community Cougar: Silverstre Acosta 🐾
This week, our football players and program are proud to honor high school custodian Silvestre Acosta as our Community Cougar!
Silvestre is easily one of the hardest working and most humble people on our campus. Day in and day out, he quietly takes care of every classroom, activity, and event at HMBHS—never asking for praise or recognition, yet always proving to be everyone’s greatest ally. Our players see his dedication firsthand and wanted to make sure his impact doesn't go unnoticed.
Thank you, Silvestre, for everything you do behind the scenes to keep our school running and our spirit strong! 🏈
JV Update
The JV Cougar Football Team roared back after being down 35 to 20 in the 3rd quarter, only to fall in the last second, 35-30. The Cougars scored a TD at the end of the 3rd Quarter and converted the 2-point after to make the score 35-22. Each team traded possessions. Finally, HMB got the ball, Tristan Reilly completed a 27 yard pass to Colton Posner for a big first down. On 3rd Down, Tristan threw a 27 yard TD pass to Manny Hernandez, with under a minute left to play. The Cougars got the 2-point after conversion again to make the score 35-30. Eli Blake got the ensuing onside kick for the Cougars! HMB Offense drove down to the 4 yard line but couldn’t score before time ran out. Terra Nova held on for the win.
The Cougar Offense was led by Quarterback Tristan Reilly. He had 68 yards and a TD rushing and 168 yards passing and a TD pass. Manny Hernandez caught a 27 yard TD pass, ran for 59 yards, had 64 yards on returning kickoffs, and had 64 yards receiving. Brody Barton ran for 48 yards and scored a TD. Camden Crowell ran for 24 yards and scored a TD. Wyatt Gunning had 38 yards receiving, 45 yards rushing, and 56 yards returning punts and kickoffs. Brayden Davis and Colton Posner each caught deep passes.
The Defense was led by Brody Barton’s 7 tackles and a Sack of the QB. Tristan Reilly and Camden Crowell each had 6 tackles. Eli Blake and Wyatt Gunning each had 5 tackles. Misael Buenfil Diaz had 4 tackles and 2 Sacks of the QB. Colton Posner had 4 tackles. Tristan Chaney had a Sack of the QB.
The JV Football team finished the season with 6 wins and 4 losses. Great job, Cougars!
