Lions Stay at the Top of the Food Chain with a Close Victory
30…29…28…27…26…25…
The clock ticked slowly as the Lions trailed 8 points behind the Bulldogs. All hope seemed lost, with Lincoln students preparing for the worst and Mr. Hewitson clinging to the bone. The end of a sixteen year legacy. Or so they thought.
Suddenly, Lincoln’s Aldin Besirevic (#44) appeared on the field, outrunning the Bulldogs and catching Quarterback Robert Zamora‘s pass for a touchdown for Lincoln. Not too long after that, a two point conversion by Besirevic tied the game at 22-22 just as the clock struck zero.
It was the turn around of the year. As the game went on, Lincoln continued to defy the odds, ultimately securing a win by a small margin during overtime. In the last second, less than an inch separated the Bulldogs from ending years of game day disappointment, as they failed to complete their two-point conversion. The score remained at 29-28, the closest Big Bone game in years. Here’s a recap of the events that lead up to this nail-biting victory.
The game opened with Cordell Wagner (#41) scoring a touchdown for the Lions, putting Lincoln in the lead at 7-0.
The Bulldogs came back strong in the second quarter, getting a touchdown and a two point conversion. San Jose High coach Mike Ashkinaz’s tactic of going for two point conversions instead of field goals paid off, allowing the Bulldogs to edge ahead at 8-7.
As the game went on, the Bulldogs furthered their lead over the Lions. San Jose High’s Kyle Alves (#5) scored a touchdown in the second quarter, and Jesse Alvarado (#22) added another two points by completing a conversion, bringing the score to 16-7 in time for halftime.
After an entertaining halftime performance, the Lions came back ready to regain their lead. Lincoln’s Alex Martinez (#10) scored a 66 yard touchdown and the extra point, bringing the score up to 16-14. However, the Bulldogs refused to go down without a fight. They increased their lead over Lincoln in the fourth quarter with 1:36 left on the clock, putting them eight points ahead.
The Bulldogs had furthered their lead. The game was going just as Lincoln coach Kevin Collins had planned. With the clock ticking down, Collins had realized that the only way Lincoln could secure possession of the ball was by letting San Jose High score. Collins’s ingenious strategy worked. This tactic brought us to the final thirty seconds of the game.
30…29…28…27…26…25…
Having regained possession of the ball, Lincoln made an amazing comeback. The bone stayed home.
Click here to view a video of the game’s highlights.
Dorrin Akbari is a senior at Lincoln High School. She was born in Iran and moved to the United States when she was seven years old. Dorrin has always been...
Felicia Viano is seventeen years old and a senior at Lincoln High School. Born and raised in San Jose, she hopes to study history in Southern California...
