With 8 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, the 92nd annual Little Big Game looked like it could go either way. The matchup between perennial rivals San Mateo and Burlingame was exciting as always, and much more competitive than in previous years. The Bearcats had several standout performances, with senior linebacker Kevin Paleaz racking up 12 total tackles on defense, a strong offensive line presence from junior center Shadi Qobti, and an impressive two-way showing from senior quarterback and linebacker Luke Bergstrom, going 9 for 14 from the pocket and picking up an interception from the defensive end.
Midway through the 2nd half, the Bearcats had pulled away from the Panthers after a touchdown catch from Senior Wide Receiver Michael Vendel, and things were looking up for the senior-led San Mateo squad. The Bearcats led Burlingame 10-7 for a large portion of the 3rd quarter, until yet again, the Panthers formidable rushing squad added another 6 to the board for the panthers.
At the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Panthers came in with a sufficient 12 point lead after a 2-point conversion with 1 minute to go in the 3rd. At the end of the 4th quarter the ball had already changed possession twice, and the Bearcats failed to convert a 4th down, ceding possession to Burlingame. While Mateo was able to yield the Panthers scoreless in the 4th, it was not enough to recover from the aforementioned 12 point deficit, leaving the final score 22-10, Burlingame.
Speaking about the standout moments of the game, veteran Coach Jeff Scheller said “The game is always better at San Mateo… The crowd, the atmosphere,” and noted that “When we made mistakes, [Burlingame] took advantage of them.” This year’s edition of the annual battle was won on offense and lost with penalties. Burlingame had more than double the rushing yards of San Mateo, and San Mateo lost a total of 90 yards on various penalties, an element of the game that proved frustrating once the Bearcats reached the red zone, Coach Scheller adding that the Bearcats had “Too many [penalties] at the wrong time.”
Albeit this year’s annual faceoff ended in heartbreak, the Bearcats fought hard until the very end, making us proud like they do every year. The spirit squads performed wonderfully, inspiring a fiery chant of “We won halftime” from the San Mateo stands.
However, with strong season performances, the Bearcats qualified to play in the CCS tournament.
In the first round of CCS play, The Bearcats fell 14-42 in the first round of CCS to King’s Academy on November 15. As of December 3, 14 San Mateo athletes were named to the Ocean Division all-league teams, with Kevin Palaez being named defensive player of the year and Luke Bergstrom being named utility player of the year. The Bearcats look to continue their success next season, and will return 14 juniors and 7 full time starters.