Coming off a 38-21 victory against La Quinta High School on Nov. 6, the Fullerton Indians (9-2) are hopeful to clutch another playoff win in their CIF second round.
Today the Indians will travel to Tustin High School stadium to face off against Beckman High School. Irvine’s Beckman (8-3, 5-0) went undefeated in the Lambda League and had a 41-21 win against La Mirada High School in its CIF opener last week.
Despite losing to Beckman 34-14 during league play on Oct. 3, sophomore receiver Nathan Vejar says he’s confident in Fullerton’s ability to shut down Patriot quarterback Noah Nam if the Indians can put their practice into play.
“It’s all instinct,” Vejar said. “I already know what to do. I just gotta execute. And that’s what it’s all about. You prepare yourself the whole week: you study film, practice, and then on Friday night you go out there and your body already knows what to do, so you just play.”
Although the Indians will head into Friday night’s game as the underdog, Fullerton’s running back Caden Wise and Beckman’s running back Makhi Czaykowski are evenly matched. Wise has a season total of 21 touchdowns, tied with Czaykowski’s 21 season total. Wise and Czaykowski are also almost dead even in average receiving yards per game.
Even with the pressure of a playoff game, the Fullerton Indians continue to maintain a spirit of brotherhood and integrity, which especially shone through in their league match up against Sunny Hills on Oct. 23.
With a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Lancers expected a win, but the Indians scored a touchdown, won the onside kick, and scored again to capture the 35-33 victory against crosstown rival Sunny Hills.
Senior lineman Logan Vasquez recognized that the team’s fourth-quarter outlook seemed bleak, but reminded his teammates of the heart behind their efforts.
“Once we got back on the field, I was like, this is two minutes you’re gonna remember for the rest of your lives. I asked, ‘Do you want to remember how we gave up on the field, or that we at least tried?’” Vasquez said.
In just 2 minutes and 35 seconds, the team was able to prove that they earned their spot in the playoffs. This year is the first CIF berth for the Tribe since 2019.
Junior Cyrus Avilas, who knows several players on the Sunny Hills team, said he felt the added pressure of facing off against his local rivals.
“It was a more personal game for all of us ‘cause we haven’t beat that team in years. They were always talking big, even on their Instagram, trying to put us down. So it was real personal,” Avilas said.
Vejar agreed: “Even towards the end of the game, we weren’t defeated. We wanted it more, and that’s why we won.”
With a five-game winning streak heading into the second round of Division 8 playoffs, the Fullerton Indians will bring a positive mentality to the game. James Knight says the good vibes aren’t just from his teammates. He says the school culture and the Fullerton community have become more supportive.
“It’s a fun feeling because I see it around campus,” Knight said. “I was at lunch a couple times and people asked me if I’m on the football team. Even today we were at Canes and the Canes employees were saying good luck.”
Knight says it’s been hard to shake off last year’s 0-10 record. “But this year we had a chance to prove ourselves,” he said. “Just being able to win games like that and come to school the next day and tell our teachers, other students, the whole school is proud of you. It’s a good feeling for sure. Now you’re not ashamed to wear this jersey every Friday. I think that’s just what the school really needed. And we have a lot more left to prove.”
Fullerton fans can purchase tickets for tonight’s game against Beckman though this GoFan link. General admission tickets are $12. High school students with school ID pay $6. Children (ages 3-13) are also $6. Tickets will be available at the gate. GoFan charges a service fee.
