After a successful season, the FUHS Football team (7-4) finished second in league and were titled city champions.  

Because they had such a great season, the Indians qualified for CIF playoffs for the first time in three years.

Senior Travis Plante hopes to show everyone what the team is made of.

“The fact that everyone doubted us makes this so much better,” Plante said. “I believe that [we] really proved ourselves in our league performance.”

The boys placed in the bottom seed of the division 7 bracket and played on the road last Friday, battling North Torrance High (8-3). The team beat North Torrance with a score of 43-30 , with three touchdowns and 250 yards by Senior running back Dylan Nicholson.

However, due to an altercation between FUHS football player George Flores and North Torrance players, senior football captains Dylan Nicholson and Jonoven Smith, as well as players Travis Plante, Tommy Gomez-Garcia, Jerry Flores, Brent Lowe, Louis St Pierre, Carey Martin, and Benjamin Manu will not be participating in this Friday’s game. CIF later suspended the players, even though there was no action of violence from any FUHS players.

“They began to punch [Flores] repeatedly,” Nicholson said. “By instinct I ran to help.”

CIF states a rule addressing the incident: “Any player who leaves the confines of the bench or team area during a fight that has broken out or may break out will be ineligible for the team’s next contest.”

The team feels that they will do just as well without their captains, and that this situation will only make them stronger and want to work harder.

Because the team won last Friday, the boys will be advancing in hopes to finish at the higher end of the bracket and possibly go to the championship. The Indians will be playing against St. Margaret’s (9-2) this Fri. in the stadium at 7 p.m.

The team has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming game by running various  plays and watching a lot of film to understand St. Margaret Tartan’s skills.  

Heading into the game, Senior Isaiah Rodriguez feels confident about the outcome.

“I feel like we are going to win as long as everyone brings their A-game,” Rodriguez said. “We can’t win unless everyone gives 100 percent.”

Head coach, Gus Martinez explains the team’s chemistry and how it benefits them facing this obstacle.

“The team’s bond absolutely has an effect on the way that they play,” Martinez said. “They grew up with one another, you can tell they are brothers.”

The football aren’t the only ones excited about the game, as cheerleaders and the Indiancers have been working hard to prepare for their halftime performances for Friday’s game.

Junior cheerleader, Bailey Nakagawa, is excited to perform at her first CIF game.

“I love cheer and I love performing, we practice everyday and work really hard,” Nakagawa said. “And our performances are really our time to show everyone how much we’ve worked.”

Despite obstacles cheer has faced regarding time management, the drive to work hard and perfect their routines never fails to show during their performance.

“We have [a routine], although we had a little bit of a time constraint, because we didn’t know we were going to have CIF games,” Nakagawa said. “Each week, we’re not sure if we’re going to have another game, so we’ve only had this week to work on it.”

Junior Captain Raquel Frausto is not only proud of how far the football team has come, but her team as well.

“Our team has done incredibly well this year,” Frausto said. “Our routines have improved tremendously compared to last year and I’m thankful for the coaches who have guided us in the right direction.”

On top of practicing for the dance concert, which is Thurs. Nov. 30, and Fri. Dec. 1, the Indiancers have been working hard on their halftime performances.

Junior Annakate McIntosch is excited to perform on Friday; like cheer, they too had a time constraint.

“I am excited, [but] it was kinda last minute,” McIntosch said. “So I’m kinda nervous but I’m also really excited.”

Freshman Samantha Dennis is excited to perform on Friday, and has had a great first season as an Indiancer.

“It’s really cool that our team is doing so well my freshman year,” Dennis said.

Make sure to come out and support the football team this Fri. Nov. 17, at 7 pm, to watch them as they push forward on the path to the championship ring.