Menlo’s varsity football team claimed the Valparaiso Cup with a 20-17 win over Sacred Heart Prep in the 22nd annual Valpo Bowl on Friday, Nov. 8. The victory marked Menlo’s first victory over rival SHP since 2021.
Playing on their home turf, the Gators struck first with a 65-yard touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive. “The only unfortunate thing about our program right now is we kind of put ourselves in bad situations and dig our way out. Certainly, you learn more that way, but it’s a lot harder,” head coach Todd Smith said.
Junior Dylan O’Malley kicked a 35-yard field goal with five minutes left in the first quarter to get Menlo on the board. In the second quarter, junior running back Chuck Wynn capped off a Menlo drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown run to put the Knights in front. “They schemed us up differently than they have in the past years. They dropped a lot of guys. They were in cover four, so four guys are dropping back,” junior quarterback Jack Freehill said. “The pass game wasn’t really there so we had to make the adjustment and get Chuck going. […] When he gets going, our offense is just so much better.”
On the next possession, senior cornerback Tyler Fernandez picked off SHP quarterback Nico Pollioni and returned the interception inside the Gator 15-yard line. “They tried to throw us off at the motion, and then there was a running back screen, and I think that the quarterback just overthrew it a little bit. I was in the right place at the right time,” Fernandez said. “It was a great moment for our team.”
Freehill capitalized on the turnover with his own touchdown run from five yards out putting the Knights ahead 17-7 going into the second half. Freehill had a strong game with 12 carries for 83 yards on the ground and 10 for 12 in the air for 72 yards.
However, the third quarter was dominated by the Gators. Sacred Heart recovered an onside kick to open the second half and would later score a touchdown, cutting the Menlo lead to three.
At the beginning of the fourth, the Gators tied the game with a 28-yard field goal. With four minutes left in the game, O’Malley kicked a field goal, this time from 20 yards out, to put Menlo in front. Menlo’s defense stopped the Gators’ offense from scoring the rest of the game. “I thought our defense played really, really well tonight in tight, tight circumstances,” Smith said.
While the game had a few ups and downs, especially with the Gators scoring right off the bat, Smith is happy with how the team handled tough situations. “We’re resilient. We practice resilience and we showed it,” Smith.
After the game, Menlo students came down onto the field to celebrate the win with the team. “It was amazing. I’ll never forget that and all the baby powder in the air and everyone going crazy. Sea of Gold went crazy,” Fernandez said. “It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
Friday’s win over SHP puts Menlo at a 7-3 record and 4th in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division to finish their regular season.
