Varsity football lost 49-6 to Menlo School during its Homecoming game on Friday night, Oct. 17.

Menlo dominated the game from the start, limiting Palo Alto to a single touchdown while stringing together drives marked by explosive plays.

Head coach David DeGeronimo said the team’s performance fell short of his expectations.

“We weren’t very good,” DeGeronimo said. “We didn’t execute, we made tons of mistakes, and we gotta do a better job of preparing during the week.”

Sophomore running back and linebacker Kaleb Osotonu agreed and said the team’s effort in practice needs to improve.

“Working as a team, we (have to be) willing to just pick it up at practice and stop goofing around,” Osotonu said. “Practice pays off. You practice how you play.” 

Junior running back Shanley Davey said while the team works hard, it needs to translate that effort into execution on game day. 

“I think we can grow together as brothers,” Davey said. “We work hard together, but we need to execute out on the field.”

DeGeronimo also said the team struggled to finish key plays.

“After the fumble, which was a disaster to open the game, we had them at 4th and 14, and we let them convert (for a first down),” DeGeronimo said. “For those three plays, we were great, and for one play, it was a disaster, and that’s the story of the night. (We did) three things well, but had one disaster, and in football, you can’t do that.”

Davey said the team must focus on maintaining a positive mindset despite its record.

“I think we get in our own heads, and having a record like ours, it’s not easy coming out here every week and not easy to forget about it,” Davey said. “So I think (we need to improve our) mentality and show what we can do (because) we’re capable of a lot more.”

Looking ahead, DeGeronimo said next week’s game against Menlo-Atherton High School will be pivotal.

“Next week is our Super Bowl,” DeGeronimo said. “They’re coming here on senior night and it’s such a critical game. We just gotta execute in all phases, and we’re just not doing that right now.”

Varsity football will face Menlo-Atherton at home on Friday, Oct. 24.

Photos and reporting by Dashel Chun and Lucas Lai.