On Friday, October 1, 2021, the Wilcox Varsity Football team hosted the annual Homecoming game on their home turf, facing off against the Mountain View High Trojans. Continuing the sixty-year tradition, the evening was kickstarted by the presentation of the class floats, each representing the overhead theme of Superheroes: Freshman as Thor, Sophomores as Ben 10, Juniors as SuperMan, and Seniors as Iron Man. The showcasing was promptly followed by the welcoming of the 2021 Homecoming Court, led by Homecoming King, Victor Perez Contreras, and Homecoming Queen, Megan Pham.  In spite of the blazing sun, overwhelming cheers spewed from the Charger student section as seats began to fill up, an exhilarating and intoxicating energy that paved the way for yet another Charger victory, who won 42 – 27. 

As rival schools of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic De Anza League, tensions were high amongst the field: players huddled around in a circle and cheering one another on and coaches murmuring frantically into their headsets as the stands held their breath in the coming seconds of the coin toss, the Chargers coming out triumphant. Led by junior quarterback, Armand Johnson, Wilcox was quick to put 7 up on the board with an effortless touchdown scored by senior Luther Glenn. Coming in as a 5’10, 180-pound Running Back, the crowd was not surprised to see Wilcox’s young prodigy dominating the field, holding steady competition against Alumni Quarterback Paul Rosa’s run-heavy system.

Mountain View fought to put up with a heavy competition against Glenn’s biggest play on defense after trailing 0-7 early in the second quarter — a mistake further rubbed in after Glenn took a pitch from Johnson, jetting 44 yards upfield to score a second touchdown for the Chargers. Smuggling their second touchdown with only 29.4 seconds left in the first half, the Trojans were led by a new addition to their team, senior receiver Joe Brown. The frustration that flooded from Wilcox as they trudged to the locker room was impossible to deny, the pressure to win in front of the 200-something family and friends alike slapping them in the face. Varsity Coach Paul Rosa was quick to comment, saying, “It’s a little nerve racking .. We use homecoming as a little more motivation to perform well in front of a good home crowd and losing just brings the mood down.”

As the Varsity Football team ran back onto the field, it was clear something had clicked for them — they jeered at one another as they rushed up and down the field during warmups, huffing out a series of chants. The whistle blew as the Chargers became a powerhouse, securing the first down only four minutes into halftime. Two minutes later, Glenn shook off two defenders at the end of a 31-yard touchdown and with a good kick by Anthan Wingate, Wilcox found themselves at 21 – 14.  

Head-to-head, Glenn and Trojan Running Back, Leo Navarro, traded four long, monstrous touchdowns between alternating possessions until Wilcox brought it home, sweeping the ball from Mountain View at the goal line after clinging to a one-possession lead. A few tight plays later, Wilcox never trailed again. The season win was furthered by masterminds Daniel Escorza and Andrew Palacios who earned another 109 yards, Palacios with 85 on 15 carries. 

At its core, the Homecoming Game between Wilcox High and Mountain View High was electric, and undeniably one for the books. In the case of Luther Glenn who gushes, “It was EEEEA-ZZ! Shout out to my line men, can’t do none of this without my line men,” Glenn broke his personal rushing record, tallying up to 317 yards — three full lengths of the football field (and then some..) — by the finale.