In the final game of the season, the UHS football team was faced with a win-or-go-home matchup against Woodbridge High School. 

Both teams came out hot with Woodbridge scoring the first touchdown and UHS moving down the field with long runs from juniors Ricky Bines and Jai Williams. The Trojans aimed to come out playing physically by primarily running the ball and slowly moving down the field while wearing down the Woodbridge defense. 

Unfortunately, the Trojans fumbled the ball away, and with momentum on the Warrior’s side, Woodbridge went on to score two more touchdowns, giving them the cushion to secure the victory. 

The UHS team rallied in the second half, holding Woodbridge to only seven points and forcing a turnover on special teams. The night was capped off on a high note with the Trojans capitalizing off the turnover by scoring a rushing touchdown from senior Christopher Rue.

Rue has primarily served as a captain of the defense throughout the season, leading the team in forced fumbles and sacks. Especially being a defensive player, getting that last rushing touchdown left the senior with a special memory. 

“Being able to leave my mark on my last game and score my first touchdown in the same night made for something I’ll never forget and I can only say I’m thankful for,” Rue said.

Rue also previously led the defense to two of their best performances of the season against Beckman and Woodbridge. 

“Something that changed our defense as a whole was players stepping up for those who fell and taking on key roles,” Rue said. “Once we had a set lineup that we knew would work as one, we saw ourselves play at a higher level than any point in the season.”

Another senior who played his last game with the Trojans was Chris Connor, who battled through multiple injuries throughout the season to be able to play in the finale against Woodbridge. Connor primarily played tight end for the Trojans throughout the season. 

“It was really difficult to come back from injury after not playing for five weeks,” Connor said. “I had to train above and beyond to get back physically to where I was pre-injury.”

Despite the tough recovery process, Connor was able to find inspiration through a variety of different factors. 

“The motivation of the crowd and winning helped motivate me to work as hard as I could every day,” Connor said. 

With the end of the Trojan season and the seniors’ time with the team, the rest of the players look forward to next fall, as they continue to build towards making a CIF playoffs appearance. The team will look to returners such as junior quarterback Koa Saito to lead the increasingly more experienced team to a possible playoff berth.