by Josh Ajiwibawa ’25
On August 31st, 2024, the Bellarmine Bells opened their football season on the road against the Menlo-Atherton Bears in what was a highly anticipated matchup. In their second year under Head Coach David Diaz-Infante, the varsity football team hoped to build on the lessons learned from the previous season. After prevailing in the last meeting between these two teams, the Bells were eager to start off the season strong with a win.
The game started off competitively, with Bellarmine trailing by 7 points at the end of the first quarter. They managed to cut the lead to 4 with a field goal scored by Junior Micah Robinson, keeping the game within reach. However, one of the game’s key moments, and perhaps the turning point, occurred when Senior running back and team captain Reece McKeever suffered an injury that forced him out of the game. This injury not only affected the team’s performance on the field but also disrupted the team’s momentum as game began to slip away. The offense began to stall, and the home team capitalized on a couple of Bellarmine turnovers allowing Menlo-Atherton to pull away. The game ultimately ended in a 40-10 loss for the Bells. Some key stats from the game:
- Quarterback Nick Weber finished with 171 passing yards and a touchdown
- Wide Receiver Dominic Vaccaro led the team with 48 receiving yards and a touchdown
- Linebacker Judah Halapua led the team with 11 tackles
- Linebacker Henry Clark added 4 tackles for loss
The Bells are looking to bounce back in their home opener against Jesuit on Friday, September 6th at 7:00 PM, which will take place at San Jose City College. Make sure to come out and support your Bellarmine football team!