‘Monster’ gone: Bella Vista football snaps 48-game losing streak for first win since 2015
You might have thought the Bella Vista High School football team won the Super Bowl on Friday night, based on how players reacted when the final buzzer sounded in North Highlands.
Bella Vista players gave second-year coach Jim Gray a Gatorade bath. They sprinted and jumped for joy and hugged each other after shaking hands with Highlands players. One player yelled at the top of his lungs, “we broke the record.”
Everyone had a smile on their face. It’s a feeling none of the Bella Vista varsity players have experienced walking off a football field. The Broncos’ dominant 67-0 win over Highlands marked the end of a 48-game losing streak, second-worst in state history.
Bella Vista’s second-most-recent win came Oct. 19, 2015, which was 2,146 days prior to Friday.
Bella Vista forced five turnovers, had eight sacks and shut Highland’s offense down completely. The Scots didn’t get a positive gain on offense until midway through the third quarter.
Avery Taylor had touchdown runs of 24, 18 and 59 yards., and Elgin Lee, Jeremiah Schurr and Caden Lewis also ran for scores. Ian James threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Jason Hymas in the first quarter. Bella Vista’s offensive line made up of Konnor Avila, Jacob Disney-Taylor, Jacob Mesunas, Joseph Sampognaro and Etni Topete didn’t allow a sack.
The Broncos’ losing streak ended because of senior players such as Caelan Sallander and Elijah Shaw, who never gave up despite the blowout losses and humiliation that comes with such a dreadful streak.
“I’m glad that we avenged (the past teams) losses,” Shaw said. “I have played with so many seniors that never got a win. It’s very meaningful. This win is for them. This emotion is overwhelming. There have been so many times we played and we didn’t even score. I know that emotion, but (because we haven’t won) I haven’t felt that before. This win makes me want to jump up and down and stay out on the field and play.”
Shaw added, “Look at the score. All of those practices, all of those losses, it’s that built up anger. Now, looking at that score, I can tell myself we have potential to win.”
Sallander, who returned two punts for touchdowns, said, “It feels good because we have never had a win. I’m happy but at the same time, I know (how Highlands feels) because we have lost like that. ...The senior class means everything to me. We have been together all four years. This is a huge win for all of us.”
Gray played a part in breaking the curse, too. The coach has been a fixture in Sacramento-area football for decades and had a previous stint with the Broncos as a coach in the 1990s. He came back to turn this program around and he’s on the right track.
“Some of these kids have been in this program for three or four years, waiting for a win,” Gray said. “I hope they enjoy this and really celebrate this tonight because the monster is off their back. We have pushed our guys and they have stayed committed. Bella Vista used to have a tradition and we are going to bring it back.”
He added, “It’s good to be back. I want to help this team get going again and be recognized in the area as not the homecoming team anymore, but the team that you don’t want to play.”
Bella Vista (1-1) will face Del Campo on Friday. Highlands (0-2) faces Cordova (0-2) next.
“We did this for the school, the community, the families, and we did it for each other,” James said. “We really needed this. It hasn’t hit me (that we have won). It’s going to hit me tonight when I think about it and when I go to school on Monday.”