(November 22, 2011) — Left tackle, sophomore Christian Mendoza sat in the Glendale High School locker room with his fellow JV football players listening to their coaches and team captains give pep talks before the final game of the season on Nov. 10. After warming and gearing up, the team headed out to make their grand entrance. “The first thing that goes through my mind is that I’m so nervous I could hit something, but then I just can’t wait to get on the field,” Mendoza said. “I have to make sure that my mind is in the game 100%, because the team depends on each individual player. When the adrenaline hits, and everything seems to speed up, and I don’t think, just act; it’s my job to defend against the offensive tackle.” The JV Homecoming game started at 4 p.m. and ended at 6 p.m. with a score of 18-8, Hoover High School taking the victory. Mendoza felt very frustrated as the game progressed. “Hoover is our rival, and to work for as long and hard as we did and just lose, is upsetting, because all our practice and hard work felt like it didn’t help,” said Mendoza. “Personally, I struggled because that particular defense that ran was confusing to block, because I had not practiced blocking that way.” While the JV players were in the final quarter, the Varsity players began to head to the locker rooms. Junior safety and wide receiver Errol Lopez, a Glendale High School Varsity player, was ready to get out on the field and start the evening. The team’s coach was giving a last minute suggestion. “You guys better win,” he said. For Alan Eberhart, the team’s coach, this game was to be his final game prior to his resignation as head coach. “We definitely got a pep talk,” Lopez said. “Everyone was pumped up and they wanted to win because it was the last game.” Lopez said he was ready for the game and felt that all the practice had prepared the team. “We practiced a lot, especially the last weeks we went all out,” Lopez said. Lopez also said the going out onto the field he wasn’t nervous at all. “I was excited, especially because it was the last game of the season.” The stands were almost completely full, with students from both Glendale, Hoover and Clark. About 50-75 students from Clark were in attendance that evening. Sophomore Guia Lim said she had a great time going to the game and cheering on her friends. “I brought one of the friends from Clark to his first football game, and most of my close friends were all there with me, so it was hard to focus on the game, but still a lot of fun.” The game finished with a score of 55-49, ending the football season with a bang for Glendale High School, and sending HHS and GHS back into conditioning for the rest of the year.