GILROY – Ten minutes before reporting to the coach’s room to
watch game film, members of the Anchorpoint Christian 8-man
football team squeeze in a couple more minutes of goofing off
before going to work.
Cornerback, Nicholas Colman, peeks around the corner of one of
the buildings on Anchorpoint’s campus, his face spotted with
flour.
Sneaking up along the opposite side, senior quarterback Josh
Ignagni approaches with hands full of their weapon of choice.
This type of tactic seems only fitting
– the boys are all wearing camouflage as part of a week of
homecoming festivities.
GILROY – Ten minutes before reporting to the coach’s room to watch game film, members of the Anchorpoint Christian 8-man football team squeeze in a couple more minutes of goofing off before going to work.
Cornerback, Nicholas Colman, peeks around the corner of one of the buildings on Anchorpoint’s campus, his face spotted with flour.
Sneaking up along the opposite side, senior quarterback Josh Ignagni approaches with hands full of their weapon of choice.
This type of tactic seems only fitting – the boys are all wearing camouflage as part of a week of homecoming festivities.
“We were making apple pies,” Ignagni said. “It was part of out living history class.”
Ignagni and the Warriors are preparing for the biggest game of their season: a showdown with the Coastal Conference-leading Crystal Springs Uplands on Saturday night in Gilroy.
The Warriors (7-0-1, 2-0-1), ranked 15th in the state by maxpreps.com, dropped five spots after a 40-40 tie last week against league opponent Marina.
In all likelihood, the winner of Saturday’s game will decide the league champ as well as help or hurt the Warriors’ playoff chances.
Putting together one of the top statistical seasons in the league, Ignagni has come a long way both spiritually and as an athlete during his time on the team.
“This has been like a new chapter in my life; I wasn’t a Christian before,” Ignagni said. “I wasn’t really feeling it when I first got here, but once I heard there was going to be a football team I became really interested. I just want to have goals in my life and achieve them.”
A family friend of head coach KC Adams for as long as he can remember, Ignagni said it was a phone call from Adams that lured him to the small Christian school.
“I wasn’t doing so well in school,” Ignagni said. “He is everything you want in a coach. Off the field he is there to support you in any way.”
Among the league leaders in both passing and rushing yards, Ignagni, who also plays safety, is the spark that ignites an Anchorpoint team that has scored a whopping 448 points and only surrendered 114.
Ignagni has passed for 772 yards and a career-high 16 touchdowns with two games still remaining on the schedule. He’s also second on the team in rushing with 423 yards and nine more scores.
“He brings this team up to a whole different level,” Adams said of his quarterback after an 80-36 victory against Pinewood earlier in the season – Ignagni had four touchdowns and five tackles in the game.
“What else could you ask for in a senior year?” Ignagni said. “Being the captain of the team and leading the team to an undefeated season so far, it has its responsibilities. The team looks to me, and I am willing to do anything for them.”
The Warriors have begun to build a reputation as a no-nonsense team, that enters a game unafraid and plays hard for a full 48 minutes.
Since their first season in 2007, the Warriors have been the dominant figure in the league, but this year, the competition level has increased and Ignagni is all for it.
“I used to hate playing our league games,” Ignagni said. “This year it’s not that the games are close but they are competitive and that’s what we want. We don’t want to play soft teams.”
Tomorrow’s game could prove to be the team’s most competitive contest in its three years as a program.
“They have a lot of trick plays,” Ignagni said. “They try to catch you off guard but with our coaching staff I think we will be able to adjust.”
The Gryphons (6-0, 4-0) of Crystal Springs which is located in Hillsborough, feature a stingy defense that has allowed a mere 104 points this season.
“This game is pretty much win or go home,” Ignagni said. “I don’t think there has been a team that we go into it thinking that we are going to lose. We always think we are going to win.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
