It didn’t take long for the Wildcats varsity football team to set the tone for the 2025-2026 season.

On the Wildcats’ first offensive play from scrimmage, quarterback Gavyn Nicholson (‘27) threw a high-arcing pass to wide receiver Jio Kang (‘27) as he sprinted along the sideline and into the end zone.

Kang’s touchdown electrified the Wildcats’ sideline, and the raucous student body assembled in The Den. 

“My touchdown really energized the sidelines and just set the pace for the rest of the game,” Kang, who hauled in a game-high 123 yards, said.

It was the first of five touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 47-0 obliteration of the visiting Sonora High School Raiders Aug. 22 in Wildcat Stadium.

That the result was so lopsided wasn’t surprising to the Wildcats, who also shut out Sonora in last season’s opener, 45-0. 

“The game went how it should’ve gone,”outside linebacker Nick Davis (’27) said.

After Kang’s touchdown, the Wildcats gambled with an onside kick by veteran kicker Colby Thuman (‘26). Defensive back Randolph Martinez (‘27) pounced on the ball, securing BOHS another possession in Raiders territory. 

Just a few plays later, Evan Rivas Melendez (‘28) received a handoff from Nicholson and darted 11 yards into the corner of the end zone to add another six points to the scoreboard, for a 12-0 lead. 

The scores kept coming as running back Kolotolu Liti (‘26) shoved through the Raiders defense and across the goal line, ending the first quarter 19-0. 

Liti again added to the rout by receiving a toss from Nicholson and stiff-arming his way into the end zone to start the second quarter.

By halftime, the Wildcats led 33-0.

After the first half, head coach Justin Villasenor began swapping out starters, replacing them with some of the more inexperienced players on the 73-man roster. 

“We wanted to give the freshmen some playing time and experience since it was such a blowout,” Villasenor said. 

Earning snaps were wide receiver Tristan Kim (‘29), and backup quarterback Nicholas Vasquez (‘29).

Even with the lineup changes, the Wildcats continued to roll.

Nicholson, who played all four quarters, amassed 224 yards in the air and three touchdowns. The junior was also a threat on the ground, running the ball for 69 yards.

Nicholson’s versatility kept the Raiders’ defense off-balance. 

“Gavyn is able to move and run with the ball really well, which throws defenses off and makes a lot more people open on offense,” Kang said.

On the ground, running back Brandon Bartell (‘27) totalled 100 rushing yards, a career high, out of the Wildcats’ dominant 353. Bartell further extended the Wildcats’ lead with a touchdown in the third quarter by squeezing through the Raiders defense to clear the goal line.

While the BOHS offense piled on the points, the Wildcat defense ensured the visitor’s side of the scoreboard stayed at zero.

Leading the defense was linebacker Nolan Santana (‘27) with a sack and ten tackles, which earned him Defensive Player of the Week recognition from the Wildcats’ coaching staff. Davis contributed seven tackles (and even energized the BOHS sidelines with a hurdle over a defender on a punt return at the start of the third quarter).

The Raiders did manage to creep into Wildcat territory once, but Martinez forced a fumble that was quickly recovered by linebacker Cohen Senkbile (‘26).

Although Sonora never posed a threat to the home team, flags from penalities — “that should have never happened,” Davis said —  frequently stalled the Wildcats’ momentum. 

Villasenor attributed the penalties to the team’s aggressiveness, a theme of this year’s program. 

“We play very physical and aggressive and when the referees see that they throw a flag, so we have to clean that up,” Villasenor said.

The Wildcats’ had additional motivation entering the game against their crosstown rivals: A desire to top last year’s 45-0 shutout against the Raiders. After losing 24 seniors to graduation, this year’s squad wanted to prove that they “[could] still go and win some football games,” according to Kang.

“By winning by more, it showed that even though we lost a lot of seniors we are still a good football team and we didn’t just fall off the charts like a lot of people thought we would,” Davis said.

Hoping to add another win to their 11-game regular season win streak, the Wildcats face Cypress High School on the Centurion’s home turf Aug. 29.

It’s been 726 days since the Wildcats last lost a non-playoff game. 

The 1-0 Centurion’s will be a stiffer test than the Raiders, however. 

According to wide receiver Ryan Nero (’26), who caught six passes for 59 yards against Sonora, “Cypress has a lot of really good players on their team, so it’s going to be a lot of one-on-one matchups.” 

On the Wildcats’ radar are wide receiver Mekaih Felix (‘27), who caught 61 yards in the Centurions’ season-opener, and outside linebacker Alijah Ashcraft (‘27), who had 11 tackles and a caused fumble.

The Centurions have extra fuel for their matchup against the Wildcats: They will be competing on a brand new home field turf for the first time. 

“They’re going to want to win badly because nobody wants to lose their first home game, especially on new turf,” Davis said.

Game time at Cypress High School on Friday, Aug. 29, is 7 p.m.