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The Bruce-Mahoney Trophy is Almost Home!
Thanks to the strategic efforts of Head Varsity Football Coach Barry McLaughlin and the tenacity of the Fightin’ Irish, SHC won an intense battle against St. Ignatius in the first leg of the Bruce-Mahoney on Friday night.
By Madeleine Johnson ’20
Photos: Aidan Quigley ’20
Thanks to the strategic efforts of Head Varsity Football Coach Barry McLaughlin and the tenacity of the Fightin’ Irish, SHC won an intense battle against St. Ignatius in the first leg of the Bruce-Mahoney on Friday night. With the score tied 14-14 with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Irish luck might have played a role in this victory. SHC has not won the Bruce-Mahoney football game since 2011-12, but that deterred no one from showing up.
If you took the temperature of the student body before the game began, you would have gotten a mixed response. There was hope for a win, but it definitely was not expected. There is a reason that everyone still attends the game, and that is our pride in each other and our teams. That goes to show that more attention should have been paid to the Irish’s 3-0 preseason record. However, thinking that we were the underdog made the victory even sweeter. The atmosphere at Kezar stadium was electric—if you didn’t lose your voice you weren’t being loud enough.
I know I am proud to say that my blood runs green. It’s simple, but shaking pom-poms and cheering until my throat hurts in my shamrock sweatshirt brings me closer to my school and community. At that moment, everyone wanted the same thing: a win. When SI was close to the end zone with less than a minute left on the clock, the stadium held a collective breath. But we believed that we could win, and we did just that.
The Bruce-Mahoney is more than a sports game, it’s a time for alumni to reconnect, to mingle with friends from across San Francisco, and most importantly a chance to ignite Irish Pride. It’s an incredibly important tradition regardless of which team wins, but I know I’m not the only one who’s excited for the Irish to bring their A-game to basketball in December!