SALINAS — With five minutes remaining, the Hawks lost their cool. The frustration that had been building for the past 85 minutes led to a moment of head loss.
It came from freshman defender Gio Pinon. Within the waning moments of the game, he delivered a rash, late challenge on a Hartnell player. Several Hartnell players in Pinon’s face created a tense standoff. Feeling cornered, blood boiling from the result all but finalized, Pinon swung.
All he could muster after was a laugh. The referee lifted a red card as Pinon jogged off the field. He gave all his coaches handshakes with a smile on his face.
“Good season,” he said. “Good season, guys.” He went down the bench.
His teammates couldn’t meet his eyes. Their own welled up with tears. Pinon’s ejection solidified the loss.
“Was that a red?” Pinon turned and asked jokingly. “Was it?” Pinon continued — his way to distract from the reality that the season was over.
He paced around the bench, only stopping to talk loudly about the referees. Another voice tore through the cold air, interrupting Pinon’s rant.
“Gio,” head coach Andrew Cumbo yelled, turning his head quickly to Pinon. He didn’t have to say anything else. The message was clear.
The bench fell silent until the final whistle. No matter how anyone coped, it didn’t change the result.
On Saturday, Nov. 22, Las Positas’ season ended in Salinas with a 2-0 loss to No. 2-ranked Hartnell. The second round of the 3C2A playoffs. The scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story — Hartnell dominated most of the match.
The Hawks knew they had to start fast. Freshman midfielder Alejandro Ramirez — their top goal-scorer — was out due to a knee injury. But everything that could go wrong in the first half did.
Frustrations boiled over. Pinon and freshman defender Hakuto Kremer were sent off. Coupled with already-present injuries, any comeback wishes were dashed.
They still produced a second-half performance reflecting their season. They showed their resilience. The Hawks kept Hartnell off the scoreboard while creating the better offensive opportunities.
“They were hungry for it. They’re really coachable, they’re really competitive,” Cumbo said. “They wanted to be challenged, they wanted to compete. They wanted to do well after a loss. They wanted to get back out on the field. And so from a coaching perspective, that’s fun to work with.”
THE SUN SET on the Las Positas’ season as the team huddles in Salinas following their 2-0 loss Nov. 22 at Hartnell in the second round of the 3C2A NorCal Playoffs. The Hawks conclude the 2025 campaign with just one in over its final six games, including two shutouts at the hands of Hartnell, the No. 6-ranked team in the state. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express).
While their efforts ultimately came up short, the squad exhibited its passion. Their ability to compete through adversity. Through change. Adjustment. Their biggest enemy has been unfamiliarity, and a resulting lack of communication. The communication they did manage completely broke down under Hartnell’s pressure.
Hartnell’s first goal came in the 18th minute. It was a ball Hawks goal keeper Sahib Sandhu nearly saved. Sophomore defender Mark Sorensen backed up his teammate, keeping it out for a second. But Jesus Arroyo eventually managed to guide the ball past the mesh of bodies for Hartnell. The wind was knocked out of Las Positas.
The Hawks kept talking, kept defending, kept clearing danger, but the pressure never stopped. When Hartnell sniped a second goal into the top-left corner just before halftime, the weight hit them. Hartnell freshman Esteban Acosta produced the long-range effort — a clinical finish, well out of the reach of a surprised Sandhu.
From there, the game shifted into damage control. Hartnell’s pace and physicality allowed them to keep the pressure high on the Hawks.
Injuries, cards and the early goals left the Hawks chasing something they didn’t have: rhythm. The discipline that had come out victorious three days prior against Butte couldn’t be found.
But the Hawks kept fighting. The second half didn’t change the score, but it changed the feel of the game. After a flat, overwhelmed first 45 minutes, Las Positas came out looking more like themselves.
The talking picked up again, and the back line tightened instead of chasing. Freshman midfielder Dayton Dillman stepped into lanes and connected passes that weren’t there earlier. Sophomore Angel Rondan began carrying the ball forward with purpose instead of just clearing it.
The Hawks finally pushed Hartnell out of their comfort zone. They weren’t generating clean shots, but they were generating life. They held more of the ball, won more challenges and found a rhythm. Freshman midfielder Hadi Jaber’s late look on goal was the closest they came, his right-footed effort sliding a couple feet wide of the post. But by then the shift was already clear.
They were competing again, not just hanging on. It was too late to flip the game, but it wasn’t too late to show who they actually are.
“The goals we gave up in the first half, unfortunately. Just a couple of mistakes, and they punished us for it,” Cumbo said. “But the second half, I thought, was a little bit more lively from us, and we generated a little bit more intensity and opportunity. But just unfortunately, weren’t able to kind of get anything out of that.”
Despite the heartwrenching manner in which their season came to a close, these Hawks still come away with their heads held high. They know the capabilities they possess, with stretches throughout the season where their midfield dominated.
On the road, taking on the No. 2-ranked team in NorCal, these Hawks didn’t have enough. But what never wavered was the passion, their commitment to compete. A mentality that allows these Hawks to see this season for more than their elimination.
“It’s always tough to lose,” Cumbo said. “But you know, this season has been great, and they’ve made tons of progress on and off the field, so I’m really happy about that.”
***
TOP PHOTO: This shot on goal by Las Positas freshman midfielder Hadi Jaber (No. 9) didn’t find the net this afternoon in Salinas. The Hawks’ season ended with a shutout loss at host Hartnell in the second round of the 3C2A NorCal Regional Playoffs on Nov. 22. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Annie Moore is the Sports Editor of The Express. Follow her on X @SanJosAnnie.
