San Rafael football was finally able to get back in the win column this season. The overall record for the season was 3-7 (1-5 in Marin County Athletic League). Although not the best record, it was definitely a step forward for a team that had experienced back to back winless seasons.

Coming into the 2018 season, the Bulldogs were looking to win. With the addition of new head coach Mark Lubamersky, that meant learning a whole new offensive and defensive scheme.

Along the road the team had their fair share of bumps that they had to get through. One of which was the departure of the defensive coordinator right before their first game. He wished not to be identified for this story. He came into the locker room and shook all of the players’ hands and said, “Good luck with your season.”

At first, students were confused about what was going on, but soon realized that he was leaving. They didn’t know why he left. Some even considered quitting because one of their favorite coaches was leaving. Luckily, no one did.

Entering the 2018 season, the Bulldogs were on a 25-game losing streak and their first two games only extended the streak to 27. Playing the first two games without star running back Ronnie Reyes was definitely a factor in both the losses because they were not able to run the ball.

The Bulldogs were finally able to win a game on the road against the Richmond Oilers.

As a player on the team, I will always remember that game, not because of the win but what the win meant. We finally ended the dreaded losing streak.

The day before the Richmond game, as I was walking into the locker room, freshmen coach Tom Kordick called me into his office. He looked at me and told me that Ted Cosgriff, former head coach, had passed away that day.

“Get a win tomorrow for Cosgriff,” he said.

Although Cosgriff never coached the varsity team, some of the seniors had him as a teacher back in middle school. His death definitely had something to do with that victory. It made us play with more emotion, a skill our team lacked. At the end of most practices during the summer and the fall, Coach Lubamersky would say, “I feel like we’re just going through the motions; we need to play with a little more emotion.”

The following week before our game against Elsie Allen, we held a ceremony for Coach Cosgriff. Family members of Cosgriff called the coin toss and this game gave us win number two for the season. In addition, it was our first and only home game that we won.

The following week was the first MCAL game which resulted in a loss against Tamalpais High School.  The week after, on September 29, 2018, we made history by winning a league game against Novato, something that had not been accomplished in 8 years.

We lost every game after the Novato game but, overall it was a huge step forward. Varsity Wide Receiver Griffin Rudy, a junior, said, “I’m happy with what we accomplished compared to previous years and it was one one of the most fun years I’ve ever had.”