It was a turbulent season for Shalhevet’s Boys Flag Football team – its first in existence, and begun with no one really knowing what to expect.

“Although many of us are avid football fans,” said junior co-captain safety Adam Kaufler. “None of us really knew what to expect from flag football, something none of us have ever played
before.”
Led by team captains Mati Hurwitz, Josh Einalhori, and Adam, the squad played eight regular season games, followed by a five-game appearance at the Loma Linda Flag Football Tournament in Redlands. Also in charge were team coach, math and science teacher Mr. Christopher Buckley, and on the field, sophomore quarterback Jacob Dauer.
There were winning moments, but the team played inconsistently and earned a 2-6 record in the regular season.
“However,” said Mati Hurwitz, “our win-loss record is not indicative of the progress we made as a team, learning this new sport.”
The team entered the Loma Linda tournament Oct. 25 happy with a passing-heavy offense that was finally starting to click.
“Although we didn’t have a great record, we thought that we were playing better,” said junior wide receiver Simcha Halpert.
The first game against San Diego Adventist kicked off just minutes after the Firehawks got off the van Friday afternoon. The Firehawks were able to grab the lead by eight points with 50 seconds remaining. But San Diego was able to quickly drive down the field and score, forcing overtime. Then they scored on their turn in overtime and Shalhevet didn’t, so Shalhevet lost, 33-26.
“That game was a really tough loss because we thought that we had played well enough to win, and it really dampened our spirits,” said Josh Einalhori.
The next game, against Loma Linda — the eventual champion and host school — was played shortly after the first ended, and was not as heavily contested. The mixture of the previous loss’s emotional drain and Loma Linda’s skill and experience proved too much for the Firehawks, who lost 27-12.
The boys played their third game on Saturday night against Glendale Adventist. Sophomore running back Micah Gill opened up the running game early, gaining yards on the ground for the first time all season.
“I was able to find some room running behind our offensive line, and it was a great way to start the game,” Micah said later.
Jacob eventually threw for five touchdown passes, including a game-winning touchdown to Simcha Halpert on the last play of the game, to give the Firehawks their first win of the tournament and to clinch a birth in a playoff.
Carrying momentum from the night before, the Firehawks had an outside chance at vying for the third place game, but lost it when they fell to the Escondido Hawks, 42-6. Instead, the team’s 1-3 record was good enough to earn them fourth place in their pool, qualifying them for the 7th place game against Newbury Park, a team that had beaten them badly earlier in the season.
The game against Newbury Park began in a stalemate, with both teams scoring quickly and often. Shalhevet was finally able to get a stop when freshman cornerback Eitan Halpert caught an interception on Shalhevet’s own goal line.
The Firehawks scored again on the last drive, with Jacob Dauer throwing an incredible sixth touchdown pass of the game, and junior wide receiver Simcha Halpert caught his fourth touchdown pass of the game. Jacob and
Simcha both set school records—Jacob breaking his own mark from the previous night.
“I just felt good about my arm during that game,” Jacob Dauer said later, “and obviously Simcha and I were on the same page for that game, connecting on throws down the field.”
But Newbury Park was able to drive down the field and score a touchdown, leaving them down by 1 point. After electing to go for a two-pointer, the game would depend on the success of that conversion: could Shalhevet hold them for the win, or would it lose on this final play?
When Newbury Park went for the two points to seal the deal, Eitan Halpert caught his third interception of the contest, winning the game and securing seventh place for the Firehawks out of nine teams.
Over the course of the weekend, the Boys Flag Football team went 2-3, secured 7th place, and finished the season with an overall 4-9 record — not bad for their first year while competing only against more experienced teams.
And as Adam Kaufler put it, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves as well.
“We just had a great time playing this year, and we are excited to do it again and get better next year,” said Adam.