Winchester, CA — The Frosh Elsinore Tiger football team travelled to Menifee, CA on Thursday 8/19/21 to take on the Liberty Bison. It was a much anticipated moment, even more so due to multiple pauses in team activities throughout training camp. Although it seemed like the Tigers would run away with the game, the Bison fought back to make it a close finish. In the end, the Tigers’ physicality and big plays on defense and special teams were the difference in a 22-18 win. The Tiger offense was orchestrated by Landon Spencer at quarterback. He distributed the ball to running backs Aedin Chamberlain (2 TDs) and Kamari Flanagan (leading rusher) as well as WR Melo Harris. Many of the outstanding performances from game 1 came from players up front. Offensive/Defensive lineman Landon Hawkins, Aaron Knopf, and Ryan Sanzotera dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Expect these unsung players up front to be the stars of our team all season. Defensively, the Tigers were led by cornerbacks Xavier Montano and Aedin Chamberlain, who were tasked with covering some very talented Bison WRs. Each was up to the task with a total of 6 pass break ups between them. On Special teams, standout kicker Kalui Dos Santos Costa’s booming kickoffs and extra points brought great field position and extra energy to our team. The biggest plays of the game came on defense. After a great kick from Kalui to the 1 yard line, the Bison were tackled in the end zone for a safety by Joaquin Matias, Landon Hawkins, and Stephen Gutierrez. On the next defensive series, Wing back/Strong safety Adrian Stankevich's 24 yard interception return for a TD stunned the large opening game crowd and broke the game open for the Tigers. The biggest victory of the day came before the game even began. The “Herd” of 80+ Bison showed immaturity and were classless when the Tigers arrived to the field. They tried to harass and intimidate our team, but the Tigers proved that they had far more excellence and integrity than their opponents, not engaging in their tactics. The Tigers will look to build on their on and off the field development this week, capping off with a home game vs. the Temecula Valley Golden Bears on Thursday, 8/26 at 4 PM.