By Sean Moore
Pendulum Staff Writer
 

        On Thanksgiving Day 2001 the Galileo Lions defeated the Washington Eagles in the annual San Francisco Turkey Day Championship. Victory was no surprise as the Lions were undefeated during regular season (12-0). The Lions last went undefeated in the 1990-1991 season.

        This year' team is special because the emphasis on doing well in their academics was imposed by their coaches. With the priority put into the academics toppled with consistent and arduous practice everyday after school and on weekends, the 2001-2002 team has certainly attained a platform which will serve as an example for teams in years to come.
 

After the Lion' win against the highly praised Mills High School of the San Mateo School District this year, the Lions became aware of their great potential. Lion' Head Coach, Kevin Adams, and Assistant Coach Hudari Murray saw the great opportunity of stardom invested in each player. Thus, they pushed their team day in and day out with the outlook of victory on Turkey Day. Their victorious win on the field shows that hardwork can lead to success.

        After attaining undefeated status throughout the entire season, the Lions finally met their arch rival, whom they defeated during their regular season, in the Turkey Day Championship at Kezar Stadium. The  stadium was filled with eager, suspense-filled fans from both Galileo Academy and Washington High School.

The game started out in favor to the Eagles as they were pushing to keep Galileo off their feet. The entire game changed however in the fourth quarter as the Lions finally found their niche. The Eagles had the game during that time as the Lions were stuck on 4th down, with 23 yards to go. Finally, the Lions' quarterback, Souen Tek, connected for a touchdown to receiver Greg Griffin.

        As the Eagles went back into offense, the Lions gave them two defensive blows that just about stifled their hopes at victory. The first of these defensive blows was a sack by Frank Torres on Washington quarterback, Marius Silus. The second was an interception by Ira Finley, who would make another touchdown. The game concluded with a final score of 28-13 Lions.

        In their victory, the Lions completed their long journey to be city champions, a position coveted by all teams in the AAA League. With this Turkey Day victory over the Eagles, the Lions make it to their 15th championship victory which breaks Polytechnic High School' record for the most wins ever. The Lions have won in the year 1933, 34' 38' 74' 78' 81' 83' 86' 88' 89' 90' 92' 96' 98' and now 01'

        From victory in the classroom to the victory on the football field, the Lions are the Galileo Academy and AAA 2001-2002 Champions.