Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) roundup of the best action in high school football from the second weekend of the fall season. Check back every Saturday for scores, highlights and top performers from the weekend’s games, updated throughout the day.
Ranked teams
No. 2 St. Francis 33, No. 16 St. Ignatius 0
Viliami Teu ran for 238 yards and three touchdowns to lead St. Francis, in its first game since beating De La Salle two weeks ago, past St. Ignatius in a West Catholic Athletic League opener. Read Darren Sabedra’s complete recap here.
No. 5 Los Gatos 41, Wilcox 18
In a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division opener for both teams, Los Gatos broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter as it improved to 5-0 on the season. Phil Jensen has all the details in his game story here.
No. 6 Bellarmine 38, Riordan 6
Brody Stratz returned an interception for a touchdown on the first play of the game at San Jose City College, and Bellarmine never looked back on its way to winning its WCAL opener. The Bells led 35-0 at halftime and 38-0 after three quarters. The fourth quarter was played with a running clock. Wade Smith threw two touchdown passes — one to Rocco Trapani, the other to Thomas Divittorio — and ran for a touchdown. Brandon Broch’s interception set up Smith’s TD run. The Bells also scored on special teams as Zach Ottobre returned a punt 40 yards for a touchdown. Bellarmine is 4-0 first the first time since 2015. The Bells haven’t started 5-0 since winning their first six games in 2010. Riordan fell to 3-1, 0-1. The victory sets up a huge game for Bellarmine next Saturday afternoon at top-ranked Serra. — Darren Sabedra
MORE PREP FOOTBALL WEEK 5 COVERAGE
No. 20 Menlo-Atherton 30, No. 8 McClymonds 27, OT
Menlo-Atherton rallied from 13 points behind in the fourth quarter, then won the thriller on its home field in Atherton when Juan Polido, whose missed extra point with 75 seconds left kept the score tied, made a walk-off field goal in overtime. Read Vytas Mazeika’s game story here.
No. 11 Valley Christian 27, Sacred Heart Cathedral 21
Quarterback Jakson Berman threw a 67-yard pass to heavily recruited wideout Jurrion Dickey with 1:48 left on the clock to lead Valley Christian to a come-from-behind win over Sacred Heart Cathedral in the West Catholic Athletic League opener for both schools. The Warriors (3-1) trailed 21-13 entering the fourth quarter, but closed the gap to 21-19 on a 2-yard run by Josh Minami. However, Berman’s pass on the 2-point conversion attempt went incomplete. But when Valley Christian got the ball back with time running out, it needed just three plays for the go-ahead touchdown. Minami then ran in the 2-point conversion. Sacred Heart Cathedral (0-4) outgained the Warriors 410-311 in total yards, but Berman had a nice night, completing 12 of 21 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns. His other TD throws were 10 yards to Dickey and 13 yards to Nathan Saipaia. Dickey caught seven passes for 126 yards. “We played a great game against VC,” SHC coach Barry McLaughlin wrote in a text. “They hit Dickey late for the win.” Ray-john Spears accounted for all three SHC scores, two on runs and one a 27-yard touchdown pass to Ri Miller. — Mike Lefkow
No. 14 Monte Vista 14, No. 12 El Cerrito 0
CJ Anderson, the former Cal and NFL running back, has led Monte Vista to a 4-0 start in his first season as coach, the latest victory a defensive duel Friday night at home in Danville against El Cerrito. Evan Webeck has the details in his game story here.
No. 25 Foothill 21, No. 17 Amador Valley 17
Nick Walsh’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Noah Lombardi on fourth down with 3:26 left and Samear Lattier’s interception in the final minute gave Foothill a dramatic victory on the road over rival Amador Valley. Jerry McDonald has the full recap here.
No. 24 San Leandro 35, Granada 7
Demetrius Freeney threw three touchdown passes to lead the host Pirates to a bounce-back victory after consecutive losses to Bellarmine and Campolindo. Ferrari Miller Jr. scored on a 36-yard run and was on the receiving end of one of Freeney’s TD passes. Freeney also connected with Devan Daniels and Joseph Levy for touchdowns. Jonathan Martin scored on a rushing TD to account for San Leandro’s other score. San Leandro improved to 3-2. The Pirates have a bye next week before opening WACC/MVAL Foothill Division play at home against James Logan on Oct. 8. Granada fell to 1-4. The Matadors play host to Fremont-Oakland next Friday. — Darren Sabedra
East Bay
Campolindo 38, Hayward 0
Campolindo won its second consecutive game as Dashiell Weaver threw two touchdown passes to help lead the way for the host Cougars. Robbie Mascheroni caught a 40-yard TD pass from Weaver. The QB also connected with Michael Coane from 7 yards out for a score. Collin Krznaric’s 1-yard run gave Campo a 7-0 lead and Max Rittmann’s 18-yard run made it 21-0 at halftime. The Cougars added two more TDs in the third quarter to put the score well out of reach. Campo improved to 3-2 heading into its bye week. The Cougars play host to Benicia in a Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division opener on Oct. 8. Hayward dropped to 0-4. The Farmers play host to Mt. Eden next Friday. — Darren Sabedra
Dougherty Valley 31, Deer Valley 16
Dougherty Valley is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2015 Leslie Williams-Jones rushed for 124 yards and scored three touchdowns, one a 95-yard kickoff return, to lead the Wildcats. Aryan Guar also ran for a score and Brandon Axton nailed a 48-year field goal to account for Dougherty’s scoring. When the Wildcats started 4-0 in 2015, they finished 6-5. Deer Valley saw its record drop to 1-3. — Mike Lefkow
Heritage 7, De Anza 6
Heritage scored its only touchdown in the second half on a play-action pass from quarterback Jacob Wasso to Jeremiah Ruffin for 32 yards as the Patriots improved to 3-2 at the midway point of the season. The game was scoreless at halftime. On De Anza’s touchdown, the snap on the PAT was fumbled, and that proved to be the difference. De Anza is 1-3 and faces El Cerrito in its Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division opener next Friday. El Cerrito is favored to win the league. — Mike Lefkow
Skyline 16, Berean Christian 3
The non-league game was halted with three minutes left when gunshots were heard outside the Skyline campus. First-year Skyline coach Koresh “KC” Adams said the players and coaches were unable to see what was going on outside the stadium, which is surrounded by a high fence. The officials and athletic directors met, but Adams said Berean Christian coach Tim Schultz suggested they stop the game. “Both teams stayed on the sidelines, but the crowd was getting restless,” Adams said. Lucas Gerbelot scored one of the Titans two touchdowns and sophomore Jose Perez kicked a field goal to give Skyline a 9-3 lead at halftime. Skyline evened it record at 2-2. Berean Christian is 1-3. — Mike Lefkow
South Bay/Peninsula
Leigh 48, Westmont 21
In a game played Thursday at Westmont, Leigh senior Sam Betz did it all. He ran for 152 yards and four touchdowns in 19 carries. He threw a 45-yard pass on a halfback option to James Bose to set up a touchdown. He also intercepted a pass and kicked six extra points. It all added up to another impressive victory for Leigh, which improved to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the BVAL’s Santa Teresa Division. Westmont fell to 3-1, 1-0. The teams traded touchdowns early, but Leigh added two TDs in the second quarter to take a 28-14 lead into halftime. The advantage never got closer than that in the second half as the Longhorns stretched their winning streak to nine games dating to last spring’s 5-0 season. Leigh QB Aidan Williams completed only three passes but one went for a TD to his younger brother, Carter Williams, who was celebrating his 16th birthday. Aidan Williams ran for 122 yards in nine carries, and the Longhorns turned two of Westmont’s three turnovers into TDs. Elijah Monroe ran for 126 yards and a TD in 15 carries and Jacob Lang carried nine times for 94 yards and a TD to lead Westmont, which visits Pioneer on Thursday. Leigh next plays at Independence on Oct. 2. — Darren Sabedra
Palo Alto 63, Santa Clara 13
Senior QB Danny Peters was responsible for six touchdowns as Palo Alto (3-2) routed Santa Clara (3-1-1) in both schools’ SCVAL opener. The 6-foot-5 gunslinger threw for five scores, including two to Brody Simison, but it was his 24-yard run into the end zone that signaled the rout was on. That made it 28-13, and the Vikings added 14 more points before halftime. With a running clock in the second half, Peters finished with 321 yards passing for the game, while Simison corralled six catches for 176 yards. Blake Chase scored on offense and defense with a TD reception and a pick-six. Lucas Black, Brandon Escarsega-Calderon also caught TD passes, while Charlie Hoke returned another interception to the house. Paly will puts its 1-0 record in league play on the line next Friday when it hosts Homestead; Santa Clara also continues league play against Los Gatos. — Evan Webeck
Sobrato 22, Branham 14
The Bulldogs took a 15-0 first-half lead on their way to a win in their Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division opener. Seth Hernstedt rushed for two touchdowns for Sobrato, and Nathan Ortiz scored the team’s other touchdown. Sobrato coach Jubenal Rodriguez gave a shout-out to his special teams, which he said played a huge role with field position. Branham (2-2, 0-1) narrowed the score to 15-14 in the third quarter but couldn’t overtake the visiting Bulldogs. Sobrato improved to 2-2. — Phil Jensen
The King’s Academy 28, Moreau Catholic 21
Sophomore Jeaden Underwood rushed for 194 yards in 24 carries and scored all four touchdowns for the visiting Knights (2-2) in this intersectional game. The King’s Academy led 21-7 at the half and 28-7 at the end of the third quarter. Senior Zach Denis had 11 tackles and three sacks for the Knights. Moreau Catholic fell to 0-4 with the loss. — Phil Jensen
San Mateo 42, Oakland 0
San Mateo forced five turnovers Thursday, including a fumble that Noah Rodriguez returned for a touchdown, as the Bearcats improved to 4-0 heading into their PAL Lake Division opener next week against Woodside. Rodriguez also caught a 30-yard touchdown pass, and Tevita Kioa led San Mateo in rushing with 85 yards. Oakland fell to 0-3. — Darren Sabedra
Gunderson 25, Yerba Buena 6
Gunderson won for the first time this season as senior RB Zach Snow rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries to lead the way Thursday. Dylan Rodriguez added 62 yards in nine attempts as Gunderson finished with 270 yards on the ground. Daniel Quintero, a senior linebacker, had three sacks, and junior defensive back Jay Vasquez had nine tackles and forced a fumble as the Grizzlies improved to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the BVAL’s West Valley Division. Yerba Buena is 1-3, 0-1. — Darren Sabedra