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. 1 Serra 28, No. 12 Valley Christian 21
Serra, playing on the road in San Jose, built a 28-point lead at halftime and then held off a late charge from Valley Christian to stay undefeated. Phil Jensen has the details in this recap.
No. 2 St. Francis 33, Archbishop Riordan 0
St. Francis, playing on its home field in Mountain View, had a 23-point lead at halftime on its way to its third shutout victory in six games this season. Viliami Teu led the way once again, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown in 19 carries. Josh Perry threw for 138 yards and a touchdown, and Aaron Knapp also passed for a TD. Andrew Adkison and Ernesto Sanchez were on the receiving end of the touchdown passes. Andrew Carrasquillo intercepted a pass for a defense that held Riordan to 28 yards rushing and 151 yards passing. The Lancers are 15-0-2 against Riordan in the MaxPreps era (2004-present). St. Francis improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the West Catholic Athletic League. Riordan dropped to 4-3, 1-3. — Darren Sabedra
No. 3 De La Salle 52, No. 6 California 14
California scored first on a 4-yard run by Trevor Rund, but shorthanded De La Salle still had too much for the visiting Grizzlies. The home team was without head coach Justin Alumbaugh and numerous players because of COVID-19 protocols. Darren Sabedra was in Concord and has the recap here.
No. 4 Pittsburg 49, No. 23 Liberty 28
Pittsburg and Liberty were involved in a one-score game in the fourth quarter until the Pirates pulled away by scoring the contest’s last two touchdowns. The Pirates (4-1, 2-0 Bay Valley Athletic League) led 35-14 at the half, but Liberty (3-4, 1-1) made it 35-28 early in the fourth period. Liberty had 369 yards of total offense, but three interceptions, two by Robin Boyd Jr., saved Pittsburg. Junior quarterback Jaden Rashada threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-28 passing. He also ran for a touchdown. Keynan Higgins caught a pair of long scoring tosses, Zack Card had five receptions for 100 yards and a score, and Rashid Williams made seven catches for 71 yards. Liberty QB Nate Bell passed for 191 yards and three TDs. Khiron Green grabbed two of the touchdown passes and Ryan McKendry had three receptions for 146 yards and a score. Deovion Hill rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown. — Mike Lefkow
MORE PREP FOOTBALL WEEK 8 COVERAGE
No. 5 Los Gatos 49, Palo Alto 0
The Wildcats took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and didn’t look back to remain undefeated (8-0 overall, 4-0 in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division). Jake Boyd passed for 228 yards and three touchdowns, including one to Luke Pittock, who had two catches for 90 yards. Yuma Raux-Moriwaki and Jake Ripp also had touchdown receptions. Emiliano Mejia rushed for 73 yards and three scores, and Caspian Bailey added 82 yards rushing and a touchdown. Luke White and Landon Heard intercepted passes for Los Gatos, which led 28-0 at halftime. Palo Alto fell to 3-4, 1-2. — Phil Jensen
Sacred Heart Cathedral 20, No. 8 Bellarmine 13
RL Miller caught three touchdown passes from Ray-John Spears, two in the second half, as Sacred Heart Cathedral stunned Bellarmine at San Jose City College. The Bells, hoping to stay one game behind St. Francis and Serra in the race for the West Catholic Athletic League title, led 10-6 at halftime when Gino Cresci returned a kickoff for a touchdown late in the second quarter after SHC had taken a 6-3 lead on a 7-yard pass from Spears to Miller with 1:35 left before intermission. The Irish went back in front 13-10 midway through the third quarter on a deep pass down the right sideline from Spears to Miller. The receiver caught the ball just inside the 20 as the defender fell down and coasted into the end zone. Miller’s third TD reception, from 27 yards out, was caught in the back of the end zone. The ball deflected off Miller and somehow the receiver was able to reel it back in while being closely defended. The TD made it 20-10 with 4:04 left. SHC, coming off a dramatic win over archrival St. Ignatius last week, improved to 2-5, 2-2. Bellarmine fell to 5-2, 2-2. — Darren Sabedra
No. 9 Monte Vista 10, No. 25 Amador Valley 7
Quarterback Dyllan Devitt’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Cole Boscia midway through the fourth quarter erased a 7-3 deficit for Monte Vista in this EBAL-Mountain Division defensive struggle. Amador Valley (4-3, 0-2) went into the game without 11 players due to Covid protocols after a positive test, said coach Danny Jones, who found out Wednesday. About half those players were starters. The only scoring in the first half came on a 38-yard field goal by Nathan Price. That proved to be the difference in the game. Marcus Hoerz scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter to give Amador Valley the lead, but the Mustangs (6-0, 1-0) would not be denied. Both teams face brutal schedules in their final three games. Monte Vista hosts California next Friday, then finishes on the road at Clayton Valley and San Ramon Valley. The Dons visit Clayton Valley next week, host De La Salle on Oct. 29, then visit California in their final game of the season. — Mike Lefkow
No. 10 Clayton Valley Charter 28, No. 7 San Ramon Valley 21
Clayton Valley bounced back from a dramatic loss to California with a victory on its home field against the red-hot Wolves. Jesus Cano has all the details here.
No. 11 Menlo-Atherton 56, Sacred Heart Prep 20
Menlo-Atherton won its fifth straight after an 0-2 start, with quarterback Matt MacLeod throwing four touchdown passes and running for another. The game was scoreless after the first quarter, then M-A exploded for four touchdowns and Sacred Heart Prep scored two. SHP (2-5, 1-2 PAL-Bay) cut the Bears’ lead to 21-13 on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell Taylor to Carter Shaw, but the visitors could get no closer. The Bears, who are averaging 39.4 points per game, scored the next four TDs to make it 49-13 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Antoine Traversat caught 10 passes and Johnnie Barbie hauled in a 52-yard touchdown pass. Heavily recruited Jalen Moss had a 70-yard kickoff return. On defense, M-A coach Chris Saunders was especially pleased by the play of freshman linebacker Devin Hyde. Menlo-Atherton is 2-0 in the PAL Bay Division, a half-game behind Burlingame. The teams will meet Oct. 29 at M-A in a game that likely will decide the division title. — Mike Lefkow
No. 14 Menlo 48, Aragon 7
Quarterback Sergio Beltran had a hand in all seven Menlo scores, throwing five touchdown passes and running for two more as the Knights improved to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division. Menlo visits second-place Capuchino next week in a game that should determine the division title. Aragon (4-3, 1-1), which came in having won four in a row, took a 7-0 lead when Alan Tanielu returned a blocked punt 13 yards for a touchdown. Beltran took over after that. He threw a 34-yard pass to Jack Geisler that cut the Aragon lead to 7-6 at the end of the first quarter, then put his team ahead with a 17-yard touchdown run. Menlo scored 22 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 28-7 lead at the break. Beltran fired a pair of TD passes to Robby Enright and one each to Geisler, Cort Halsey and Carter Jung. Beltran finished the night with 339 passing yards and 114 more rushing. He has passed for 35 touchdowns. — Mike Lefkow
No. 15 Las Lomas 49, Alhambra 3
Quarterback Michael Wood threw for three touchdowns, running back Frank Payne ran for two scores and Dimond Loosli caught two TD passes in an easy win for the Knights (5-2, 2-0 DAL-Foothill Division). Las Lomas, which led 35-3 at the half, was bolstered by the return of running back Jermaine Land, who scored one TD. Land had been injured since the first game of the season by a broken foot. Emmanuel Karnley also snared a TD pass. Las Lomas coach Doug Longero will need Land and Payne with games coming up against Campolindo and Benicia on Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. They will be the final two games of the season for the Knights before the North Coast Section playoffs. Las Lomas visits Miramonte next Friday. Alhambra slipped to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in league play. — Mike Lefkow
No. 17 Benicia 45, Miramonte 0
Benicia remained unscored upon in DAL-Foothill play, having posted back-to-back shutouts over Campolindo and Miramonte. Benicia (5-2, 2-0) led 35-0 at the half on Friday. Tyson Wallace threw three touchdown passes, completing 11 of 14 for 312 yards. Croix Stewart, Tommy Turner and Simeon Harris were on the receiving end of Wallace’s TD throws. Janari Boone and Miles Bailey had touchdown runs, and Donavan Lee raced 65 yards with a fumble for a defensive score. Benicia’s win sets up what could be a showdown for the division title Nov. 5 against Las Lomas. However, Benicia must get by Acalanes next week, and Las Lomas has a game against Campolindo on Oct. 29. Miramonte lost for the first time after five straight wins. The Matadors finish up with Las Lomas, Acalanes and Campolindo. — Mike Lefkow
Campolindo 24, No. 18 Acalanes 14
Greg Palamountain’s 3-yard touchdown run with nine minutes left gave Campolindo a two-score lead and helped seal the mild upset. The Cougars (4-3, 1-1 DAL-Foothill) have been one of the more inconsistent teams in the Bay Area this season. They’ve been routed at home by Aptos (49-0) and Benicia (35-0), but have looked strong in victories over a ranked San Leandro team (34-27) and Friday night at Acalanes. Campolindo took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter and never relinquished it. Dashiell Weaver scored on a 1-yard run in the third period to make it 17-7, but Acalanes QB Luke Souza connected with Dante Montgomery, also in the third period, to make it 17-14. Souza threw a pair of TD passes, both of 36 yards, with the first one going to Will Berrien. Acalanes is 4-3, 0-2. The Dons have lost three of four and host red-hot Benicia next Friday night. — Mike Lefkow
No. 19 Burlingame 35, Terra Nova 14
Joey Nawrocki broke a 7-7 tie with a 4-yard run in the second quarter and the defense recorded 11 sacks as Burlingame rolled past Terra Nova. Nawrocki, a junior running back and free safety, is being eased back into the Panthers’ lineup after recovering from a fractured hip, coach John Philpopoulos said. He is a welcome addition with Burlingame (7-0, 3-0 PAL-Bay) facing Half Moon Bay and Menlo-Atherton the next two weeks. After Nawrocki’s touchdown, the Panthers built a 35-7 lead before Terra Nova scored with under two minutes remaining. Fullback Lucas Habelt ran for two TDs and Danny Hilt rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Ryan Kall hooked up with Will Uhrich for a 17-yard score. Xavier Bruening led the sack parade with three. Sohail Erekat, Abe Haba and Charlie Koch each had two. Terra Nova is 4-3 overall but fell to 0-2 in league play. — Mike Lefkow.
Santa Teresa 14, No. 21 Leland 7
First-year Santa Teresa coach Steve Papin predicted his team would pull the upset, and it did by scoring two first-half touchdowns and not yielding a defensive touchdown. Ezekiel Herena scored on a 71-yard run in the first quarter, and Jayden Arevalo flipped a 10-yard TD pass to Ian Quintero early in the second period to give the Saints a 14-0 lead. Leland came right back when Aidan Swenson ran back a kickoff 92 yards, but that was all the scoring. Papin said his team got into the red zone three times without scoring, but the defense more than made up for any offensive problems. Santa Teresa (4-3) and three other teams are now tied with 3-1 records in the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton Division. One of those teams is Leland (5-2 overall). Papin figured his team moved up a division or two in seeding for the Central Coast Section playoffs. The Saints likely will wind up playing in divisions three, four or five, but Division two could beckon if they keep winning. — Mike Lefkow
East Bay
Castro Valley 55, Washington-Fremont 21
Jalen Melancon rushed for 146 yards on eight carries and scored two touchdowns for Castro Valley as the Trojans improved to 3-0 in league play for the first time since 2004 when they were part of the Hayward Area Athletic League. Now in the MVAL/WACC Mission Division, Castro Valley is 4-3 overall. Jacob Rothwell scored on a 32-yard run and also caught a 45-yard TD pass for Castro Valley, which led 34-7 at halftime. Castro Valley quarterback Lucas Chauvin completed 7 of 10 passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Isaiah Nobriga caught one of those TD passes, from 19 yards out, and also grabbed two interceptions. Washington fell to 5-2, 2-1. — Phil Jensen
Skyline 31, Fremont-Oakland 13
Rushing touchdowns from De’onte Johnson, Ben Gerbelot and Devin Wysinger propelled the host Titans in this Oakland Athletic League opener for both teams. Gerbelot also threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Jojo Salazar, and Jose Perez kicked a 35-yard field goal for the home team. Skyline, which led 17-7 at halftime, improved to 3-3 overall. Fremont fell to 3-2. Kaylin Woods returned an interception 90 yards for one of Fremont’s touchdowns, and Craig Griffin scored the other one on a 5-yard run. — Phil Jensen
Heritage 50, Freedom 30
Devon Rivers scored touchdowns on his first three runs and Heritage outscored Freedom 34-8 in the first half en route to a decisive victory. Rivers had a spectacular game, rushing for 233 yards and four touchdowns, including a 49-yard dash on Heritage’s first offensive play, The junior also threw a 44-yard score to Jeremiah Ruffin and had an interception. Ruffin caught four passes, three for touchdowns. The Patriots went above .500 at 4-3. They are 1-1 in the Bay Valley Athletic League. Freedom lost its sixth in a row after beginning the season with a win. — Mike Lefkow
South Bay/Peninsula
Hillsdale 42, Capuchino 41, OT
The Fighting Knights trailed host Capuchino 35-21 with a little over three minutes left but rallied to tie the score with two touchdowns in the final 60 seconds, then won in overtime on their first possession. After recovering an onside kick, Hillsdale (5-2, 1-1 PAL Ocean) evened the score 35-35 with 26 seconds left on a 10-yard pass from Liam Smith to Danny Aspillera and a two-point conversion pass from Smith to Caden Wellwood. In overtime, Capuchino scored, but a two-point conversion failed. Hillsdale then reached the end zone on a 10-yard pass from Smith to Tyler Douglass, and the extra-point kick by Zach Leighton provided the winning margin. Smith completed 19 of 34 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns and also rushed for a team-high 62 yards on 11 carries. Leighton had seven receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns, and Danny Aspillera also had seven catches for 107 yards and a score. Capuchino fell to 4-3, 2-1. — Phil Jensen
Homestead 49, Mountain View 45
Evan Blandini caught a swing pass from quarterback Charlie Castaneda and took it 40 yards to the house with 1:11 left to play as Homestead rallied from behind to beat Mountain View. Senior running back Derek Sheerer was the star for Homestead, scoring five touchdowns and rushing for 288 yards on only 11 carries. With time ticking away in the fourth quarter, the Mustangs (4-3, 2-1 SCVAL-De Anza) stopped Mountain View in the red zone, then began an 80-yard drive for the winning score. After Blandini’s touchdown, Homestead stopped the Spartans (5-3, 2-2) on four plays. “We figured out how to get the win,” Homestead coach Milo Lewis said. “I’m on cloud nine.” While Sheerer was the best player Friday night, Blandini provided plenty of excitement with his 40-yard dash to paydirt. He is known as Mighty Mouse because of his 5-foot-3, 135-pound frame. The game was close throughout, with the visiting Spartans leading 28-21 at halftime and 38-35 heading into the fourth quarter. — Mike Lefkow
Leigh 41, Prospect 21
Leigh got back on track after Pioneer ended the Longhorns’ 10-game winning streak last week. Sam Betz continued to find ways to score for Leigh as the Longhorns improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the BVAL’s Santa Teresa Division. Betz, a 6-2, 210-pound senior, opened the scoring with a 24-yard TD reception. His 14-yard run made it 14-0. Betz also scored on an 8-yard run to stretch the lead to 28-13 and continued to kick extra points through the uprights with accuracy. Shayan Sharia scored on a 14-yard run for the Longhorns, and Aidan Williams threw a 9-yard pass to Jayden Tchir for another score. Prospect slipped to 3-4, 1-3. — Darren Sabedra
Half Moon Bay 36, The King’s Academy 20
William Moffitt threw for a touchdown and ran for one as Half Moon Bay won on its home field to improve to 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Bay Division. HMB finished with 445 yards to TKA’s 211. Quinn McCauley rushed for 145 yards and two TDs in 11 carries and Moffitt ran for 84 yards in 15 carries. Jeaden Underwood led TKA with 128 yards and two TDs in 17 attempts. TKA fell to 2-5, 0-2. HMB led 29-7 at halftime and 36-14 after the third quarter. — Darren Sabedra
Milpitas 10, Santa Clara 0
The visiting Trojans broke a three-game losing streak with the shutout victory that avenged a 28-15 loss to Santa Clara in the spring. Manny Vigil scored a touchdown in the first quarter and Hugo Ybarra added a field goal in the second quarter. Milpitas improved to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division. Santa Clara fell to 3-4-1, 0-4. — Phil Jensen
San Mateo 35, Sequoia 6
Noah Rodriguez starred for the visiting Bearcats (7-0, 3-0 PAL Lake), scoring two touchdowns on receptions and finishing with three catches for 94 yards. The senior also intercepted a pass and forced a fumble. San Mateo’s 7-0 start is the team’s best of the MaxPreps era (2004-present). Sequoia (2-5, 1-1) scored on a pass from Thomas Flynn to Jack Kern. — Phil Jensen
Pioneer 28, Sobrato 9
The host Mustangs rallied from a 9-6 halftime deficit and are alone on top of the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division with their best league start since 2009. Pioneer (5-2, 4-0) received 122 yards rushing and two touchdowns on nine carries from Axel Garcia. Defensively, the senior had four tackles and one sack. The Mustangs’ Gage Houser completed 4 of 5 passes for 100 yards, including touchdowns to Bryce Johnson and Jaedyn Price. Johnson also had a 51-yard punt return and an interception, a fumble recovery and two pass deflections. Price caught four passes for 65 yards, and Jeremiah Lolohea had 16 tackles, including 12 solos. Sobrato fell to 4-3, 3-1. — Phil Jensen
Branham 15, Independence 0
Will Augenstein and Aiden Quezada rushed for touchdowns as the host Bruins improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division. Branham safety Owen Newberg had an interception as time expired to preserve the shutout. Independence fell to 0-7, 0-5. Dawson Lai and Creon Fitch each had eight tackles for the 76ers, and Joshua Belfield added two tackles for loss. Adrian Espinoza rushed for 75 yards for Independence. — Phil Jensen
Lincoln-San Jose 40, Silver Creek 17
Lincoln rolled out to a 21-3 advantage midway through the second quarter and coasted to victory. It was the third straight win for the Lions, all in BVAL-Mt. Hamilton Division play, thrusting them into a four-way tie for first place. Lincoln (5-2), which has outscored its last three opponents 114-29, still must play Live Oak and Leland, who along with Santa Teresa are also tied for first, all with 3-1 league marks. Lincoln lost to Santa Teresa 7-6 earlier in the season. Jayden Phillips threw two touchdown passes and scored three on the ground in the win over Silver Creek (3-4, 1-3). Cody Crawford caught two TD passes and Thomas Crawford had eight receptions for 131 yards. Lincoln had 401 yards of total offense. Donavan Johnson and Aisosa Amas scored TDs for Silver Creek, and Trajan Sinatra kicked a 35-yard field goal. — Mike Lefkow
Los Altos 28, Saratoga 0
In a game called at halftime after Saratoga junior LG Gaskin suffered a serious leg injury, Los Altos stretched its winning streak to three games as Greg Schumann scored on two rushing touchdowns to lead the way Thursday night. The Eagles also scored on a pass play from Jimmy Flynn to Zach Fagin and a 30-yard run by Mingaang Park. Gaskin was injured late in the first half and was taken to a hospital by ambulance. He had two fractures in his lower leg, Saratoga coach Tim Lugo said. Los Altos (4-2, 3-0) has two makeup games scheduled in the next week, starting Monday at home against Fremont-Sunnyvale. The Eagles also will play San Lorenzo Valley at home next Saturday. Saratoga (1-6, 1-2) is scheduled to visit Lynbrook on Friday. — Darren Sabedra
Gunderson 35, Evergreen Valley 14
Gunderson stayed undefeated in the BVAL’s West Valley Division, winning on its home field Thursday behind another strong performance from 5-9, 165-pound senior Zach Snow. The running back/linebacker rushed for 156 yards and four TDs in 22 carries and also had seven tackles and a sack. Julian Cabrera scored on a 32-yard run and caught four passes for 32 yards. Gunderson also got contributions from senior MLB Sal Anaya (10 tackles) and junior SS Jay Vasquez (nine tackles). The Grizzlies had seven sacks as they improved to 4-3 overall and 4-0 in the league. Evergreen Valley fell to 2-5, 1-3. Gunderson has a crucial game on Friday at Andrew Hill, which also is 4-0 in the West Valley Division. — Darren Sabedra
Yerba Buena 42, San Jose 0
Yerba Buena won its third BVAL West Valley Division game in four tries, cruising to victory Thursday on its home field. Cristian De La Cruz returned an interception 105 yards for a touchdown and also caught two touchdown passes to help lead the Aztec Warriors. Jaime Torres also had a huge game for YB, scoring on a pick-six and returning a kickoff for a touchdown. Yerba Buena improved to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the league. San Jose is 0-7, 0-4. — Darren Sabedra
Del Mar 59, James Lick 0
Del Mar stayed in contention in the BVAL’s West Valley Division with a dominant performance at home Thursday. Jakerion Thurman scored on a 78-yard run and finished with 137 yards and two TDs in four carries. Somto Obasi had five carries for 57 yards and a TD. John Padilla scored two touchdowns, running across the goal line for one and recovering a fumble in the end zone for the other. Jaxson Villasenor had two rushing TDs and QB Emmitt Hugill ran for one score. Andre Latimore scored on a 60-yard run and intercepted his fourth pass of the season, and Trent Carrizosa collected three sacks. Del Mar improved to 3-3, 3-1. Lick dropped to 0-7, 0-4. — Darren Sabedra
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