And we thought the first round of the sectional football playoffs across the Bay Area was good.
The thrills continued Friday night as Archbishop Mitty charged back late in the fourth quarter to beat St. Francis in overtime and Campolindo edged Rancho Cotate in a game that won’t be forgotten by anyone who saw it.
Mitty and Campo each won 42-41.
Elsewhere, De La Salle held off Pittsburg to win another North Coast Section title, Bellarmine turned back Wilcox and Santa Teresa ousted Sequoia.
The Bay Area News Group’s roundup has details from those games and much more.
As always, check back every Saturday for scores, highlights and top performers, updated throughout the day.
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On to the roundup …
Central Coast Section
Division I
No. 6 Archbishop Mitty 42, No. 2 St. Francis 41 (OT)
Trailing by 15 points with less than five minutes to play in regulation, Mitty staged a wild comeback to force overtime and then prevailed on the road over West Catholic Athletic League rival St. Francis when Steven Anaya made the tackle on a botched extra-point snap as the home team was trying to extend the semifinal to a second overtime. Alex Simon tells how it all unfolded here.
Division II
No. 5 Bellarmine 21, No. 1 Wilcox 17
Bellarmine’s four-game losing streak in WCAL play is a distant memory as the Bells advanced to the Division II final with a victory over top-seeded Wilcox, last season’s Division II champion. Nate Escalada’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Colin Lakarraju with 5:13 left was the difference. Glenn Reeves has the recap from Santa Clara here.
No. 2 St. Ignatius 28, No. 3 Aptos 14
Soren Hummel threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns — one to Gus Parker, the other to Sean McKeon — as the Wildcats advanced to their first section final since 2013. Jarious Hogan had two touchdown runs and Cooper Lucey made all four PATs for SI (6-6). The defense also stood out, limiting an Aptos team that was averaging 40.2 points per game to two touchdowns. Jake Boyden had an interception and Colin Mulkerrins and Sui Gallegos-Hunkin each caused a fumble. The Wildcats will play Bellarmine for the title on Saturday at San Jose City College. When the teams met in WCAL play this season, Bellarmine won, 34-14. – Jesús Cano
Division III
No. 3 Menlo School 21, No. 2 Live Oak 14
The third-seeded Knights (7-5) rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit, scoring one touchdown in the third quarter and two in the fourth. Menlo plays No. 5 seed Hollister (7-5) for the D-III title next Saturday at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas. Game time is 7 p.m. This will be the sixth time since 2009 that Menlo has played for a CCS football championship. It lost the other five, including last season to Wilcox after beating Hollister in the semifinals. Senior Ty Richardson, playing with a separated shoulder, scored all three TDs for Menlo on the ground. The game-winner came with 9:58 left on what Menlo coach Todd Smith estimated was a 30- to 35-yard run. His tying touchdown came on a 7-yard run less than a minute into the fourth quarter. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound team captain has had quite a year for Menlo and is beginning to draw the attention of college recruiters, mostly as a defensive back, according to 247sports.com. Smith said Richardson has heard from Tufts and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Richardson is Menlo’s leading rusher and third-leading receiver. On defense, he leads the Knights with three interceptions and is second in tackles. Live Oak finished the season 9-3. – Mike Lefkow
Division IV
No. 4 Santa Teresa 31, No. 1 Sequoia 18
Santa Teresa advanced to its first CCS final since 1987 as quarterback Jayden Arevalo had 169 yards from scrimmage, including a 56-yard touchdown run that put the Saints ahead by two scores entering halftime, to lead the way against top-seeded Sequoia. Evan Webeck has the game story from Redwood City here.
No. 3 Branham 68, No. 2 Mountain View 45
Perhaps it was fitting that Branham pulled this game out. After all, the Bruins entered the game with a 10-1 record compared to the Spartans’ 4-7 mark. Branham outscored the home team 54-17 in the third and fourth quarters. Senior quarterback William Augenstein had a game he’ll never forget. He scored six touchdowns and added three 2-point conversions for 42 points, which is the kind of night you’d expect from Stephen Curry. For the season, Augenstein has accounted for 51 touchdowns running and passing. He is closing in on 2,000 rushing yards. Branham totaled nine TDs, all on the ground. It converted the 2-point conversion after seven of those. Mateo Poso also had a huge night, scoring two TDs and the 2-point conversion on four occasions. Although Branham trailed 28-14 at the half, the lead changed hands seven times before the Bruins seized control by scoring the last 24 points of the game. “Once we built momentum, we played at a high level,” Bruins coach Stephen Johnson said. Branham meets Santa Teresa for the D-IV title Saturday at 1 p.m. at San Jose City College. – Mike Lefkow
Division V
No. 3 Monterey 37, No. 1 Westmont 14
Monterey scored the last 30 points, including a 24-0 blitz in the second half to beat top-seeded Westmont. The Warriors (10-2) had taken a 14-7 lead on Jacob Lang’s 20-yard touchdown run and a 7-yard run by Zackary Zepeda midway through the second quarter. Monterey (8-4) closed the gap to 14-13 before the half on an 11-yard pass reception by Soakai Funaki, who also scored the Dores’ first touchdown. It was all Monterey in the third quarter. The Dores scored 17 unanswered points in the period and never looked back. Monterey will seek to capture the D-V championship against Palo Alto next Friday at 7 p.m. at Sequoia High. — Mike Lefkow
No. 2 Palo Alto 34, No. 3 Seaside 6
The Vikings will play for a CCS section title for the first time since 2011 after a semifinal home win over Seaside. Declan Packer connected with Kai Bussey for a touchdown in the first quarter and Jack Neman ran in for a five-yard score in the second. Palo Alto (6-6) extended their lead in the third quarter when Packer threw his second touchdown, this time to Jason Auzenne. After a Seaside rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, Palo Alto responded with a 40-yard touchdown run from Jeremiah Madrigal and a 35-yard fumble return by Vainga Mahe. The Vikings will play Monterey at 7 p.m. on Friday at Sequoia High School. Palo Alto will aim to win its first section championship since 2010 when it won the CCS Open Division Championship — and then won the CIF Division I state title game over Centennial, ranked No. 4 in the nation. — Jesús Cano
North Coast Section
Open/Division I
No. 1 De La Salle 30, No. 2 Pittsburg 23
In a physical game at Dublin High, De La Salle captured its 30th consecutive section title, holding off Pittsburg down the stretch to win the Open crown. Charles Greer ran for two touchdowns, Spencer Brien kicked three first-half field goals and Robert Santiago and Colton Seastrand each intercepted passes to help lead the Spartans. DLS advances to a NorCal regional. Pittsburg will play Clayton Valley for the Division I title on Friday at Heritage High. Darren Sabedra has the recap from Dublin here.
No. 3 Clayton Valley Charter 21, No. 4 Liberty 13
Christian Aguilar threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns to lead Clayton Valley to a victory over Liberty at home in Concord, setting up a rematch against Pittsburg for the NCS Division I title. Aguilar, Pittsburg’s backup last season, led the Pirates past Clayton Valley while filling in for injured Jaden Rashada. Now, he’ll try to beat his former teammates. Curtis Pashelka has the game story from Concord here.
Division II
No. 1 San Ramon Valley 42, No. 4 Foothill 13
John Pau Mendoza finished with 173 yards on 16 carries and one touchdown on a 1-yard run and Nick Rivera gained 111 yards on 13 attempts to lead San Ramon Valley to a semifinal win at home over Foothill. SRV will play Campolindo on Friday at Dublin High for the championship. Jerry McDonald has the recap from Danville here.
No. 2 Campolindo 42, No. 3 Rancho Cotate 41
Quarterback Dashiell Weaver accounted for all six of his team’s touchdowns, rushing for four scores and throwing for two more, as Campolindo survived an epic semifinal at home against Rancho Cotate. In a game with zero punts, no turnovers and 12 touchdowns, Campo advanced to play San Ramon Valley for the title on Friday at Dublin High. Joseph Dycus has all the details from a wild game in Moraga here.
Division III
No. 1 El Cerrito 47, No. 5 Northgate 6
The Gauchos ran their record to 12-0 behind the running of Tony McAdoo, who scored four touchdowns and rushed for 236 yards on 14 carries. McAdoo scored El Cerrito’s first four touchdowns, including a 70-yard run eight minutes before the half that broke a scoreless tie. The Gauchos’ victory sets up a showdown with Windsor for the NCS D-III title. Last year in the semifinals, El Cerrito trailed Windsor 33-13 going to the fourth quarter, then scored three successive touchdowns to get within a point before missing a 2-point conversion attempt with six minutes left. Final score: Windsor 33, El Cerrito 32. After McAdoo’s first TD Friday night, Northgate got two field goals from Lucas Lesieur to make it 7-6. But the Gauchos took over from that point. A 30-yard run by McAdoo made it 14-6 at the half, then El Cerrito scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to widen the lead to 34-6. Northgate (7-5) got all its scoring from Lesieur. The junior kicker had quite a season. Three times, including Friday night, he accounted for all of Northgate’s scoring. On the first two occasions, his kicking led the Broncos to victories over Fremont-Oakland and Benicia. – Mike Lefkow
Division IV
No. 3 Cardinal Newman 17, No. 2 Acalanes 14
Acalanes overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the second half on its home field but saw its season come to an end when Cardinal Newman’s Patrick Gardner kicked the winning 34-yard field goal that barely cleared the crossbar with 12.5 seconds remaining. Phil Jensen has the recap here.
Division V
No. 2 Miramonte 34, No. 3 Analy 6
For the first time since 2013, Miramonte will play for an NCS title after rolling past visiting Analy. Luke Duncan, a UCLA commit, had three touchdown passes, two to John Williams and a 70-yarder to Cooper Bohlig. Thomas Wilson and Matt Litwin each ran for a TD. Miramonte had seven takeaways, including an interception by Bohlig. The Matadors (8-4) advance to play No. 1 seed San Marin on Friday at Rancho Cotate. “We’ve been talking about this since day one,” Miramonte coach Jack Schram said about his team playing for a section title. – Jesús Cano
Division VI
No. 3 Justin-Siena 15, No. 7 Salesian 0
Salesian’s bid for another section title ended on the road in the semifinals as Justin-Siena avenged a two-point loss to the Pride in last season’s Division VI final. Roman Williams had two touchdowns, a 98-yard run in the second quarter and an eight-yard in the third quarter, to lead the way. Justin-Siena (7-5) will play No. 4 seed Pinole Valley or No. 1 St. Mary’s-Berkeley in the final. Salesian finished 6-6. – Jesús Cano
Oakland Athletic League
Castlemont 20, Oakland Tech 8
Castlemont is going to the Silver Bowl for the first time since 2016 after beating host Oakland Tech, a team that beat Castlemont 38-20 last month. Lonell Howard Jr. had two rushing touchdowns and Anthony Ellis completed a touchdown pass to Elijah Washington to lead the way. Castlemont (7-6) will aim for its first Oakland Section title since 2008 when it plays McClymonds next Saturday at Oakland’s Fremont High School. – Jesús Cano
Source: www.mercurynews.com