Four of the section’s five leagues open play this week, including a few early rivalry showdowns. The PAL is the lone league not to play this week, but there are a pair of interesting inter-division matchups on the Peninsula to round out the schedule.
Salinas (1-2) @ Palma (3-0), 7:30 p.m. at Salinas Sports Complex
This always-fierce rivalry has a new layer to it this year with Salinas having finally snapped the losing streak to Palma last season. The Cowboys got out of the mud with a 25-0 win at Milpitas, but Palma is off to a perfect start, including a win over Sacred Heart Cathedral and a tremendous overtime victory over Menlo-Atherton.
Milpitas (2-2) @ Palo Alto (4-0), 7 p.m.
The Vikings have announced their return to relevance under first-year head coach Nelson Gifford, and they’ve already beaten one defending state champion in MyClymonds. Should they take down Milpitas on Friday, they’ll make a serious statement at the halfway point of their schedule.
Valley Christian (2-1) @ Sacred Heart Cathedral (2-1), 7 p.m. at Kezar Stadium
The Warriors have done a tremendous job making their season-opening loss to Wilcox a distant memory, having responded by beating Pleasant Valley and Clovis West. Defensively, they’ll have to find a way to slow down Anthony Heard, who has 343 yards on 42 carries.
Live Oak (3-0) @ Pioneer (3-0), 7 p.m.
The Jonathan Singleton show will continue on Friday night at Pioneer, and since he’s already picked up 815 yards between his legs and arm on the season, he could break the 1,000 mark in this Mt. Hamilton opener.
Silver Creek (3-0) @ Overfelt (3-0), 7 p.m.
Two of the four unbeaten teams in the Santa Teresa Division will meet on Friday night, with Silver Creek’s stiff defense lining up against Ulysses Alvarado, who has racked up 568 yards on 67 carries. The Raiders have allowed just 34 points while Alejandro Flores has completed 43 of 66 passes for 664 yards.
Half Moon Bay (3-1) @ Burlingame (2-2), 7:30 p.m.
The final nonleague test for these two PAL squads will be a run-heavy affair, with sophomore Tristan Hofmann returning from injury to lead the Cougars after missing the past two games. Burlingame’s rushing attack of Curtis Lauti and sophomore Lucas Meredith (64 carries-317 yards, five touchdowns) will try to match HMB’s pound-for-bound in a showdown that will be all about controlling the clock and dominating the line of scrimmage.
Best of the Rest
Branham (2-1) travels to Del Mar (3-0) in another intriguing Santa Teresa matchup, and Independence (3-0) will hit the road to take on Willow Glen, and Aragon (0-3) will try to notch its first win of the season against King’s Academy (2-1) in another showdown of talented running backs.
