While Saturday’s St. Francis-Serra game is a marquee game that will decide the WCAL title, it’ll be far from the only rivalry game this weekend. Many aren’t only played between neighbors, but are contested with hardware on the line, and for some, league titles and playoff berths are at stake. Most of these games are centered in San Mateo County, but there are a few others around the region to wrap up the year.
64th Battle for the Terremere Trophy: Carlmont (7-2) @ Sequoia (3-6), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Sequoia leads series, 32-30-1
Friday’s meeting in Redwood City will be a chance for the Scots to settle some unfinished business after last year’s 13-7 overtime defeat that ruined Carlmont’s playoff hopes. This year, there have been no late-season disappointments to speak of, with the Scots headed to the postseason for the first time since 1990 as PAL Lake Division champions. Once again, the Cherokees have a chance to play spoiler, with running back David Tuakalau, who scored the game-winning touchdown in last year’s meeting, looking to go out with a bang. Meanwhile, expect Carlmont to keep turning to Julian Morin, who has 1,142 yards and 11 touchdowns on 134 carries in what’s been a terrific senior season.
54th Skull Game: No. 9 Terra Nova (7-2, 2-2 PAL Bay) @ Half Moon Bay (3-6, 0-4), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Terra Nova leads series, 33-16-2
With a pair of defeats last year, 45-7 in the regular season and 41-9 in the CCS Division III Championship, Terra Nova will certainly head down the coast with a score to settle. Quarterback Jared Julian always plays with an edge, and the excitement of Friday’s game, with an overflow crowd packed into John Francis Field, should only add to that. Julian has thrown for 1,759 yards, he’s racked up another 839 on the ground and he’s accumulated 33 touchdowns. The emergence of Aslan Carvalho, who’s got 218 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 20 carries, has been a welcome addition to the Terra Nova running game.
When healthy, Half Moon Bay can hang with the best of them, but with a 27-man roster, depth is an enormous concern. Still, junior Cade Duncan and sophomores Tristan Hofmann and Connor Quosig have held their own for a resilient bunch that has performed far better than one would expect of a unit that graduated 20 seniors after last season.
60th Battle of the Strip: Capuchino (5-4, 2-2 PAL Lake) @ Mills (3-5, 1-3), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Capuchino leads series, 38-21
Expect a battle of stellar quarterbacks in this one as Brandon Mailangi looks to make it five straight victories over Mills. Unlike last year, when Capuchino rolled to a 62-0 victory, the Vikings likely won’t make this one easy. Junior quarterback Domonic Piefer has been the best quarterback Mills has seen in years, completing 84 of 156 passes for 1,377 yards, and he has a chance to go toe-to-toe with Mailangi under the lights on Friday.
16th Valparaiso Bowl: Menlo (4-5, 1-3 PAL Bay) @ No. 8 Sacred Heart Prep (8-1, 3-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Sacred Heart Prep leads series, 8-7
Last year’s 25-24 thriller, won by SHP on a two-point conversion in the final minute, reminded everyone just how exciting this battle of schools separated by a ten-minute walk can be. Injuries have depleted some of Menlo’s firepower in recent weeks, but when healthy, or close to it, the Knights can hang with the best of them. Even with half of their secondary injured, Menlo trailed Terra Nova just 32-26 at halftime, but when quarterback Justin Sellers and the rest of the defensive backs succumbed to injuries as well, the Tigers emerged with a lopsided 67-33 win that certainly didn’t tell the full story.
If Sellers is healthy, it would make for a heck of a battle with Gators quarterback Raymond Price III, who turned in a valiant performance in last week’s 40-28 win at Terra Nova. Even with the 28 points allowed last week, the SHP defense turned in a remarkable performance, forcing turnovers.
57th Bell Game: El Camino (3-6) @ South San Francisco (0-9), Saturday, 2 p.m.
South San Francisco leads series, 47-9
Could this finally be the year the Bell is taken by the carmine and gray? South City has won 14 straight meetings, but considering how rough this season has been for the Warriors, El Camino might finally have a chance to win the trophy. Considering the way this series has gone in recent years, with two one-point games this decade, it might just go down to the wire again. If it does, that’s a situation the Colts are perfectly comfortable in. They beat San Mateo in their season opener on a 41-yard Hail Mary from sophomore Noel Valdez to Jonas Junio, and they also kept things exciting in a 13-7 homecoming victory over Woodside.
91st Little Big Game: San Mateo (3-6, 2-2 PAL Ocean) @ No. 14 Burlingame (7-2, 4-0), Saturday, 11 a.m.
Burlingame leads series, 54-32-4
The Panthers have won the last eight meetings in this series, and a ninth straight would also lock up an outright Ocean Division title. Running back Lucas Meredith’s sensational campaign has continued, with 788 yards and 15 touchdowns on 126 carries, and quarterback Jordan Malashus (53-85, 753 yards) has gotten into a groove as of late. Defensively, Burlingame’s starters have allowed just 26 points across four league games, with the other 13 points that the Panthers have surrendered to Ocean opponents coming from second-stringers.
San Mateo has allowed just 22.3 points per game on the season, but with an offense that’s only broken 20 points twice on the season, the Bearcat defense has needed to be all but perfect this year.
9th Severance Bowl: Christopher (3-6, 2-4 PCAL Gabilan) @ Gilroy (1-8, 0-6), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Christopher leads series, 6-2
One of the newest crosstown rivalries in the area, Christopher is gunning for a playoff bid and looking to avenge last year's 24-6 defeat. While both teams have taken a few lumps in the Gabilan Division, it's a chance for the Christopher offense to finish strong. The Cougars had been held to 13 points or fewer in four straight games before last week's 48-point eruption against Alvarez. Gilroy, on the other hand, has struggled to score all year, averaging just 6.9 points per game while allowing 40.2, but a win for the Mustangs would allow them to finish a difficult season on a high note.
54th Battle of the Fleas: Hillsdale (2-7) @ Aragon (2-7), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Aragon leads series, 35-18
It’s not quite the same circumstances that this rivalry has seen in the last few years, but both teams enter on two-game winning streaks. Handling the emotions of a showdown with next-door neighbors is nothing new for Hillsdale, as the Fighting Knights won a thriller at San Mateo last week on Quincy Sherman’s 61-yard touchdown with three minutes left. Aragon, on the other hand, has posted back-to-back comfortable wins as running backs Camron Grant and Paul Lautaimi have become comfortable in a wildcat system that was developed on the fly after a season-ending injury to quarterback Sean Budiman in late September.
Jefferson (6-3) @ King’s Academy (7-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
King’s Academy leads series, 8-1
The pseudo-rivalry created of the two PAL teams left out to dry should see excellent quarterback play. Joaquin Alvarez has thrown for 2,129 yards and 21 touchdowns for Jefferson, while Caleb Tan and sophomore backup Antonio Gonzalez have both impressed for King’s Academy. Both teams have stellar running backs as well, with TKA turning to Bralyn Lux (109 carries-1,058 yards, 14 TDs) and Jayden Frazier (78-445, 10 TDs). Sophomore Brooks Daniels (90-767, 5 TDs) has turned heads for the Grizzlies and is expected to be a major contributor in the coming years.
The biggest difference, though, would have to be on defense, and that’s why the Knights will have the advantage on their home field. They’ve allowed just 12.9 points per game, while Jefferson has yielded 28.1, with opponents putting up at least 42 in all three defeats.
71st Shoe Game: Pacific Grove (4-5) @ No. 7 Carmel (9-0), Saturday, 2 p.m.
Carmel leads series, 35-33-2
The shoe has been in Carmel’s possession for the last three years and nine of the past ten, and Saturday’s game is not only a chance for the Padres to extend their dominance of their rivals, but also to cap off a perfect season. With Kai Lee, Dakota Mornhinweg and Rahsaan Ward leading the way, there are rumors that Carmel may opt up and play in the Division III field.
With just 26 players, Pacific Grove will have a tough road ahead on Saturday, but a young group is still developing and has a chance to make huge steps forward.
Woodside (4-5) @ No. 6 Menlo-Atherton (7-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Woodside leads series, 32-27
Unfortunately, a season-ending injury to quarterback Brody Crowley has Woodside left wondering what might have been had the star stayed healthy. Menlo-Atherton has been absolutely rolling as of late, excelling in all facets of the game. The Bears were able to play it safe in terms of health during last week’s Bay Division title-sealing win over Half Moon Bay, because even if a few starters are held out of action, they still have a truly ridiculous group on the field at any time.
