We’ve reached an interesting point in the Central Coast Section football season, with some teams starting league play already and others continuing their non-league schedules. With the West Catholic Athletic League on a universal bye, this week’s slate may not look as juicy as some others, but there are still plenty of intriguing matchups throughout the weekend.
Here are five games worth checking out. Week 4 features just four Thursday games and only eight on Saturday, so fans could have a tough time deciding which game to attend on Friday night.
San Mateo at Palo Alto, 7 p.m. Friday
The Bearcats (2-1) rebounded nicely from a loss at Menlo in Week 2 with a 31-7 home win over nearby rival Aragon. Running the triple option under head coach Jeff Scheller, San Mateo did not put the ball in the air once against the Dons as quarterback Lukas Fitzgerald rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, setting a single-game record for rushing yards by a Bearcats quarterback since at least 2007.
The Vikings (0-3) are still looking for their first win after losing 41-27 last week at Christopher. Quarterback Justin Fung looked good once again (21-of-36, 286 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), but Palo Alto’s running game struggled mightily for the second straight game. The Vikings are looking like a team that could take its lumps in the Peninsula Athletic League-Bay Division, and San Mateo, which moved up from the Ocean to the De Anza this year, has a big opportunity to earn a key non-league road win.
Hillsdale at Terra Nova, 7 p.m. Friday
This is a battle between the Knights of the PAL-Ocean Division and the Tigers of the El Camino, the third and fourth tiers, respectively, in the super league’s ladder. Hillsdale (1-2) is licking its wounds after a 34-8 loss at Mt. Diablo in Concord but has some exciting offensive playmakers, with quarterback Grant Mattias, running back Jacob Bonner and receivers Brady Skidmore and Karekin Andonian.
Terra Nova (2-1), once the top public school program in San Mateo County, has fallen on hard times in recent years but turned heads last week with a 27-24 win at Capuchino, a De Anza Division team. Quarterback Joey Donati led the way with his arm and legs, throwing for 146 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 95 yards and another score. Austin Snead is the Tigers’ leading rusher, averaging 93 yards per game.
Capuchino at Woodside, 7 p.m. Friday
Another interesting one on the Peninsula that could tell us a lot about where both teams are heading into league play. The Mustangs (1-2) won the Ocean Division in 2023 and tied for the De Anza title last year, but lost a lot of talent to both graduation and transfers. Capuchino’s lone win this year was a 14-9 victory at Jefferson, which plays in the bottom-tier Lake Division.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, have hardly broken a sweat en route to a 3-0 start, outscoring their first three opponents by a combined 134-13. Woodside won the El Camino Division last year and moved up to the Ocean, where the Wildcats look like co-favorites along with Half Moon Bay. Quarterback Charlie Dalrymple is 16-of-19 for 327 yards and four touchdowns, while the running game has been prolific, with Daniel Torres, Evan Frampton, JJ Lange and Alex Valencia all racking up yardage. Woodside has talent and depth, and will look to knock off another higher-division opponent this week.
Monterey at Palma, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Two unbeaten teams meet in Salinas in an early Pacific Coast Athletic League-Gabilan Division showdown. The Toreadores have big wins already over Christopher and Aptos, with Ethan Bonilla leading the way last week in a 33-14 win over the Mariners. Bonilla rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns to help Monterey improve to 3-0.
The Chieftains are also 3-0 and have put up 40-plus points in all three games, most recently a 54-28 win over Alisal last week. Eli Dukes paces Palma’s ground game, with 489 rushing yards already and six touchdowns, and he has help in the backfield in the form of David Garcia (25 carries, 276 yards, eight touchdowns). Quarterback Patrick Driscoll has been efficient, completing 16 of 21 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns against just one interception.
This game will be an early measuring stick in the PCAL’s top division, where both teams are among the favorites along with Salinas and Soquel.
The King’s Academy at Sacred Heart Prep, 2 p.m. Saturday
The Knights (2-0) won the PAL-De Anza in 2024, while the Gators (3-0) were near the bottom of the Bay Division but won the CCS Division IV title. TKA had a Week 2 bye but has not allowed a point yet this year, outscoring Aptos and Fremont by a combined 93-0. The Knights like to put the ball in the air with sophomore Ricky Gutierrez at quarterback — he has 370 passing yards and six touchdowns without a pick through two games. Jaiden Flores, Adrian Barnett and Aaron Duncan are all over 100 receiving yards.
Sacred Heart Prep (2-1) picked up a big win last week at Half Moon Bay behind a stellar all-around performance from Maxime Morelle, who rushed for nearly 100 yards, threw a touchdown pass on a trick play and had a pick six. Morelle and Cooper Karros spearhead the Gators’ rushing attack, with Nathan Fox delivering big plays out wide for quarterback Nico Pollioni.
