The major restructuring of the CCS football division landscape left the Peninsula Athletic League with just one “A” division. But through the first couple of weeks of the 2026, the PAL-Bay league is not performing like one.
Los Gatos is the only remaining unbeaten from the six-team division, having defeated Soquel and Salinas in the opening two weeks. And the Wildcats nearly let a huge lead slip away against the Cowboys, holding on for a 41-35 win after leading 41-14 through three quarters. The Wildcats built the lead with touchdown passes from three different players – Jack Siri (2), Tristan Grier (1) and Reed Sweetnam (1) – before Salinas rallied.
But perhaps the bigger story is the struggles of the two Atherton rivals Menlo and Menlo-Atherton, which are both 0-2. The Knights lost against a pair of PAL-De Anza rivals Carlmont and San Mateo by a combined score of 67-17, while Menlo-Atherton, which traditionally schedules out of the section, fell to NCS powers Liberty and Acalanes. Wilcox shook off a blowout loss to Valley Christian with a 41-20 win over Milpitas and once again figures to be the main challenger to Los Gatos. In the win, freshman QB Haris Omeragic tossed three TD passes despite completing just 10-of-24 passes.
In the PAL-De Anza, San Mateo is off to a roaring start, putting up 42 points in each of its first two wins over Branham and Menlo. Senior Declan Littman ran for 142 yards and 3 TDs on just 5 carries in the win over Menlo as the Bearcats joined Mountain View, Palo Alto, Burlingame and Half Moon Bay with 2-0 starts. Palo Alto has crushed a pair of BVAL-MH North teams, defeating Leigh and Leland by a combined score of 101-35. Coming off an 0-10 season in the PAL-Bay, the Vikings have been led by senior QB Justin Fung, who has already thrown for 575 yards and 10 touchdowns.
In the PAL-Ocean, Aragon and Hillsdale have started 2-0 with wins over BVAL foes Oak Grove and Overfelt, respectively. Capuchino was edged 20-19 by PAL-El Camino title hopeful Jefferson to fall to 0-2 along with Sequoia, which was blown out at home by Reno.
Jefferson is joined by Santa Clara at 2-0 after the Bruins hammered Del Mar 58-14. Terra Nova is 0-2, but has lost its two games by a combined total of four points against “B” level competition Hillsdale and Leigh.
As a newly designated “D” division, the PAL-Lake will get a shot at the first-ever CCS Division 6 title. Saratoga has destroyed its first two opponents by a combined scored of 75-0 and looks like the early favorite.
