Los Gatos has been the clear class of the Peninsula Athletic League all season, but in recent weeks Menlo-Atherton, which didn’t even win a game in the preseason, appeared to be mounting a challenge for Bay Division supremacy. That didn’t last long on Saturday afternoon in Atherton.
The Wildcats (8-1, 4-0 PAL-Bay) raced out to a 21-point lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 42-20 win over Menlo-Atherton (3-6, 3-1). Los Gatos still needs to defeat Wilcox on the final day of the regular season to wrap up the division title, but Saturday's win signified a big step toward the title.
The Bears held prolific rusher Devonte Troutt to just 93 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, but junior QB Reed Sweetnam picked up the slack, completing 14-of-19 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns.
Menlo-Atherton came in with hopes of stealing the league title from Los Gatos after opening the PAL-Bay season with three wins, including a 41-33 victory over Wilcox. But those hopes were short-lived as the Wildcats came out firing in the first quarter. Troutt scored on a 25-yard touchdown run to open the scoring and Los Gatos extended the lead to 14-0 when Nico Flores blocked a field-goal attempt, and TJ Lombardi scooped it up and ran it back for a touchdown. Los Gatos scored again on a looping 47-yard touchdown pass from Sweetnam to leading receiver Shane Harmer down the right sideline to make it 21-0.
The teams could end up in a three-way tie for first if Wilcox upsets Los Gatos and Menlo-Atherton takes care of business at The King’s Academy, but it appears to be the Wildcats’ title to lose at this point.
Wilcox had no trouble with Sacred Heart Prep, winning 42-10 to improve to 3-1. Senior Isi Tuugamusu led the way with 100 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries, and freshman Haris Omeragic tossed a pair of touchdown passes for the Chargers.
In the other PAL-Bay Week 10 matchup, The King’s Academy downed Menlo 47-29.
Half Moon Bay put its stamp on the PAL-De Anza with a 35-21 win over Palo Alto to complete a perfect league season. The Cougars close out the regular season with their annual rivalry game against Terra Nova. Palo Alto concludes league play at home against Woodside, which surprised San Mateo 20-12. Junior Cole Jaron had a key fumble return for a touchdown for the Wildcats, who forged a three-way tie for second place with the win.
Burlingame joined the crowd at 2-2 with a 63-35 win over Mountain View. Senior Kolik Keyak ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns and junior Luke Doss added 128 yards and two scores on the ground for the Panthers, who take on San Mateo in the annual Little Big Game in the season finale.
Hillsdale shook up the PAL-Ocean race by upsetting Milpitas 42-28. The Trojans (7-2, 3-1) can still clinch the title with a win over Capuchino Thursday night, but another loss would open the door for complete mayhem in the league race. Sequoia (5-4, 3-1), which is now tied for first after a 28-13 win over Capuchino, hosts Carlmont (5-4, 2-2) on the final date of the regular season while Hillsdale (6-3, 2-2) visits Aragon, leaving a four-way tie for first as a possibility.
The PAL-El Camino remains up for grabs after Terra Nova (4-5, 4-1) closed out its league schedule with a 46-23 win over Jefferson. Junior Robbie Johnson completed 17-of-26 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Tigers, who are the leader in the clubhouse heading into the regular season finale. Santa Clara (6-3, 3-1) and Jefferson (5-4, 3-1) face each other in the finale; if the Bruins win, they would win the league title tiebreaker over Terra Nova. A Jefferson win would mean Terra Nova claims the tiebreaker by virtue of its win this past weekend.
There was also a shakeup in the PAL-Lake, as Saratoga (8-1, 4-1) handed Homestead (7-2, 5-1) its first league loss, 26-22. The game was tied at 7 heading into the final quarter, when both offenses came to life. Senior RB Anson Hulme led the way for the Falcons with 160 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and senior Justice Andrews caught 6 passes for 132 yards and a score.
Gunn joined Saratoga at 4-1 with a 49-14 win over Cupertino. Wins by Saratoga (over MacDonald) and Gunn (over Mills) would create a three-way tie for the league title at 5-1. The tiebreaker for a three-way tie is a bit on the arcane side – fewest total points allowed in the first halves of games in league play.
In other Week 10 matchups, Mills beat MacDonald 35-6 and El Camino went out of league to hammer Evergreen Valley 37-0.
