After the San Mateo program had fallen on hard times in recent years, it was easy to forget the storied history that has come with the Bearcat program over nearly a century.
Friday’s 34-0 win over Los Altos gave San Mateo its first 3-0 start since 2014 and was the 499th win in program history.
“It says a lot about the history of this school and what we’ve done over a hundred years,” said head coach Jeff Scheller. “It’s nice to start 3-0; we’re playing well against some pretty good teams.”
So far this season, defense has been San Mateo’s calling card. The Bearcats have allowed just 22 points in their first three games.
“We knew the defense would be anchoring our team this year,” said Scheller. “We had a lot of guys with experience coming back.”
Over the course of three games, the youth on offense has been able to grow and develop because of the breathing room that the defense has provided.
With the oldest program in San Mateo on the verge of a milestone, the other teams in the city have gotten off to remarkable starts as well. Aragon followed up an upset win at Aptos by blanking South City 35-0 in the Dons’ home opener.
Perhaps most surprising was Hillsdale’s 34-10 throttling of Sacred Heart Prep on Saturday. While beating the host Gators wasn't a huge shock, methodically drilling them up and down the field certainly caught the attention of coaches up and down the Peninsula and gave some thought to the idea that maybe Hillsdale should've stayed up in the Bay Division for another year. Head coach Mike Parodi had advocated for his team to stay up, but the Fighting Knights were forced down. Now the Ocean Division is left to handle their wrath.
The only team in San Mateo to have losses on its record is Serra (1-2), and those losses were to a pair of powerhouses, St. Mary’s-Stockton and Pittsburg. The Padres are still expected to contend for the WCAL title.
Garlic-scented success
The only city that could claim as much success in the early part of the season as San Mateo would be Gilroy. The MBL-Pacific title and CCS championships could have a hint of garlic to them if the two schools continue on their current trajectory.
Both Gilroy and Christopher have wins over Live Oak and Carmel. Both teams beat Carmel, a longtime regional power, on the road, and while they did so in different ways, both certainly caught the attention of their remaining opponents. Gilroy came back from a 21-0 deficit to win 30-21, while Christopher trampled the Padres from the start in a 41-14 blowout. While it's hard to look too far down the road, there's a very real possibility that the Severance Bowl, set for October 6, will determine the MBL-Pacific title.
Remember that pesky strength of schedule thing
Don’t be fooled by the SCVAL De Anza’s 5-14 overall record. Three of those losses are to WCAL opponents, and three more are to out-of-section powers. Some of those losses won’t look so bad in the CCS points system, as many of the De Anza teams will receive points for playing teams in top leagues, teams with winning records and league champions.
All three divisions of the BVAL look extremely wide-open so far. Much of the focus in San Jose is on the suddenly wide-open Mount Hamilton League, as Oak Grove has been outscored 77-6 in its first two games. The Eagles, who haven’t lost a league game since 2013, are expected to have lots of competition at the top. Things won’t get any easier this week as they travel to Mission Viejo for a Saturday afternoon game against La Habra as part of the Brothers in Arms Classic. Simply put, it’s trial by fire for coach Jay Braun and his boys.
After graduating a tremendous senior class and losing their top two running backs via transfer, the Eagles have opened up with stiff competition. However, teams who struggle early on with elite opponents often learn by having their weaknesses exposed against the best. If that difficult competition does pay off, Oak Grove may once again dash the hopes of league rivals hoping to get a crack at them.
Feeling good up on the Hill
The best story in the BVAL may be in the West Valley League, where Hill is off to a 2-0 start after going winless the past two years. The Falcons opened their season with a blowout win over Lynbrook and followed it up last week with a 22-14 win over Monta Vista. Second-year head coach Mike Holt’s program has shown signs of maturity after a series of close losses in 2016 and has used that growth to get over the jump so far this year. Friday’s game against Gunn will be a battle for the title of feel-good story of the year. Both programs are off to 2-0 starts after winless seasons last year.
Winning big
A two-hour bus trip wouldn’t slow Burlingame down on Friday night. The Panthers found the end zone twice in the first five minutes and rolled from there in a 49-0 win at Alvarez. Eagles QB Matt Martinez left the game in the first quarter injured, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out long-term.
Valley Christian didn’t just beat Pleasant Valley from Chico on Friday night. The Warriors absolutely destroyed the Northern Section powerhouse, handing the visiting Vikings a 55-3 defeat. However, the only undefeated team left in the WCAL is Sacred Heart Cathedral, off to a 3-0 head start under new head coach Barry McLaughlin. The Fightin’ Irish have averaged 44 points per game and will open league play with the Bruce-Mahoney Game on September 22.
