Now in the third week of the regular season, the top teams are beginning to separate from the pack. A few of those teams meet each other this week, as more enticing match-ups dot the landscape across the Central Coast Section.
Palma (2-0) @ Menlo-Atherton (2-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Already having won two games against WCAL powers, the Bears have a chance to beat a third consecutive Catholic team. With Menlo-Atherton’s health improving (Troy Franklin has yet to see the field this season but is expected to on Friday) and Palma surviving a scare from Sacred Heart Cathedral, all signs would point to the Bears having the edge in their home opener. As good as Anthony Villegas has been for the Chieftains (116 yards per game), the aerial attack has been effective for Palma. Between Andrew Rivera, Sam Lathos and J.T. Amaral, Grant Sergent has three talented receiving weapons.
Aragon (0-1) @ Wilcox (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Aragon’s grueling nonleague schedule continues with one of the giants of the SCVAL De Anza, a Wilcox team that has given up just six points in each of its first two games. The Charger run defense will certainly be tested with Aragon’s powerful tandem of Paul Lautaimi and Camron Grant. Except Wilcox to have the ball in coach’s son Paul M. Rosa’s hands on every play. He already has 142 rushing yards, 90 receiving yards and three touchdowns on the young season.
Burlingame (1-1) @ Live Oak (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Though Burlingame lost a tight one last week to Sacred Heart Prep, the Panther defense certainly impressed, and should make for a great matchup with a Live Oak team that’s broken the 30-point mark in a pair of tight wins over stout competition. With Jonathan Singleton doing it through the air (24-38 passing, 299 yards, 5 TD) and on the ground (19 carries-276 yards, 2 TD), the Acorn offense will look to roll to victory once again. Sophomore Caleb Ojeda already has six catches for 88 yards for Live Oak, and the combination of Nick Lomanto (29 carries-202 yards) and Mosiah Saulala (20-108) give Singleton a pair of strong backs to hand off to. Noah Lavulo, Dylan Neeley and the rest of the Burlingame defense will certainly be tested in Morgan Hill.
Piedmont Hills (0-1) @ Independence (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
One of the bigger rivalries on the East Side is set for Friday night, and there’s a lot at stake. For Independence, a third straight win would show that the 76ers are on their way to returning to the Mt. Hamilton Division, while Piedmont Hills needs to avoid a loss to a second straight opponent from the Santa Teresa Division after dropping an August 24 opener to Overfelt. If the Pirates play the same sort of defense in the second half as they did against Overfelt, where they held the Royals scoreless after giving up 28 points in the first half, it could be a tale of redemption. Doing so would mean stopping Independence’s trio of Jordan Ausbie, Jonathan Medina and Dylan Oliver, each of whom have already run for over 120 yards.
Terra Nova (2-0) @ Alisal (1-1), Friday 7 p.m.
With a good showing against Live Oak a win over Alvarez for the first time since 2012, it looks like Alisal’s run from last year was no fluke. The Trojans already have experience with close games, an extension of last year’s style. Having already faced Jonathan Singleton in a tight opening loss to Live Oak, the Trojan defense will now have its hands full with Jared Julian, who, unlike most of his gunslinging predecessors at Terra Nova, has been beating teams both on the ground and through the air. He’s thrown for 415 yards and run for 160 more as the Tigers pasted San Benito and beat Carlmont to start the year.
Best of the Rest
Other interesting games include Pioneer (2-0) traveling to take on Gilroy (1-1) in a Mt. Hamilton-Gabilan clash, one of the only other games between top-division teams this week. There are some enticing inter-division matchups in the PCAL, with Soledad (0-2) hosting Gonzales (2-0), St. Francis SCP (2-0) at Watsonville (2-0), North Salinas (1-1) at Alvarez (0-2) and a pair of old MTAL teams clashing as King City (1-0) hosts Carmel (2-0).
