The Peninsula Athletic League has been full of strong performances by running backs this year. Half Moon Bay’s Tristan Hofmann had a 363-yard, six-touchdown performance in a win over Menlo while Burlingame’s Lucas Meredith and Terra Nova’s Jalen Camp have terrorized opposing defenses in the Bay Division, combining for 510 yards when they squared off. Tevita Moimoi has 11 touchdowns on the year for Sacred Heart Prep, while Menlo-Atherton has a whole host of options, including Francisco Sanchez and sophomore Thomas Taufui.
With all that talent, it’s easy for Hillsdale’s Nathan Iskander to slip through the cracks, just as he does when he’s on the field. Generously listed at 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, Iskander has been an enormous part of the resurgence at the corner of Alameda de las Pulgas and 31st Avenue.
“A lot of people think I’m an easy guy to tackle because I’m small,” he said. “It kind of shows what our team is about. Hillsdale has a lot of heart, and we don’t go down easy.”
After starting last season on a seven-game losing streak with an extremely young and inexperienced roster, the Fighting Knights won their final three games to close 2018 and have continued on that positive trajectory this year, currently tied with rival San Mateo for second place in the Ocean Division.
“I’d like to say I run like Christian McCaffrey,” he said. “I use my speed, and I’ve been training a lot with my coaches. My footwork’s been helping a lot, along with the o-line. They set up one way, I cut the other and it makes it a lot easier to slip through.”
The senior running back has had a strong year overall, including a 261-yard showing against Menlo to open league play, but he elevated his game to new heights in the past two weeks. Iskander, known as “Rabbit” since second grade, rushed for 218 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries in a 39-3 win over Sequoia, then managed to eclipse those totals last week in a 56-41 win at Carlmont to spoil the Scots’ homecoming. He posted season highs in both carries and yards, running 26 times for 265 yards, and again racked up five touchdowns while throwing for a sixth on a trick play.
“I’ve always been a really small kid,” Iskander said of his nickname and running style. “I’ve always been hitting the holes and zigzagging around the field.”
With their rabbit racing through defenses, Hillsdale (6-2, 3-1 PAL Ocean) has already doubled last year’s win total and currently holds the top seed in Division IV in our latest playoff projections. With back-to-back crosstown rivalry games to finish the regular season, though, the playoffs won’t be on anyone’s mind at Hillsdale just yet.
“Everyone’s been talking about this week’s game on campus,” Iskander said. “We couldn’t be more excited. It’s all our buddies down the street and guys we grew up with.”
Last year, the Fighting Knights beat San Mateo 14-10 on a late 61-yard Quincy Sherman touchdown run and sealed the game with a Ben Weiskopf interception. Just as Hillsdale has radically improved over the last year, so have the Bearcats. San Mateo (7-1, 3-1) has been one of the most elite defensive teams in the entire section, riding a burly defensive line to allow just 85 points through eight games, with 25 of those coming against Half Moon Bay. It’ll be one of the best challenges yet for Iskander as the Knights finish the regular season with back-to-back rivalry games. They’ll close the regular season by hosting Aragon in the Battle of the Fleas.
Cupertino comes back to win Helmet Game
The Helmet Trophy may not be the most unique rivalry hardware, but the Cupertino Pioneers made Friday’s battle for the trophy an unforgettable one, coming back from a two-score halftime deficit to beat Monta Vista 17-14 and exorcising a few demons in the process.
“We just needed to learn to play at their speed,” Cupertino head coach Chris Oswald said. “They came out and played fast. You try to replicate it in practice, but it’s not the same until you see it.”
After losing five games by a total of 22 points, Cupertino (3-5, 2-2 SCVAL El Camino) finally caught a break when a snap went over the Matador punter’s head in the third quarter. The typically run-heavy Pioneers then went against the grain by passing to throw the Monta Vista defense for a loop.
“They were putting eight or nine guys in the box to stuff us on every play,” Oswald said. “Throwing the ball would hopefully open things up.”
Demarcus Oandasan threw a five-yard touchdown to sophomore Harry Singh, a deviation from the seven unsuccessful trips inside the 10-yard line that had plagued the Pioneers in their previous five losses, and Christian Perez tied things up with a 21-yard touchdown run up the sideline. The Pioneers then took the lead with 4:49 left on a 31-yard field goal by Mitty transfer Jake Barbeau, who had to sit out the first five games. During that stretch, ‘Tino was plagued constantly by special teams woes, and his presence quickly remedied those issues. One of his punts pinned Monta Vista (5-4, 2-3) at the 1, and two of his kickoffs went for touchbacks.
A quick MV punt after the go-ahead field goal nearly turned into chaos as the ball bounced off one of the Cupertino players, but Perez was there to recover the loose pigskin. The Pioneers punted after three straight conservative run calls, putting the game in the defense’s hands, and Oswald’s decision was quickly rewarded. A jarring hit by Oandasan knocked the ball loose, and with Singh able to pounce on it, the Pioneers secured the Helmet Trophy for a fourth straight year.
Unbeaten watch
Two previously undefeated teams were knocked off last Friday as Sacred Heart Prep put together a clinical performance to beat King’s Academy, 24-9, and Alisal stunned Seaside 14-7. Four undefeated teams remain, though that number will drop Saturday as Serra and Valley Christian meet in one of the most-anticipated games of the year. Branham travels to rival Leigh and Half Moon Bay hosts Carlmont.
Hard work pays off
Marina got its first win of the year on Friday, a 32-13 victory over host Harbor to earn head coach JD Dennis his first career win. Junior quarterback Mikey Barrera had a huge day for the Mariners, completing 11 of his 18 passes for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running 21 times for 101 yards and a rushing TD. Marina (1-7, 1-3 PCAL Santa Lucia) also got a three-yard rushing touchdown from freshman Tony Fuiava. Sophomore quarterback Cash Rosburg threw for a touchdown for Harbor (1-8, 0-5) while Beau Small had four catches for 112 yards.
Piedmont Hills also got in the win column for the first time this year, winning the Battle for Alum Rock over neighboring Independence, 28-21. Not only did the Pirates finally get to taste victory in what’s been a difficult year, they also got to bring the Rock back to campus after losing a 35-33 thriller last year.
“We had to call a timeout to get into victory formation because the kids hadn’t done it before,” Pirates head coach Matt Kiesle said. “They’re such a good group, I’m glad they were able to get one.”
What makes the win more impressive for the Pirates is that they did it without wide receiver Alex Murrell, who ranks second in the section in receiving yardage even after missing Friday’s game due to injury. Nate Tillak stepped up in Murrell’s absence, with seven receptions for 126 yards, including one of two touchdowns thrown by quarterback Matthew Nguyen. Nguyen threw for 315 yards, the most since a season-opening loss to Overfelt on Aug. 30, completing 21 of his 32 passes. Salvador Lopez added a 62-yard rushing touchdown as Piedmont Hills (1-7, 1-4 BVAL Santa Teresa) scored three times in the second quarter, then held on down the stretch as fumbles become an issue.
It was also one of the best performances of the year for Independence (0-8, 0-5). The 76ers had lost each of their last six games by at least 29 points but hung with Piedmont Hills the entire way.
“They played their rear ends off too,” Kiesle said. “It’s what you want to see in a rivalry game.”
It’s the little things
Following a brutal 45-0 beatdown at the hands of rival St. Ignatius, Riordan lineman Gabe Martin showed why he’s thought of as one of his team’s leaders. None of the coaches noticed he wasn’t in the group when the team broke their postgame huddle, but he made sure to touch base with head coach Mark Modeste shortly after, informing Modeste that he had been talking with his grandparents, who had come out to see the game.
