While Serra dispatched one potential challenger to its WCAL throne, another continues to gain attention with yet another record-setting, 40-point effort. Meanwhile, Los Gatos gives a good battle against East Bay powerhouse Pittsburg and Palma pulls out a dramatic overtime win.
No. 1 Serra 45, No. 2 Saint Francis 17
It’s no surprise when Serra defeats any team from Northern California, but a few eyebrows had to have been raised when the game between the top two-ranked teams in CCS went to a running clock in the fourth quarter as Serra thrashed Saint Francis 45-17.
Serra (5-0, 2-0 WCAL) took to the air to build a 45-10 lead through three quarters as senior QB Maealiuaki Smith hit on 19-of-28 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Much of the damage was caused by senior WR Cole Harrison (7 catches, 185 yards, 1 TD). Defensively, the Padres held the Lancers (2-3, 1-1) to just 67 yards rushing, limiting feature back Kingston Keanaaina to just 33 yards on 14 carries.
Serra is back in action Friday night at Archbishop Mitty (4-1, 1-1) while Saint Francis hosts St. Ignatius (3-2, 1-1).
Pittsburg 37, No. 3 Los Gatos 27
In a spicy matchup between two of the top public school teams in their respective sections, NCS power Pittsburg built an early lead and held on for a 37-27 win at Los Gatos. The Pirates (5-0), ranked No. 5 in the Prep2Prep NorCal Top 25, jumped out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead only to see the Wildcats (3-2) pull back to within 16-14 by halftime.
But Pitt extended the lead in the second half thanks in large part to the play of junior QB Marley Alcantara (16-of-28 passing, 206 yards, 3 TDs). Junior Jamar Searcy added 78 yards and a touchdown on the ground and senior Noah Quesada caught 4 passes for 117 yards and a score. Los Gatos was led by senior QB AJ Minyard (16-of-31, 262 yards, 2 TDs) and senior RB Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung (20 carries, 108 yards, 2 TDs).
Los Gatos opens PAL-Bay play Friday at home against Sacred Heart Prep. Pitt begins Bay Valley Athletic League action Saturday afternoon at home against Deer Valley.
No. 5 Archbishop Riordan 42, No. 4 Valley Christian 17
There should be little doubt that Archbishop Riordan is for real after an impressive win over perennial WCAL power Valley Christian. For the second week in a row, the Crusaders (4-1, 2-0 WCAL) went over the 40-point mark, led by sophomore QB Michael Mitchell Jr, who tossed a league-record six touchdown passes. After falling behind 14-0 early, the Warriors (4-1, 1-1) fought back to make it 14-14 on a pair of touchdown passes from QB Joseph Stephens. But Riordan took the lead for good on a TD pass from Mitchell to Cynai Thomas just before halftime and the Crusaders rolled from there.
Riordan travels to Bellarmine Friday night while Valley Christian heads back up to San Francisco to take on Sacred Heart Cathedral.
No. 13 Palma 31, No. 23 Hollister 30 (OT)
Palma QB Thomas Nunes dove just inside the right pylon for the game-winning two-point conversion as the Chieftains edged the Haybalers, 31-30, in overtime to avoid a second straight PCAL-Gabilan defeat. In addition to rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, Nunes completed 13-of-14 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown.
The loss was the second in a row for Hollister (1-4, 0-2), which was stunned at home by Alvarez, 26-23 on September 22. And it doesn’t get any easier for the Balers, who travel to Monterey Saturday. Palma (4-2, 2-1) gets nearly two weeks to prepare for a trip to Aptos October 12.
