With PAL-Bay title favorite Los Gatos enjoying its bye week after a 3-1 start, the rest of the teams in the division had a chance to stake their claim as contenders. It did not go well.
All five PAL-Bay teams in action in week 5 lost, including a stunning 0-4 mark against teams from the lower PAL-De Anza Division, headlined by a pair of wild, high-scoring affairs.
Palo Alto senior QB Justin Fung completed just eight passes, but four wound up as touchdowns in a 45-42 win at the King’s Academy. Three of Fung’s touchdown passes went to senior Clement Romanski, who caught just three passes total for 40 yards. Junior Kaleb Osotonu led the rushing attack with 132 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries as the Vikings built an early lead and held on to hand The King’s Academy (1-3) its third loss in a row.
Paly is off this week and opens PAL-De Anza action October 9 at home against Burlingame (5-0). TKA visits Rio Hondo Prep in a non-league matchup Friday night.
Meanwhile, senior RB Dominik Kristof ran for four scores and caught a touchdown pass as Mountain View improved to 3-1 with a 55-48 win over Sacred Heart Prep (2-3). Micah Perkins went over 100 yards receiving and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Ishan Devarapalli for the Spartans, who open PAL-De Anza play Friday at undefeated Half Moon Bay. The Gators, who were led by quarterback J.P. Durrett (303 yards passing, 4 TDs), are off this week and will host Los Gatos October 10.
In other Bay-De Anza matchups, Woodside stunned Wilcox 28-26. Senior Charlie Dalrymple tossed three touchdown passes and junior JJ Lange ran for 82 yards and a score for the Wildcats, who improved to 3-2. Wilcox (1-3) was led by senior Elijah Vallejo, who finished with 167 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Wilcox travels to Stockton to take on Edison Friday night while Woodside has its bye week before visiting Half Moon Bay October 9 in its De Anza opener.
Burlingame made it a complete sweep for the PAL-De Anza with a 21-10 win at Menlo Saturday afternoon. Junior Luke Doss caught a touchdown pass and ran for a score in the fourth quarter to rally the Panthers (5-0) past the Knights (1-4). Senior Mark O’Grady threw just two passes, completing both for a total of 52 yards and a touchdown for Burlingame, which is off this week and hosts Palo Alto October 9. Menlo opens PAL-Bay action October 9 at home against Menlo-Atherton.
Speaking of the Bears, they fell to 0-5 with a 41-9 loss at Bishop O’Dowd. Menlo-Atherton completes the non-league portion of its schedule with four losses to out-of-section teams and a one-point loss to WCAL power Mitty.
San Mateo was the other PAL-De Anza team in action in week 5; the Bearcats (4-1) defeated Sequoia 42-31 behind a balanced rushing attack that accounted for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Roman Toki led the way with 87 yards and a score on just seven carries, and he threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to senior Luke Dunston. San Mateo is off this week and hosts Mountain View in its PAL-De Anza opener; Sequoia (2-3) is also off and visits Milpitas in its PAL-Ocean opener October 8.
In the PAL-Ocean, Milpitas and Hillsdale both improved to 4-1 with easy wins over lower-division teams. Senior Jonah Mati threw three touchdown passes and senior Nizhir Bess ran for three scores to lead the Trojans to a 47-0 rout of PAL-El Camino entry Fremont (1-3). For Hillsdale, senior Branden Key tossed three touchdown passes, junior Oliver Ashfield ran for three scores, and junior Sean Malan finished with 177 yards rushing and a TD to lead the Knights to a 48-26 win over Jefferson (2-3), another PAL-El Camino team. Milpitas hosts Sequoia October 8 after a bye, and Hillsdale welcomes Carlmont October 9 in the PAL-Ocean opening weekend.
Aragon was not as fortunate, losing 28-21 to PAL-El Camino contender Los Altos (3-1). The Eagles, who were led by senior QB Giancarlo Mendoza (7 of 14 passing, 142 yards, 3 TDs), open league play Friday at home against Terra Nova, while Aragon (3-2) will visit Capuchino October 9 for its PAL-Ocean opener.
In other action involving PAL-Ocean teams, Carlmont got 295 yards passing and 3 TDs from senior QB Brody Zirelli in a 49-28 win over Terra Nova (0-4). The Scots (3-2) visit Hillsdale October 9; Terra Nova travels to Los Altos Friday.
Finally, league play got underway in the PAL-Lake, headlined by Gunn edging Saratoga 21-20, handing the Falcons their first defeat. The Titans (2-1) rallied despite losing their starting quarterback to injury, as junior Nathaniel Taylor helped lead the comeback. Saratoga outscored Gunn 13-0 in the third quarter to take a 20-14 lead heading into the final period, but the Titans rallied for the victory.
In other action, MacDonald opened league play with a 41-0 win over Cupertino with all the scoring taking place in the first half. El Camino beat Mills 31-7, and Homestead went out of section to beat Tamalpais 16-14 to improve to 3-1 overall.
