Following a winless preseason, the Branham football team took out its frustration at Piedmont Hills last Friday, hammering the Pirates 56-12 in the BVAL-MH North opener for both teams. Junior QB Andrew Ho had a remarkable night, completing 18-of-19 passes for 381 yards and seven touchdowns. Junior Marcus Owens (3 catches, 128 yards, 1 TD), senior Fletcher Stachnick (3 catches, 97 yards, 2 TDs) and junior Kellan Brown (4 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs) led a balanced receiving attack, and senior Jeremia Corey scored on a 44-yard touchdown run on his only carry of the night to lead the Bruins.
It figures to be more of a challenge next week for Branham, which hosts rival Leigh Friday night. Leigh (2-4) began league play with a 20-17 overtime win over Pioneer. Quarterback Kellan Yoshida threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, both to Rocco Huntington, who caught five passes for 150 yards and two scores. Senior Christopher Orozco led a powerful Pioneer rushing attack with 82 yards on 13 carries as the Mustangs ran for 236 yards.
Pioneer visits Leland, which was blasted 49-18 by rival Santa Teresa. Junior Tyrone Monroe led the way for the Saints (5-1) with 79 yards rushing and four touchdowns on just 13 carries. Senior QB Salvador Guerrero completed 15-of-16 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior Davin Hernandez, who caught four passes for 55 yards.
The BVAL-MH South also began league play this past weekend with all six teams in action. Willow Glen held off Silver Creek 15-13 to improve to 6-0 overall. Senior quarterback Declan Meehan threw for one score and ran for another as the Rams scored all 15 of their points in the second quarter and withstood a second-half rally from the Raiders (2-4).
Willow Glen travels to Christopher, which lost 28-3 at Ann Sobrato in its opener. The Bulldogs, who improved to 4-2, will face Morgan Hill rival Live Oak Friday night in a battle of title contenders. The Acorns opened league play with a 42-14 win over Lincoln behind 164 yards rushing and two touchdowns from senior Gage Jones.
In the BVAL-Santa Teresa, Overfelt improved to 3-0 with a 32-20 win over Westmont, Gunderson picked up its first league win, 41-27 over Del Mar. Oak Grove is also 3-0 following a 28-13 victory over San Jose.
In the BVAL-West Valley, Independence and Andrew Hill continued on their collision course following big wins. The Sixers downed Prospect 35-20 to improve to 3-0, and the Falcons moved to 2-0 with a 47-6 win over Mt. Pleasant.
