High school football roundup: Around the Bay
Dieter Kurtenbach
Backgrounder, NewsBackgrounder, News Provides context, definition and detail on a specific topic., Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Valley Christian beats another state champ; Hayward scores 50 for No. 50; Aptos loses a tight one
Josie Lepe
Valley Christian's Isaiah McElvane, shown here in a game last week, ran for 93 yards and a touchdown Friday in his team's 37-0 rout of Pleasant Valley-Chico. (Josie Lepe)
By Darren Sabedra | dsabedra@bayareanewsgroup.com, Vytas Mazeika | vmazeika@bayareanewsgroup.com, Phil Jensen and Mike Lefkow, Correspondent | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: September 7, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. | UPDATED: September 10, 2019 at 12:02 a.m.
No. 3 Valley Christian 37, Pleasant Valley-Chico 0
For the second week in a row, Valley Christian played host to an opponent that won a state championship last season. For the second week in a row, the Warriors (2-0) came out on top. This time, by an early knockout. Valley Christian scored 20 first-quarter points Friday night and cruised to victory over Pleasant Valley (1-2). The Warriors allowed just 37 yards and one first down — all game. On the flip side, Valley Christian rushed for 241 yards and passed for 152. Cory Taylor completed all seven of his throws, one for a touchdown, and Isaiah McElvane led the rushing attack with 93 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Valley Christian, which opened the season with a 23-13 victory over Wilcox, hits the road next Friday to play Clovis West before opening West Catholic Athletic League play Sept. 27 at home against St. Francis.
— Darren Sabedra
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No. 7 Cardinal Newman 30, Placer 27
Cardinal Newman improved to 3-0 in the most dramatic of ways. Jackson Pavitt threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tsion Nunnally in the final seconds to lift the Cardinals to a thrilling victory while spoiling the debut of Placer's new field. Cardinal Newman trailed 21-16 at halftime, took a 22-21 advantage heading to the fourth quarter and then fell behind 27-22. The Cardinals added a two-point conversion after the decisive touchdown. Pavitt finished with three TD passes. Placer fell to 1-2. Newman next plays second-ranked Liberty at Freedom High on Sept. 21.
No. 14 Las Lomas 35, Milpitas 7
Las Lomas (3-0) scored all five of its touchdowns off turnovers in a game that was much closer than the 28-point spread. It was 7-7 late in the third quarter when Sammy Von Felden scooped up a Milpitas fumbled and returned it for a touchdown to make it 14-7. The Knights scored again about a minute later when Isaiah Newell went over from the 10 following an interception. The extra point made it 21-7, and Las Lomas cruised from there. Newell scored three touchdowns, two on pass receptions. The Oregon State-bound senior rushed for 121 yards. Zach Patterson had a pick-six for Las Lomas, and the three offensive touchdowns followed two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Milpitas, which slipped to 0-2, hosts Castlemont next Friday.
— Mike Lefkow
No. 15 Salinas 71, North Salinas 7
In a game played Thursday, Carl Richardson completed 11 of 15 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns and the Cowboys added 227 yards and five TDs on the ground in a season-opening romp over their crosstown rival. Salinas led 34-0 after one quarter and 51-0 at the break. Salinas travels to Clovis, which is 2-1 after a loss Friday to Bullard, next Friday. North Salinas slipped to 0-2.
No. 18 Rancho Cotate 35, El Cerrito 0
Host Rancho Cotate (2-1) scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes and didn't look back against the Gauchos (0 3). After a passing touchdown, Rancho Cotate recovered a fumble on the El Cerrito 12-yard-line and later ran in for a score. Those touchdowns were the only scoring in the first half, but Rancho Cotate pulled away after the break.
— Phil Jensen
Monterey Trail-Elk Grove 48, No. 19 San Ramon Valley 6
San Ramon Valley (1-1) suffered its worst loss since 2015. The Wolves trailed 27-0 at the half and 48-0 after three quarters. They scored with three minutes to go when Tanner Salisbury caught a six-yard touchdown pass. San Ramon Valley has now lost for two years in a row to Monterey Trail. Last year's score was 27-7.
Seaside 27, No. 20 Bishop O'Dowd 14
Bishop O'Dowd (0-2) fell behind 21-14 and could not recover against the host Spartans. Seaside (2-0) sent a message on the opening drive by chewing up more than eight minutes in 11 plays before Bubba Quenga scored the first of his two touchdowns. "The game plan was to run the ball down their throat," Quenga said. "We felt they couldn't handle it. I was so proud of our offensive line." The Spartans' Gilbert Ruelas returned a blocked field-goal attempt 90 yards to make it 14-0. Bishop O'Dowd returned the kickoff for a touchdown and later tied the game at 14, but a Seaside touchdown pass in the third quarter gave the Spartans the lead for good.
– John Devine, Monterey Herald
Oakdale 21, No. 24 Aptos 19
The reigning Central Coast Section Open Division III champion fell to 0-2 on the season with another tight loss on its home field. Aptos had nearly 400 yards of offense but trailed 7-3 at halftime and 14-3 entering the fourth quarter. A week earlier, the Mariners lost to Newport Harbor 31-28 while Oakdale had a close defeat at home to Liberty, ranked, No. 2 by Bay Area Preps HQ. Aptos coach Randy Blankenship told the Santa Cruz Sentinel that he was pleased with his team's effort on Friday. "I'm going to sleep really good tonight because that was a fun game," he said. "When you're watching your team just lay it on the line, that's fun."
Branham 28, Santa Teresa 7
Visiting Branham broke a 7-7 tie with a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to improve to 2-0. The Bruins' Cameron Rynhard rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the game, and quarterback Nick Bandanza threw for a touchdown and rushed for one. His TD pass was to Tristan Vanitegem. Branham had five takeaways, including an interception by Jacob Meza. Santa Teresa fell to 0-2.
Clovis North 38, Bellarmine 14
Coming off a rough season-opening loss at Menlo-Atherton, Bellarmine held its own for one quarter on the road against Clovis North. But the 7-7 tie after 12 minutes was gone by halftime. Clovis North (3-0) led 21-7 at the break and 24-7 through three quarters en route to the win, which ran the team's record to 3-0. Bellarmine is 0-2.
Foothill 59, Petaluma 0
Host Foothill took control early, leading 21-0 in the first quarter and 49-0 at halftime. "We have a really good senior group of kids," Foothill coach Greg Haubner said. "Our offense is really starting to hit its stride." Max Masajlo produced two rushing touchdowns and also had a pick-six. The Falcons (2-1) opened their scoring with a run by Peter Montini and didn't look back. "He is a force," said Haubner about the 6-1 1/2, 225-pound Montini, who is a weapon all over the field offensively. "He is a tough kid to stop." Foothill did not punt all game and did not turn the ball over against Petaluma (1-2), which scored 53 points against Santa Rosa last week. Foothill has improved in scoring each game this season. After a 28-20 overtime loss to San Leandro, Foothill beat Heritage 34-13 last week.
Half Moon Bay 45, Burlingame 26
After two weeks, HMB (2-0) has nearly matched its win total from 2018 following a victory at home over last year's CCS Division IV champion. "Last year we were 3-7 and we beat the teams we were supposed to on paper," HMB coach Keith Holden said. "So it's been a while since we've had a quality win and it's a big step up for our program. Last year we were pretty young, this year we're still young but we're a year older and that's why I think it's big us to get a win under our belt against a quality opponent." Junior Tristan Hofmann scored rushing and receiving touchdowns late in the second quarter to put the Cougars ahead 23-13 going into the locker room, though his impact was mostly felt on the other side of the ball. "Tristan Hofmann always stands out," Holden said. "Defensively he's everywhere. He's also very good on offense, but defensively we call him the eraser. If someone messes up, he'll often erase that problem." Burlingame (0-2) got within 29-26 after a third touchdown pass by Jordan Malashus and a 56-yard burst by running back Lucas Meredith. But HMB junior Connor Quosig, who caught a 60-yard pass for the game's first score, ran for a pair of TDs in the second half behind a strong offensive line, including the insurance score. "He's a little guy, but ran big last night," Holden said. "Ran the ball hard."
— Vytas Mazeika
Hayward 50, Washington-Fremont 6
Hayward paid tribute to its beloved No. 50 on Friday night in a special and most memorable way. Naphtali Moi Moi would have been a freshman football player at Wyoming this season had it not been for a tragic accident a few months ago. He drowned off the coast in Half Moon Bay during spring break. In Hayward's first home game since Moi Moi's passing, the Farmers on Friday honored their fallen former star and a team mom who also died during the off-season, then scored 50 points for No. 50 in an emotional victory over Washington to run their record to 3-0. Washington fell to 1-2. Hayward put Friday's game out of reach by halftime, scoring 20 points in the first quarter and 21 in the second. Hayward had not won its first three games in a season since 2006. The Farmers are off next weekend, then play host to Campolindo on Sept. 20. Washington will be at home Thursday to face Dublin.
James Logan 48, Heritage 7
Chase Sims had another huge game for James Logan, scoring five touchdowns, as the Colts rolled to an impressive victory in the middle matchup of the three Honor Bowl games that the Union City school hosted on Saturday. The win was Logan's second in a row since a season-opening 16-14 loss at Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga. "After the first two weeks, we didn't really know what kind of program or team we had at the varsity level," coach Ricky Rodriguez said. "But tonight we came out and put everything together offensive and defensively. I liked how our passing game started to come around. We were very one dimensional the first two games of the year. Today we came out and played two quarterbacks and both of them threw the ball rather successfully." The win sets up a big game for Logan on Friday night against San Leandro at Burrell Field.
Livermore 20, Windsor 14
Livermore improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2011 with a close victory over the host Jaguars. "We have a really young team," said first-year Livermore coach John Wade, who was previously the head coach at Miramonte (2001-2010) and Dublin (2011-2016). "The kids have an expectation and a competitiveness in them." The Livermore squad is primarily juniors, and Wade said that class has been very successful. Two years ago, the Livermore frosh/soph team was 9-1 and last year the junior varsity team was 9-1. The only losses were to De La Salle. Friday, the game was tied 14-14 at halftime, but Cowboys defensive lineman Tino Hart returned a fumble 33 yards in the fourth quarter with nine minutes to go for the eventual game-winning score. After forcing Windsor (2-1) to punt, Livermore went on a long drive that took about five minutes off the clock on its way to the victory. Livermore's first-half touchdowns were on runs by juniors Dominic Belluomini and Shaun Smith.
Miramonte 62, Stellar Prep 54
In a game played Thursday, Matt Meredith set a North Coast Section record by throwing nine touchdown passes in Miramonte's (2-1) wild win over Stellar Prep (1-2). The 6-foot-5, 190-pound senior, who completed 23 of 34 attempts for 441 yards, has accounted for 15 touchdowns in his last two games — 13 passing and two rushing. "He's definitely a Division I prospect," Miramonte coach Jack Schram said. "He stands tall in the pocket." Meredith has been lightly recruited thus far, and Schram partly blames himself. Miramonte hasn't had a junior varsity for three years, so Meredith spent his sophomore year as a backup on the varsity and played wide receiver and defensive back last year until taking over as the quarterback with five games left in the season. "He could have started (at quarterback) as a sophomore," Schram said. Tanner Zwahlen caught three TD passes among his eight receptions for 179 yards. Aidan Browne and Jameson Braitberg each grabbed two touchdown balls. Miramonte had to rally in the fourth quarter, as it trailed 40-34 entering the final period.
Palo Alto 47, Overfelt 8
Palo Alto bounced back from a season-opening loss at St. Ignatius with a one-sided victory on its home field. The Vikings scored 13 points in the first quarter and 20 more in the second to build a 33-8 halftime cushion. Jamir Shepard caught four of Danny Peters' six touchdown passes, one that went for 63 yards, as the Vikings took command and never looked back. Overfelt dropped to 1-1.
Piedmont 31, Menlo School 6
After putting up 65 points in its season opener, Menlo (1-1) was held scoreless into the fourth quarter on the road Friday night. Give credit to the scouting report from Piedmont (2-1), which led 17-0 at the half. "We knew that Menlo was pretty much a 90 percent, 10 percent run, so we understood their quarterback was looking for a big window," Piedmont coach Jerome Johnson said. "We took away that window by playing man, so that made a big difference. And we had a lot of pressure from outside, which squeezed him. It put a lot of pressure on the quarterback to the ball out his hand a lot faster." Another key aspect for the Highlanders was the ability to control field position, courtesy of junior Ben Marshburn's role as a kicker, punter and at free safety. "Really what helped us more than anything is a lot of people overlook special teams, but we don't," said Johnson, who relied on featured back Brian Cain for ball possession. "Without special teams, you can't win." Three games into the season, the first-year coach at Piedmont is getting to know his locker room quite a bit. "What I've learned is these kids are very resilient, they're very smart kids," Johnson said. "One of the things I've also learned is they have a lot in the tank, we just have to get it out of them. And the one thing I want to quote more than anything is that Piedmont will not quit."
Saratoga 44, Silver Creek 7
Middle linebacker Talon Sisco, a co-captain, roamed the field as part of a defensive unit that wouldn't budge at home for Saratoga (2-0). "Our defense was just outstanding last night," said Saratoga coach Tim Lugo, who also lauded the effort of defensive end Tyler Ouchida. "Silver Creek has got a really athletic, mobile quarterback, and our defense did a really good job limiting his ability to scramble around and pick up some yards. I mean, he got some, but our coverage was good, we played really good defense and it gave us pretty decent field position most of the time to do some work." The Falcons led 30-7 at halftime, even with the passing game orchestrated by quarterback Payton Stokes not entirely in rhythm. "They have some pretty stout kids," Lugo said. "They were able to get some pressure, so Payton had to scramble a little more than we'd like, but he does have the ability with his legs to get some yards for us." What's the early return on this year's team, which seeks back-to-back Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino titles? "Here's my biggest take, they love each other," Lugo said. "This team is really close. They are the most supportive group of kids with each other. We had a kid last night who didn't play as a junior, has had some personal issues, came back to play this year, got on the field, second play he plays the zone-option read, comes off the edge, big hit on the quarterback, and our sideline erupted. They were just so happy for his success, and that's just kind of how they are with other."
Vintage 28, Acalanes 20
Brady Huchingson's 50-yard pass to Lucas Eppinger brought Acalanes to within eight points with five minutes to play, but the Dons could not get any closer as they dropped to 2-1. Huchingson's 2-yard run gave Acalanes a 10-7 lead in the second quarter. The second of Hunter Ridley's two first-half field goals sent the Dons to the locker room at halftime trailing by only a point, 14-13. Bill Chaidez's 9-yard pass to Ian Avalos widened Vintage's lead to 21-13 in the third quarter. Acalanes plays host to Berkeley next Friday.
Willow Glen 42, Mt. Pleasant 14
The host Rams took a 35-0 lead on their way to improving to 2-0 with this win on Thursday. Gabe Negrete connected with Michael Malvini for the opening touchdown of the game, and later rushed for a 10-yard touchdown to give Willow Glen a 28-0 lead. Jake Medina, Pau Reed and Ryan Davis also scored touchdowns in the 35-point run for Willow Glen. Mt. Pleasant fell to 0-2 with the loss.
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Darren Sabedra | High school sports reporter
Darren Sabedra is a sports reporter and the high school sports editor, overseeing prep coverage throughout the Bay Area. He's been with the Bay Area News Group since the early 1990s and has covered many sports beats, including Stanford football and basketball, pro baseball and the NFL.
dsabedra@bayareanewsgroup.com
Follow Darren Sabedra @DarrenSabedra
Phil Jensen | Reporter
Phil Jensen is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group.
Follow Phil Jensen @JensenPhil
Mike Lefkow, Correspondent
Mike Lefkow is former sports writer for the Bay Area News Group.
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