Bay Area high school football roundup 2023: Best of Week 11 action
Welcome back to the Bay Area News Group’s high school football roundup.
Here, you’ll find all the details from the weekend’s action in this news organization’s coverage area, which encompasses teams that play in leagues based primarily in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
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On to the roundup …
Ranked teams
No. 1 Serra 43, No. 10 St. Ignatius 10
When Central Coast Section officials assemble Sunday to fill out the brackets for the playoffs, the No. 1 seed will be easy. Serra completed its second straight perfect regular season by running away from St. Ignatius. It was 22-3 after one quarter and 36-3 at the half. The Padres (10-0, 7-0 West Catholic Athletic League) have won 20 regular-season games in succession. Their last loss in such a contest was on Nov. 6, 2021, when they dropped a 44-21 decision to St. Francis. Serra got even three weeks later, beating the Lancers 16-12 in the CCS playoffs. Senior quarterbacks Maealiuaki Smith and Brooks Trimmer combined to throw five touchdown passes on Senior Night at Serra, much to the delight of baseball alums Barry Bonds and Dodgers outfielder James Outman, who were in attendance. Smith also had a rushing touchdown. Kyon Loud had two TD receptions, both from Smith. Padres coach Patrick Walsh was emotional while discussing the back-to-back regular-season perfectos. “From where we started to where we are now, if you had asked me 10, 20 years ago if we could do this, I would’ve said it would have taken a miracle,” Walsh said. “I’m thrilled and honored at what we’ve accomplished. So many hands have helped stir the pot.” — Mike Lefkow
No. 2 De La Salle 48, No. 17 Clayton Valley 0
De La Salle won its eighth consecutive game to close the regular season and shut out an opponent for the second time in a dominating, running-clock victory at home over Clayton Valley. De La Salle led 14-0 after the first quarter and 41-0 at halftime. Toa Faavae ran for 76 yards and a touchdown and passed for 107 and two TDs to help lead the way. The Spartans also got two rushing touchdowns from Dominic Kelley and a receiving touchdown from Derrick Blanche. De La Salle (8-2) is expected to be the No. 1 seed in the NCS Open/Division I playoffs that start next week. Clayton Valley (5-5) is among the teams hoping for one of the eight spots in that bracket. – Darren Sabedra
No. 3 San Ramon Valley 34, Monte Vista 0
Quarterback Luke Baker threw a pair of touchdown passes to Owen Scott and ran 2 yards for another score as the Wolves beat Monte Vista for the eighth time in nine games dating back to 2017. SRV also completed a 9-1 regular season and won the East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division championship with a 4-0 mark. Next stop for the Wolves will be the North Coast Section playoffs, where it will likely be the No. 2 seed behind De La Salle in Open/Division I. The Wolves’ only loss this season came in overtime against the Spartans. Baker’s 2-yard scamper started the scoring against Monte Vista, then he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Scott to make it 14-0. Austin Shelton’s 44-yard field goal increased the Wolves’ margin to 17-0 at the half. Marco Jones opened the scoring in the third quarter with a 30-yard pick-6, then Baker and Scott hooked up on a 76-yard pass play later in the period to make it 31-0. The two TD passes by Baker gives him 33 for the season. Shelton completed the scoring with his second three-pointer, this one in the fourth quarter. Monte Vista finished the season 4-6. – Mike Lefkow
No. 11 Wilcox 60, Santa Clara 14
Wilcox continued its dominance of crosstown rival Santa Clara, cruising at home to a non-league victory that completed a 7-3 regular season for the Chargers and presumably a spot in the CCS Open/Division I playoffs. If the Chargers aren’t in that bracket, they’d be in D-II. Of the many highlights for Wilcox on Friday, Adrian Salinas’ 101-yard interception return for a touchdown and Elijah Walker’s touchdown runs of 80 and 66 yards stood out. Wilcox is 20-0 against Santa Clara in the MaxPreps era (2004-present). The Bruins finished 3-7. – Darren Sabedra
No. 12 Valley Christian 35, No. 19 Archbishop Mitty 0
Ekiah Mclemore and Marcel Leggett ran for two touchdowns apiece and Lovante Metcalfe, Remy Hernandez and Federico-Mario Cobarubio each had a sack as Valley Christian overpowered Mitty at Foothill College. The Warriors also got a touchdown pass from Jesse D’Anna to Kai Hamilton. One week after playing a tight game against juggernaut Serra, Valley led Mitty 21-0 after the first quarter and 28-0 at halftime as the Warriors finished the regular season 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the WCAL. They are expected to land in the eight-team Open/Division I bracket for the CCS playoffs. Mitty (5-5, 2-5) also is expected to be in the section playoffs, either in Open/Division I or Division II. – Darren Sabedra
No. 16 Campolindo 25, No. 15 Acalanes 24
Micah Parker scored on a 23-yard run with 2:53 left and Scott Lyon followed by catching a two-point conversion pass from Isaiah Ortiz to complete Campolindo’s late rally from 14 points behind. The Cougars tied Acalanes and Las Lomas for the DAL Foothill Division championship. Darren Sabedra has the full story here.
No. 24 Live Oak 28, No. 20 Christopher 24
Trailing 21-0 in the first quarter, Live Oak stunned host Christopher by completing an epic comeback that clinched the BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division title while handing the Gilroy school its first loss. Live Oak running back Josh Gagni ran for 136 yards, and Anden Rogers scored the game-winning touchdown with five minutes remaining. Glenn Reeves was in Gilroy and has the full story here.
South Bay/Peninsula
Branham 21, Pioneer 20
Branham clinched the outright BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill Division title on Thursday, stopping a late two-point conversion to edge host Pioneer. The Mustangs cut the deficit to one when quarterback Damian Flores connected with Edgar Orozco for the duo’s second touchdown of the fourth quarter. But Branham made the late stop to celebrate a 5-0 league record and an 8-2 mark overall. The Bruins will now get ready for the CCS playoffs. Pioneer finished 4-6, 2-3. Branham twice built a double-digit advantage. The Bruins went ahead 7-0 in the first quarter when Preston Conrad threw an 18-yard pass to Brayden Hodges. The visitors extended the advantage to 14-0 in the third quarter on Elias Antillon’s 25-yard run. Kian Upton’s pick-six pulled Pioneer to within 14-7, but Branham scored again early in the final quarter to make it 21-7. Flores’ TD pass to Orozco with five minutes led cut the margin to seven. – Darren Sabedra
Del Mar 42, Prospect 31
Andre Latimore ran for 344 yards and four touchdowns to power Del Mar to a BVAL West Valley Division championship and a spot in the CCS playoffs. Prospect quarterback Tommy Lewit threw for a touchdown and ran for two more in a back-and-forth game. Joseph Dycus was in Saratoga and has the full story here.
Evergreen Valley 45, James Lick 21
Jordan Vo had a big game for Evergreen Valley as the Cougars closed out the season and celebrated senior night with a victory at home over James Lick on Thursday. Vo, a junior, ran for 99 yards and three touchdowns in 16 carries and caught four passes for 95 yards and a two-point conversion. Evergreen Valley, which led from start to finish, also got 136 yards passing and 145 yards rushing from Kenneth Brown. On defense, Brandon Chan and Noah Holseberg each had 13 tackles. Holseberg forced three fumbles and nine of Chan’s tackles were solo. Pedro Hernandez was 4 for 4 on PATs and also made a field goal as Evergreen Valley improved to 3-7 overall and 3-4 in the BVAL West Valley Division. Lick’s Malik Martinez ran for 167 yards in 24 carries and Eva Grigalba ran for 42 yards and scored one of Lick’s TDs. Lick finished 1-9, 1-6. – Darren Sabedra
Leigh 34, Westmont 27
Blake Zanger ran for two late touchdowns as Leigh rallied on the road to beat Westmont and clinch the BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley Division title. The game ended with the Longhorns making a goal-line stop. Nathan Canilao has the complete game story here.
Milpitas 35, Woodside 28
Jacob Alvarado ran for 177 yards and two TDs, helping the Trojans (6-4) finish above .500 for the first time since 2019. It’s doubtful that will help the Trojans reach the Central Coast Section playoffs. They were fourth in the PAL Ocean, which gets two automatic bids. Forty teams spread over five eight-team brackets make the CCS playoffs. Capuchino and Aragon, both 4-1 in league, get the automatic bids. San Mateo (3-2) was third, followed by Milpitas and Sequoia, which tied for fourth at 2-3. Woodside (6-4) had already qualified for the postseason before playing Milpitas. The Wildcats finished in a three-way tie for second with Fremont-Sunnyvale and Carlmont, all with 3-2 marks in the PAL El Camino, but they beat both teams in head-to-head play. Los Altos was the division champion. Milpitas led Woodside 17-14 at the half and never relinquished it. The Trojans put the game away on a touchdown run with three minutes to go, making the score 35-21. Sophomore kicker Jerrell Phan had a big game on Senior Night at Milpitas, kicking two field goals and adding three extra points. Emiliano Diaz led the defense with 10 tackles. Woodside got 108 rushing yards and a TD from Evan Frampton, but they were without leading ballcarrier Evan Usher for the second straight game. Usher, who has 1,158 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, is sidelined with an injured shoulder. Coach Justin Andrews texted that he is hopeful Usher will return for the playoffs. – Mike Lefkow
Palo Alto 34, The King’s Academy 28
Palo Alto used a huge fourth quarter to rally past The King’s Academy in a PAL De Anza Division game on Thursday. The outcome leaves Palo Alto, TKA and Hillsdale tied for second in the division behind champion Menlo School. The division has three automatic qualifying spots into the CCS playoffs. It looks as if it will come down to CCS power points to determine the two teams that will join Menlo as AQs from the division. It is possible that a fourth team from the De Anza could receive an at-large bid. Palo Alto (5-5, 3-2) scored 20 points in the final quarter, including a nine-yard go-ahead touchdown run by Jeremiah Madrigal with two minutes left to put the Vikings in front for good. Palo Alto running back Joseph Kessler rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and Madrigal ran 12 times for 61 yards and two TDS. Vikings QB Declan Packer threw a touchdown to Jason Auzenne, and Landa Mendoza had three sacks. TKA’s Jeaden Underwood rushed for 140 yards and one TD, and Reid Black threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for one more. Kyle Welch caught two touchdowns for TKA (5-4, 2-3). The CCS playoff brackets will be announced on Sunday. — Joseph Dycus
Piedmont Hills 20, Gilroy 14
Piedmont Hills’ season ended on a high note after it defeated Gilroy in BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill play. Gilroy struck first, taking a 6-0 advantage after Talan Warren rushed for a 10-yard first-quarter touchdown. Alex Tran threw a nine-yard TD to Zachary Pallach to give Piedmont Hills a one-point lead. Warren’s 41-yard pass to Juel Martinez, plus a Tyler Russell Hodges two-point conversion, gave Gilroy a 14-7 advantage at halftime. The second half was all Piedmont Hills, with Dylan Blank running for a one-yard TD to tie the score in the third. Alonzo Johnson’s 88-yard fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown gave Piedmont Hills the victory. Piedmont Hills finished 4-5, 2-3. Gilroy finished its season 0-10, 0-5. — Joseph Dycus
Sequoia 23, Carlmont 17
Logan Kern‘s 5-yard run for a touchdown in the final minute brought Sequoia from behind to win the Terremere Trophy in the annual rivalry game with Carlmont. It was Kern’s second touchdown of the game. Sequoia also scored on a pass from Brody McKenna to Aaron Harkov and on a McKenna field goal. Also for Sequoia, McKenna completed 21 of 35 passes for 229 yards. Kern carried 21 times for 120 yards. Tony Veimau stood out on the offensive and defensive line, Luke Hitch made an interception in the end zone and LB Giancarlo Toriello was in the backfield rushing the passer throughout the game. Braeden Kumer scored on runs of 50 and 3 yards as Carlmont (3-7, 2-3 PAL El Camino) opened a 14-0 lead. He also kicked a 30-yard field goal to put the Scots back on top 17-16 after Sequoia (4-6, 2-3 PAL Ocean) had taken the lead. — Glenn Reeves
Silver Creek 21, Independence 14
A touchdown scored by Alonzo Hernandez in the final minute broke a 14-14 deadlock and gave Silver Creek the win, second place in the BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill Division standings and the division’s second automatic berth into the CCS playoffs. Alijah Guzman rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown. Hernandez added another 87 yards on the ground. Mathias McClain had five solo tackles, four assists and 1.5 sacks. Loni Ongolea had six solo, two assists and one tackle for loss. Silver Creek finished the regular season 7-3 overall, 4-1 in the division. Independence ends its season 4-6, 2-3. — Glenn Reeves