Typically, one of the sections in our weekly CCS notebooks is titled “hard work pays off,” and it shines a light on teams that broke out of the winless ranks with impressive performances. This week, five teams picked up their first wins after two months of hardship and futility.
After dealing with a loaded schedule, the Aragon Dons managed to keep things in perspective as their first seven opponents have combined for just seven losses on the entire season, and three of those are amongst those seven opponents. Despite facing early deficits of 14-0 and 21-6 at Half Moon Bay on Friday, Aragon took a 25-21 lead into halftime and rattled off 37 unanswered points to win 43-21. Paul Lautaimi ran for four touchdowns, including a 64-yarder for the Dons’ first score and a 59-yard dash to cut it to 21-12, and Camron Grant ran for three while also completing a few passes out of the wildcat. His 4-yard score just before the break put Aragon ahead, and a 68-yard score in the waning moments of the third quarter gave the visitors a 16-point advantage and all the momentum in the world.
Not only is Aragon (1-7, 1-3 PAL Bay) in the win column, the Dons now have a chance to reach the postseason. A win this Friday over Menlo would get Aragon into fourth place, and so long as Half Moon Bay and Menlo don’t manage to create a three-way tie, the Dons should have that spot to themselves to reach the postseason.
Crosstown rival Hillsdale also got to celebrate after a 41-12 romp over South San Francisco (0-8, 0-4 PAL Ocean). The Fighting Knights got two rushing touchdowns and a score through the air from Quincy Sherman, who had a Senior Night to remember, as they raced out to a 34-0 halftime lead and led 41-0 before the Warriors finally got on the board in the fourth. Junior Nathan Iskander ran for a pair of touchdowns and sophomore Ben Weiskopf had an 80-yard pick six, and senior kicker Jessica Lefevre went 5-for-6 on extra points.
Hillsdale (1-7, 1-3) now closes the year with rivalry games against San Mateo (3-5, 2-1) and Aragon.
“It’ll be a fun way to finish the year,” said head coach Mike Parodi. “Hopefully we go out with a bang.”
It was also a joyous scene at Homestead as the Mustangs beat rival Cupertino 23-13 for their first win as well. Homestead got two touchdowns and 100 yards from Noah Leaupepe-Tele on just six carries, and the Mustangs have a chance to double down on the rivalry wins this week if they can top Fremont (1-7, 0-4 SCVAL De Anza). Former St. Francis star Darrell Page never ended up on the field for Homestead, but even with all the noise from those questions, they made their way through a grueling schedule and finally got to celebrate a victory in front of a boisterous home crowd.
Soledad had a long bus trip Friday night, as is commonplace in the PCAL, but it was a happy ride home after Richie Urquidez’s 12-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left gave the Aztecs a 20-14 win over Scotts Valley (4-5, 1-4 PCAL Mission). Earlier in the drive, Soledad faced an improbable second-and-38, but Gabriel Florez picked up 40 yards to inject new life into the visitors. It was Eric Rodriguez’s first win as Soledad’s head coach, and for the returners from last year’s team, it was a bit of revenge after the Falcons had bounced the Aztecs in the first round of last year’s Division V playoffs.
Santa Teresa also saw a first-year coach pick up his first win, as Ajene Palmer saw his side race to a 40-19 homecoming victory over Westmont (1-7, 0-5 BVAL Mt. Hamilton). After scoring no more than 22 points in their first seven games, the Saints eclipsed that with 26 in the first half, with Stephen Vitek returning a blocked punt for a score and Jordan Cortes found Nick Souza for a 55-yard touchdown, and Cortes connected with Ethan Janto on a 34-yard TD in the second half.
Leland creates chaos in Mt. Hamilton
Carson Yates threw for 170 yards and ran for another 106, finding the end zone four times as Leland (4-4, 3-2 BVAL Mt. Hamilton) beat Oak Grove 28-26, the first time the Chargers have topped the Eagles since 2013. It was also just Oak Grove’s second league loss in the last five years, and it creates chaos amidst the Mt. Hamilton race. Lincoln now sits alone at 5-0, with Oak Grove (5-3, 4-1) and Piedmont Hills (4-4, 4-1) looming. The Lions travel to Oak Grove this week and finish at home with the Pirates, meaning all of the top three teams control their own destiny.
Lincoln’s 27-24 win over Live Oak (6-2, 3-2) was one of the most dramatic games of the year, with a late Acorn comeback thwarted as Josiah Villegas knocked the ball loose as Jonathan Singleton made a bid for the end zone. Xavian Turner pounced on the loose ball, sealing the win and putting the Lions in position to claim their first-ever Mt. Hamilton title.
Surprises in the El Camino
The SCVAL typically has three clear classes of teams, and with just two divisions, some of that middle group ends up dominating the lower El Camino Division while the upper group takes a beating in the De Anza.
Friday, there were two major surprises in the El Camino race, with Gunn buckling down on defense for a 14-13 win over Los Altos and Mountain View taking first place from Santa Clara with an unexpected 17-10 triumph.
For Gunn, it was a complete reversal of styles, as the Titans had scored at least 34 points in their prior three league games, but lost all of them. This time, the defense stole the show under the lights at Foothill College.
Jacob Cortinas ran for 162 yards and caught a 77-yard touchdown as the Spartans knocked Santa Clara out of first place. After this week’s bye, Mountain View (5-4, 4-1) now has a chance to make Senior Night a memorable one as the Spartans host Monta Vista on November 2 with a chance to lock up at least a share of the title. Santa Clara (4-4, 3-1) travels to Monta Vista (5-3, 2-2) this week, meaning the Matadors have a serious chance to impact the title race and maybe even sneak back into it. Meanwhile, Saratoga (4-4, 3-1) finishes with Los Altos and Lynbrook. The Falcons beat Mountain View but lost to Santa Clara, meaning they were enormous beneficiaries of Friday’s upset.
M-A’s junior class nothing to sneeze at
Seniors Daniel Heimuli and Noa Ngalu get tons of attention for the Menlo-Atherton Bears, and rightfully so, but that doesn’t mean the junior class should be ignored. Wide receiver and defensive back Justin Anderson headlines the class of 2020, and he’s got a lot of talent with him. Between quarterback Jack Alexander, WR/DB J.D. Carson, linebacker Songi Eke, defensive lineman Afu Fonua, cornerback Treavon Norton, linebacker Dominic Paga, safety/linebacker Joe Posthauer, lineman Brandon Sagapolutele and lineman Uate Uhila, M-A has a remarkable junior class that should provide a solid foundation for next year even after the star-studded class of 2019 moves on to Division I colleges.
In addition, Troy Franklin isn’t the only talented sophomore on the roster, as Skyler Thomas has also impressed at cornerback.
Unbeaten watch
Five of the six undefeated teams that entered last week still stand, with only Sacred Heart Prep falling. Aptos, Carmel, Gonzales, Independence and Wilcox all remain, and there were some major statements made last week among that group. Carmel, Gonzales and Aptos all cruised, with the Mariners shutting down Christopher 54-7 to head into the loaded stretch of schedule that will end the season. Palma and Salinas loom for the Mariners.
Wilcox pulled away late from Milpitas to win 28-7, moving to 9-0. The Chargers are off this week and will close the season with Cupertino.
Independence entered a rugged late-season stretch of schedule with a 35-0 win over Del Mar to take over sole possession of first place in the BVAL Santa Teresa Division. After a trip to upset-minded Gunderson this week, the 76ers will finish by hosting Overfelt.
