The Peninsula Athletic League features six teams in each of its three divisions. While each division has its fair share of competitive teams, the PAL Bay is filled with an abundance of individual talent.
Terra Nova and Sacred Heart Prep were at the top of the pack last season, with TN going unbeaten in league, while SHP made the state title game in its division.
SHP is still rich in talent, having lost only nine seniors off last year's team. Terra Nova has standout rising senior quarterback Anthony Gordon back and shouldn't skip a beat with offensive coordinator Tim Adams succeeding Bill Gray as coach.
Burlingame went undefeated last year in the Ocean, but has lost a lot of athletic seniors due to graduation and will be playing in the toughest division. Among the players who graduated are Keone Keahi, Robby Baumgarten, Steven Cosenza and Manase Palu. Nevertheless, quarterback Avery Gindraux is expected to improve and propel the offense this season.
Like Burlingame, Menlo-Atherton will lose some of its best players. Isiah Nash, who led the Bears with 1,326 rushing yards (1,869 total yards) has graduated, along with Ryan Roberts and Spiro Papadakis.
Without ace quarterback Jack Heneghan (Dartmouth) and elite rusher Travis Chambers, Menlo will need new players to emerge.
Sequoia went 1-4 in league play during the 2013 season and got out-scored 129-40 by the four returning PAL Bay teams -- Terra Nova, Menlo, Menlo-Atherton, and SHP. But the Cherokees are well-coached under Rob Poulos, so they can't be dismissed.
DIVISION CHANGES: South San Francisco dropped from the Bay to the Ocean while Burlingame was elevated from the Ocean to the Bay. Since Capuchino got sent down to the Lake, Hillsdale will enter the Ocean.
ANTICIPATION: With Hillsdale’s entrance into the PAL Ocean, Aragon’s schedule got that much tougher. The Dons narrowly defeated Hillsdale 43-41 Nov. 15 in a tense road game.
“Hillsdale is right up there,” Dons coach Steve Sell said. “I expect it to be very competitive [when we play them at home this year].”
Although the Dons remain focused on thriving in a competitive league, in the back of their heads is facing Burlingame in the postseason and coming out on top.
“We want to make sure we play Burlingame in week 11,12, or 13,” Sell said. “It’s not a grudge; it’s mutual respect between two teams and certainly the two coaches. Making it to the playoffs is the standard and anything short of that would be disappointing.”
IMPROVING: The past few seasons have been tough for Jefferson. The Indians went 0-10 last season and are 3-27 since 2011.
“It’s tough to put expectations on a team that’s 3-27 in the last three years,” Jefferson coach Cesar Vega said. “We have some upcoming juniors who will help us out. I’d be ecstatic if we went .500 overall. It’s something that I think we’re capable of.”
Vega said few players trained during the off-season -- something he's tried to amend. The talent is also improving, led by quarterback Jerriel Dela Cruz.
“Good teams have good players and we’re starting to get to that point,” Vega said. “I anticipate it being a much more successful year.”
