Going back to the 1980s, Oak Grove had always been considered one of the strongest public school football programs in the Bay Area. But the Eagles have fallen on hard times post-COVID, having not put together a winning season since 2020. Following the 2024 season, the unthinkable happened as Oak Grove was bounced from the BVAL’s top division and then in 2025, Oak Grove struggled to a 1-4 record in the “B” division and just 1-9 overall.
The Eagles may not be at the level they reached in decades prior, but they are well on their way to snapping their streak of losing seasons after improving to 4-2 (2-0 BVAL-ST) with a 42-13 win over Westmont.
Oak Grove took advantage of a turnover on a fumbled punt deep in Westmont territory to overcome a deficit and head into the halftime break with the lead. Quarterback Jackson McCoy took advantage with a short touchdown run late in the half to give the Eagles a 12-7 lead at the break.
After a touchdown pass from Lucas Soliz to Liam Keyser cut the Oak Grove advantage to 18-13, the Eagles responded by scoring the final 24 points of the game. Noah Vierra, who finished with 146 yards rushing and two touchdowns, darted through the middle for a scoring run and McCoy followed with his second rushing touchdown of the night. The Eagles concluded the scoring on a punt return by Legacy Burch.
With the win, Oak Grove joins Gilroy and Overfelt atop the BVAL-ST at 2-0. It was the league opener for Westmont, which dropped to 3-2 overall.
Gilroy hammered Del Mar 54-0 behind a balanced rushing attack that netted 253 yards and five touchdowns by five different players. Christian Lacroix completed 12-of-16 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns for the Mustangs, who are heading into a bye week. Del Mar will travel to Gunderson, which fell to 0-2 with a 33-18 loss to Overfelt. Senior Eric Plascencia ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries and junior Kinnaree Muangchanh ran for 97 yards and two scores for the Royals, who visit Westmont Thursday.
In the BVAL-West Valley, Independence blasted Yerba Buena 49-7 and Prospect hammered Evergreen Valley 38-0. Both teams improved to 2-0 and will meet Friday at Independence. Andrew Hill, which was off last week, will look to remain unbeaten at home against Mt. Pleasant Friday.
None of the BVAL-Mount Hamilton teams was in action this past week. On Thursday, Willow Glen takes on Silver Creek, Live Oak meets Lincoln; Friday, Leigh meets Pioneer, Branham takes on Piedmont Hills and Leland faces Santa Teresa, and on Saturday, Christopher visits Ann Sobrato.
