Three PAL Football Titles Up for Grabs
- By BKWRDKUROUT
- Football
- 0 Replies
November 06, 2015, 05:00 AM By Nathan Mollat
San Mateo Daily Journal
One of the most entertaining seasons of Peninsula Athletic League football in years is rapidly coming to a close with only two regular-season games remaining before the playoffs.
While there are still three weeks before the start of the Central Coast Section playoffs, there will be plenty of playoff-caliber excitement this weekend, as titles in all three PAL divisions — the Bay, Ocean and Lake — will be on the line Friday.
In the Bay Division, Menlo-Atherton has a chance at clinching sole possession of the championship if the Bears can beat Burlingame. A Panthers win, however, and there is the possibility of a tri-championship with M-A, Burlingame and a Sacred Heart Prep victory.
Hillsdale will play for the Ocean Division crown when it hosts Menlo. A win would give Hillsdale the title alone, but a Menlo win — coupled with a Half Moon Bay victory — could create co-champs.
“We don’t want to be ‘co’-(champs),” Parodi said. “We want to be the (champs).”
The surprise of the season has to be in the Lake Division where Capuchino is suddenly the team to beat. While the Mustangs can’t win the Lake title Friday when it hosts Carlmont, they can assure themselves at least a piece of it with Mills looming during Rivalry Week next week.
“It’s awesome,” to see all these division races coming down to the wire, Parodi said. “I’m glad we’re involved in it. That Burlingame-M-A game? I’m excited to see how that turns out. You think about the strength of the PAL overall, we have an impressive league. I think it says a lot about our coaches and players.”
Bay Division
Menlo-Atherton (4-0, 5-3)
at Burlingame (3-1, 7-1), 7 p.m.
The Panthers had their hopes for an undefeated regular season dashed last week in a 42-33 loss to Sacred Heart Prep, but they can still capture a share of the PAL Bay Division title with a win over the Bears.
M-A, however, is on a roll, having won five in a row, including a 49-28 win over Terra Nova last week. With a chance to win the outright Bay Division championship, don’t expect the Bears to have a letdown now.
“When you see M-A on your schedule, you want to play them early because they get better as they go along,” said Burlingame coach John Philipopoulos.
The Bears defense has been especially good during their winning streak. Since entering Bay Division play, they are allowing an average of 19 points per game. While Terra Nova did rack up more than 400 yards of offense, the M-A defense sacked Tigers’ quarterbacks six times, including three from Marcus Gershenberg.
“(We have to) find a way to control their front seven,” Philipopoulos said.
Don’t expect a lot of drop-back passing from Burlingame, however. The Panthers play a smashmouth style of offense, sprinkling in just enough pass plays to keep defenses honest. Last week, Laipeli Palu rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns, while Joevani Garcia added two more scores on the ground.
This could be one of those games that is over in an about 90 minutes because both teams like to grind it out on the ground. The winner will be the team that can limit mistakes and control the line of scrimmage.
“I expect it to be a tight, close, physical game,” Philipopoulos said.
Ocean Division
Menlo School (2-2, 6-2) at Hillsdale (4-0, 7-1), 7 p.m.
No rest for the weary. Hillsdale, which faced a Half Moon Bay team last week that was averaging 38 points per game, now gets an always-dangerous Menlo squad, one that is averaging 28 points per game.
But Menlo has struggled offensively the last three weeks, including last week’s 14-13 win over South City. Since entering Ocean Division play, Menlo is averaging only 22.2 points per game. Over the last three weeks, however, that number has dropped to an average of 18 points.
Menlo struggled last week against a physical South City defense, managing just 96 yards of offense.
The Menlo defense, on the other hand, has stepped up its game. It has given up 20 points or less in three of its last four games. Last week, it had three players finish with double-digit tackles: Charlie Ferguson finished with 16, while Charlie Roth and Hayden Pegley each had 11.
Hillsdale showed a lot of heart in rallying from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Half Moon Bay 37-34.
As usual, Hillsdale relied on one of the best 1-2 punches in the PAL in quarterback Brett Wetteland and running back Cameron Taylor. Wetteland had one of the finest games of his career last week, completing 18 of 29 passes for 309 yards and three scores, without any interceptions.
Taylor simply did what he’s been doing all season long — dominate the running game. He rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. It’s the seventh straight game he’s eclipsed the 100-yard mark and he’s rushed for 1,215 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season.
“Menlo is a very good team,” Parodi said. “Their two losses are to two very good teams.”
Lake Division
Carlmont (2-2, 3-5) at Capuchino (3-0, 4-4), 2:45 p.m.
Carlmont ran into a bit of a buzzsaw last week in a 49-21 loss to San Mateo. It was the first time since Lake Division play began that the Scots have allowed more than 40 points. Otherwise, the Carlmont defense has been fairly stingy since the start of division play. They held Jefferson to just 21 points three weeks ago and allowed a total of 12 points against El Camino and Mills, combined.
Capuchino may have cleared its biggest hurdle in beating Jefferson last week, 49-44. The Grizzlies have the division’s most explosive offense, yet the Mustangs figured out a way to outscore Jefferson.
It’s safe to say Capuchino will not face any player in Lake Division play as electric as Jefferson’s Damari Cual-Davis, which should be good news for the Mustangs’ defense. After pitching back-to-back shutouts, Capuchino’s defense was run ragged by Jefferson. But the Mustangs will be facing a more traditional, run-first offense in Carlmont and Capuchino has proven it can stop the run, much as it did to San Mateo in a 41-0 win Oct. 23.
Capuchino running back Damien Jacobs continues to be the biggest surprise of the season in the PAL, rushing for a staggering 376 yards and four touchdowns last week.
San Mateo Daily Journal
One of the most entertaining seasons of Peninsula Athletic League football in years is rapidly coming to a close with only two regular-season games remaining before the playoffs.
While there are still three weeks before the start of the Central Coast Section playoffs, there will be plenty of playoff-caliber excitement this weekend, as titles in all three PAL divisions — the Bay, Ocean and Lake — will be on the line Friday.
In the Bay Division, Menlo-Atherton has a chance at clinching sole possession of the championship if the Bears can beat Burlingame. A Panthers win, however, and there is the possibility of a tri-championship with M-A, Burlingame and a Sacred Heart Prep victory.
Hillsdale will play for the Ocean Division crown when it hosts Menlo. A win would give Hillsdale the title alone, but a Menlo win — coupled with a Half Moon Bay victory — could create co-champs.
“We don’t want to be ‘co’-(champs),” Parodi said. “We want to be the (champs).”
The surprise of the season has to be in the Lake Division where Capuchino is suddenly the team to beat. While the Mustangs can’t win the Lake title Friday when it hosts Carlmont, they can assure themselves at least a piece of it with Mills looming during Rivalry Week next week.
“It’s awesome,” to see all these division races coming down to the wire, Parodi said. “I’m glad we’re involved in it. That Burlingame-M-A game? I’m excited to see how that turns out. You think about the strength of the PAL overall, we have an impressive league. I think it says a lot about our coaches and players.”
Bay Division
Menlo-Atherton (4-0, 5-3)
at Burlingame (3-1, 7-1), 7 p.m.
The Panthers had their hopes for an undefeated regular season dashed last week in a 42-33 loss to Sacred Heart Prep, but they can still capture a share of the PAL Bay Division title with a win over the Bears.
M-A, however, is on a roll, having won five in a row, including a 49-28 win over Terra Nova last week. With a chance to win the outright Bay Division championship, don’t expect the Bears to have a letdown now.
“When you see M-A on your schedule, you want to play them early because they get better as they go along,” said Burlingame coach John Philipopoulos.
The Bears defense has been especially good during their winning streak. Since entering Bay Division play, they are allowing an average of 19 points per game. While Terra Nova did rack up more than 400 yards of offense, the M-A defense sacked Tigers’ quarterbacks six times, including three from Marcus Gershenberg.
“(We have to) find a way to control their front seven,” Philipopoulos said.
Don’t expect a lot of drop-back passing from Burlingame, however. The Panthers play a smashmouth style of offense, sprinkling in just enough pass plays to keep defenses honest. Last week, Laipeli Palu rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns, while Joevani Garcia added two more scores on the ground.
This could be one of those games that is over in an about 90 minutes because both teams like to grind it out on the ground. The winner will be the team that can limit mistakes and control the line of scrimmage.
“I expect it to be a tight, close, physical game,” Philipopoulos said.
Ocean Division
Menlo School (2-2, 6-2) at Hillsdale (4-0, 7-1), 7 p.m.
No rest for the weary. Hillsdale, which faced a Half Moon Bay team last week that was averaging 38 points per game, now gets an always-dangerous Menlo squad, one that is averaging 28 points per game.
But Menlo has struggled offensively the last three weeks, including last week’s 14-13 win over South City. Since entering Ocean Division play, Menlo is averaging only 22.2 points per game. Over the last three weeks, however, that number has dropped to an average of 18 points.
Menlo struggled last week against a physical South City defense, managing just 96 yards of offense.
The Menlo defense, on the other hand, has stepped up its game. It has given up 20 points or less in three of its last four games. Last week, it had three players finish with double-digit tackles: Charlie Ferguson finished with 16, while Charlie Roth and Hayden Pegley each had 11.
Hillsdale showed a lot of heart in rallying from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Half Moon Bay 37-34.
As usual, Hillsdale relied on one of the best 1-2 punches in the PAL in quarterback Brett Wetteland and running back Cameron Taylor. Wetteland had one of the finest games of his career last week, completing 18 of 29 passes for 309 yards and three scores, without any interceptions.
Taylor simply did what he’s been doing all season long — dominate the running game. He rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. It’s the seventh straight game he’s eclipsed the 100-yard mark and he’s rushed for 1,215 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season.
“Menlo is a very good team,” Parodi said. “Their two losses are to two very good teams.”
Lake Division
Carlmont (2-2, 3-5) at Capuchino (3-0, 4-4), 2:45 p.m.
Carlmont ran into a bit of a buzzsaw last week in a 49-21 loss to San Mateo. It was the first time since Lake Division play began that the Scots have allowed more than 40 points. Otherwise, the Carlmont defense has been fairly stingy since the start of division play. They held Jefferson to just 21 points three weeks ago and allowed a total of 12 points against El Camino and Mills, combined.
Capuchino may have cleared its biggest hurdle in beating Jefferson last week, 49-44. The Grizzlies have the division’s most explosive offense, yet the Mustangs figured out a way to outscore Jefferson.
It’s safe to say Capuchino will not face any player in Lake Division play as electric as Jefferson’s Damari Cual-Davis, which should be good news for the Mustangs’ defense. After pitching back-to-back shutouts, Capuchino’s defense was run ragged by Jefferson. But the Mustangs will be facing a more traditional, run-first offense in Carlmont and Capuchino has proven it can stop the run, much as it did to San Mateo in a 41-0 win Oct. 23.
Capuchino running back Damien Jacobs continues to be the biggest surprise of the season in the PAL, rushing for a staggering 376 yards and four touchdowns last week.
