Bay Area high school football roundup 2024: Best of Week 7 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.

Check back every Saturday during the season for scores, highlights and top performers, updated throughout the day.

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On to the roundup …

RANKED TEAMS

No. 2 Pittsburg 49, Freedom 0

This game was over fast. Pittsburg dropped 35 points in the first quarter and didn’t need to score in the second half as the Pirates cruised to their fifth win of the season. Quarterback Marley Alcantara completed 7 of 8 passes for 238 yards and five touchdowns. Makari Kenion, Leduane Thomas and Truly Bell each caught a touchdown pass. Star running back Jamar Searcy rushed for a 62-yard score. Junior quarterback Carlos Torres III relieved Alcantara and had a solid game, throwing for 74 yards and a touchdown. Pittsburg (5-1,1-0) won its first league game of the season and will travel to Heritage for its next game. Freedom lost its sixth straight game and will host Antioch next Friday. – Nathan Canilao

No. 3 San Ramon Valley 38, No. 11 California 26

San Ramon Valley held off California’s late comeback bid as the Wolves won their first league game of the season. SRV’s defense forced three interceptions and totaled four sacks. Nathan Canilao was in Danville and has the full story here.

No. 4 St. Ignatius 46, Bellarmine 0

St. Ignatius had no trouble at San Jose City College as Bellarmine’s woes continued this season. The Wildcats (5-1, 3-0 WCAL) scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and were off to the races. Jarious Hogan ran for three touchdowns in the first half alone. He rushed for another early in the third quarter, accounting for nearly all of SI’s first 26 points. Zui Shelton caught the next score, a 50-yard touchdown from Soren Hummel. Hummel later scored on a quarterback keeper, and backup QB James Hughes adding a rushing TD as well to close out the scoring for the Cats. Bellarmine fell to 0-6 and 0-3 in WCAL play with the loss. – Christian Babcock 

No. 5 St. Francis 27, No. 7 Serra 21

Kingston Keanaaina rushed for 319 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries as the senior star powered the St. Francis attack. The BYU commit rewrote the St. Francis record book as the Lancers remained undefeated in WCAL play. Joseph Dycus was in Mountain View and has the full story here. 

No. 8 Los Gatos 21, Menlo-Atherton 14

Los Gatos edged out Menlo-Atherton on the road in this battle of Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division foes. Scotty Brennan completed 13 of 21 passes and compiled 166 yards passing for the Wildcats (5-1, 1-0 PAL). Grayson Doslak rushed for a touchdown and 70 yards on 15 carries. Brennan also rushed for a TD, and Henry Masters returned a Menlo-Atherton fumble 32 yards for the game-winning score. Jake Gerber was 3 of 3 on PATs. Angelo Marin caught a 60-yard TD pass for M-A (4-2, 0-1 PAL) from Xander Eschelman, who also ran in a 4-yard touchdown.  – Christian Babcock 

No. 10 Valley Christian 31, No. 6 Archbishop Riordan 13

Under the lights atop Valley Christian’s Skyway campus, the Warriors asserted themselves as a top contender in the West Catholic Athletic League. Junior Colton Hider’s pick-six put an exclamation point on a thoroughly dominant night for the home team. Christian Babcock took in the proceedings from San Jose and has the game story here.

No. 12 McClymonds 21, Fremont-Oakland 0

McClymonds started league play as it ended it last season: by pitching a shutout. Sharky Tamale, Dominic Davis and Berell Staples all rushed for touchdowns as McClymonds began its march toward yet another regular-season championship in the Oakland Athletic League. McClymonds (3-3, 1-0) plays at Castlemont on Friday, while Fremont-Oakland (0-5, 0-1) plays host to Oakland High. – Joseph Dycus

No. 17 Acalanes 35, Miramonte 28

Despite having never played running back in his life prior to Friday, Acalanes’ Josh Elerts scored two touchdowns and totaled 81 rushing yards — all in the second half. The Dons’ quarterback, Tyler Winkles, threw for two touchdowns, the latter being a 56-yard completion to Finley Rivera. For Miramonte, junior quarterback Carson Blair orchestrated a phenomenal overall performance. With his arm, Blair totaled 350 passing yards and a passing touchdown. With his legs, Blair ran for two scores and 42 rushing yards. Justice delos Santos was at the game and has all the details here.

No. 24 Christopher 35, Lincoln-San Jose 7

The Cougars just keep rolling right along atop the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division. Jaxen Robinson completed 17 of 23 passes for 206 yards and two scores for Christopher (6-1, 3-0 BVAL). Robinson, Josiah Garcia and David Contreras Campos each ran for a touchdown. Matthew Boles caught two passes for 72 yards and a score. Evan Vernon caught seven balls for 79 yards. Matthew Anderson caught two passes for nine yards and a TD. Lincoln fell to 3-4 and 0-3 in the Mt. Hamilton Division with the loss. – Christian Babcock

EAST BAY

Amador Valley 37, Campolindo 7

After a slow start to the season, Amador Valley heads into league play riding a three-game winning streak. Tristan Tia was once again spectacular, throwing for four touchdowns. Kade Robertson and McKay Kenitzer each pulled in two touchdown receptions, and senior Ismael Duenas ran for a score as Amador improved to 4-3. Joe Revelos caught Campo’s only touchdown on a pass from Reid Hablas. Sean Parker and Kyle Ting each had interceptions for Campolindo, which fell to 2-4. Longtime Campo coach Kevin Macy noted that the Amador band had more xylophones than he had healthy offensive linemen. – Joseph Dycus

Dublin 18, Foothill 14

The Gaels got a statement in their first taste of league action this year with an upset road win over Foothill. Dublin jumped out to an 18-0 lead in the second quarter and held on in the second half to secure the victory. Rome Raymore scored on a 55-yard touchdown in the first quarter to put the Gaels on the board first. Andre Armendariz rushed in a 2-yard score, and Ethan Kennedy took a pick-six to the house in the second quarter, giving Dublin its 18-point cushion. Foothill’s Jacob Weinstein had a rushing touchdown, and quarterback Jason Knight threw for a score in the loss. Dublin, which is now 2-4, 1-0, is scheduled to host Granada next Friday. Foothill (3-4, 0-1) travels to Dougherty Valley for its next game. – Nathan Canilao

Heritage 38, Deer Valley 7

Heritage made quick work of Deer Valley in its Bay Valley Athletic League opener, defeating Deer Valley behind 434 yards of total offense. The Patriots played three quarterbacks – Phillip Babbitt, Austin Peters and Justin Arraiz – who combined for 234 yards passing and three touchdowns. Elijah Ruffin led Heritage with three catches for 59 yards and a score. Chiemezie Nomeh and Ilias Muhammad each had a receiving score. Junior Christian Adanandus added a rushing touchdown. Heritage (5-1, 1-0) will host Pittsburg next week. Deer Valley dropped to 2-4, 0-1 and is slated to play at Liberty in its next game. – Nathan Canilao

Moreau Catholic 49, Castro Valley 40

Moreau survived an upset bid in a high-scoring league game against Castro Valley. Mariners quarterback Jeremiah Charles completed 11 of 16 passes for 145 yards and four touchdowns. He also used his legs effectively, totaling 39 yards and a rushing touchdown. Senior Peyton Collins totaled 165 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and recorded a receiving score. Senior receiver Jalen Arnold caught four passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Miles Moore caught a touchdown pass. Moreau improved to 4-3, 3-0 and hosts San Leandro next Friday. Castro Valley, which dropped to 1-6, 0-3, plays at Berkeley next Saturday. – Nathan Canilao 

Pinole Valley 18, De Anza 8

Pinole Valley won its second straight game, defeating De Anza in its TCAL-Rock Division opener. Jaylen Smalls, Kaleo Lopez and Gus Georgopoulos each had rushing scores. De Anza’s Jacari Madison returned a kick 85 yards for a touchdown. Pinole (4-2, 1-0) is scheduled to play Vallejo on Friday. De Anza (1-5, 0-1) plays St. Mary’s-Berkeley in its next game. – Nathan Canilao

SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA

Burlingame 21, Hillsdale 12

Burlingame took care of business at home to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in PAL De Anza play. Luke Dimech, Luke Levitt and Lucas Kirk scored the three touchdowns for Burlingame. Casey Strezo threw two touchdown passes for Hillsdale, one to Jack Haywood and another to Jorge Hernandez. Hillsdale dropped to 2-4 and 0-1 in PAL De Anza action. Hillsdale continues league play next week against Capuchino; Burlingame takes on King’s Academy to continue its PAL slate. – Christian Babcock 

Gunn 20, El Camino 0

The Titans improved to 6-0 for the first time ever in the MaxPreps era dating back to 2004, scoring all their points in the second half. Sam Dellenbach got things started quickly, taking the opening kickoff in the third quarter 90 yards for a touchdown. Yonatan Smolyar scored on a 9-yard run to make it 14-0 after three periods, then tight end George Skinner scooped up a teammate’s fumble in the fourth quarter and took it to the end zone to conclude the scoring. Gunn is 4-0 in the PAL Lake, a nine-team division that has a complete round-robin schedule. The Titans are one of the feel-good stories in Bay Area high school football this season. They were 3-17 in coach Dethrick Slocum’s first two years, but they have outscored their six opponents this season by a whopping 219-8. The shutout against El Camino was their fifth. Luke Hines, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end, had 12 tackles, and junior cornerback Alex Silverman, who also stands 6-3, had an interception. Offensively, Smolyar rushed 16 times for 85 yards. El Camino (3-4, 3-3), which has bounced back nicely from an 0-10 campaign in 2023, is off next weekend before hosting Mills on Oct. 25. – Mike Lefkow

Evergreen Valley 22, James Lick 8

Dylan Ly rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns as the Cougars came from behind in the second half, erasing an early 8-0 deficit, to win the BVAL West Valley Division matchup. Glenn Reeves was at the game and has the full story here.

Pioneer 16, Silver Creek 7

Senior Jesse Herrera led Pioneer to a win in its BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill Division opener, as he rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Pioneer’s other score came when junior quarterback Brandon Ries threw a touchdown to Brady Montgomery. Senior Roman Boudreaux was a standout for Pioneer’s defense, totaling eight tackles. Silver Creek quarterback Giovanni Mejia finished Thursday’s game completing 10 of 15 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown to Jamontay Amataga. Pioneer (3-3, 1-0) will host Piedmont Hills on Friday. Silver Creek, which dropped to 3-3, 1-1, travels to Del Mar in its next game. – Nathan Canilao

Santa Teresa 34, Branham 28

Santa Teresa got back on track with a big win over Branham on the road. AJ Rangel returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and added a 63-yard receiving score. Jaylen Malcom ran for a 6-yard TD. Brenton Gaches tossed the TD to Rangel and ran for a 10-yard score himself. Jakob Wright added a 23-yard rushing touchdown for Santa Teresa, which improved to 5-1 and 1-1 in BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division play. Jalen Karriem, Rocco Saole and Malcom had interceptions for the Saints. Michael Murphy ran for 50- and 3-yard touchdowns for Branham (4-3, 1-2 BVAL). Quarterback Jack Lewis ran 3 yards for a score and threw a 20-yard TD to Brayden Hodges. Tylar Williams had an interception for the Bruins.  – Christian Babcock

South San Francisco 28, Santa Clara 14

The Warriors improved to 2-0 in the PAL El Camino and 4-2 overall, breaking open a 7-0 contest with three touchdowns in the second quarter. Star running back Elijah Fields got the scoring started with a 66-yard TD dash about a minute into the game, giving SSF a 7-0 lead. The scoring came fast and furiously for the Warriors in the second period. Darren Miller caught a 20-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Howell to make it 14-0, then Anthony Jara raced 37 yards with an interception to build SSF’s lead to 20-zip. The Warriors scored their final TD of the opening half when Marcus Mercurio went in from 4 yards out. The 2-point conversion made it 28-0. Joseph Manueli gave Santa Clara some hope with a 3-yard TD run two minutes into the third quarter, with Russell Moore’s point after making it 28-7. But the Bruins (1-5, 0-2) didn’t score again until Tayshawn Reed took a fumble 98 yards to the house with less than a minute to go in the game. – Mike Lefkow

Woodside 77, Homestead 12

The Wildcats put the game out of reach with four touchdowns in the first quarter, setting up a likely showdown for the PAL El Camino title when they visit South San Francisco next Friday. Star running back Evan Usher, who missed last week’s 35-20 win over Santa Clara, returned to score three touchdowns against the overmatched visitors. Quarterback Carmel Mendes Grassia returned two kicks for touchdowns and threw a TD pass to Dumace’ Bell. Grady Furtado had three interceptions, including a pick-six, and Daniel Torres ran for a touchdown. Woodside is 2-0 in the El Camino and 4-2 overall. The losses were to unbeaten Half Moon Bay and a Hillsdale team that is a lot better than its 2-4 record. Usher, one of the Bay Area’s premier runners, was injured Sept. 20 in the loss to Half Moon Bay. But with three weeks off (Woodside had a bye Sept. 27), he turned in a strong performance against Homestead. The Mustangs (2-4, 0-1) are struggling. They have lost three in a row, and have been outscored 165-38 in those contests. – Mike Lefkow