Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) roundup of the best action in high school football from the first Friday night of the fall season. Check back every Saturday for scores, highlights and top performers from the weekend’s games, updated throughout the day.
Ranked teams
No. 1 De La Salle 52, St. Mary’s-Stockton 16
Read Darren Sabedra’s game story: DLS breaks open a tight game after halftime
Bellarmine 56, No. 5 Menlo-Atherton 41
Read Vytas Mazeika’s game story: Bellarmine stuns Menlo-Atherton, announces return to prominence.
No. 7 McClymonds 63, Tamalpais 6
Tamalpais shocked the seventh-ranked Warriors when it scored on a fourth-down play to take a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. But McClymonds stomped back with 28 points in both the second and third periods. Quarterback Dreyan Paul threw three touchdown passes and ran for one more. Dwayne McDougle caught a touchdown pass and had two interceptions. Michael Dansby had about 100 yards in receptions. — Mike Lefkow
No. 10 Los Gatos 42, Monterey Trail-Elk Grove 20
After losing their own scheduled games to wildfire smoke, Los Gatos and Monterey Trail hurried to hatch a plan and salvage the season’s opening weekend. They settled on Saturday afternoon in Soquel, far away from any air-quality concerns. Los Gatos made a statement, opening a two-touchdown lead and never looking back. The Wildcats widened their lead as large as 30 points before a final Monterey Trail score. — Evan Webeck
No. 13 Benicia 62, Pinole Valley 6
A newcomer to the Top 25, Benicia opened its season with a statement. The Panthers dropped 33 in the first quarter and had run up 55 points by halftime. Star athletes Croix Stewart and Simeon Harris each took returns to the house, and Harris added another score through the air, one of three touchdown passes thrown by QB Tyson Wallace. Benicia’s offensive output may have been outdone by its defense: Pinole Valley completed one pass for six yards and totaled minus-4 yards on 20 rushing attempts. Nathan Chau gave Pinole Valley its only points of the game with a 99-yard kickoff return to start the third quarter. RB/LB Janari Boone was all over the field for Benicia with rushing and receiving touchdowns and 74 yards from scrimmage, all in the first half. — Evan Webeck
No. 16 California 49, No. 15 James Logan 7
Read Phil Jensen’s game story: Separated by one spot in rankings, Cal hammers James Logan
No. 17 St. Ignatius 28, Palo Alto 7
Read Evan Webeck’s game story: St. Ignatius makes most of rare chance to play Week 1
Marin Catholic 6, No. 19 El Cerrito 0
El Cerrito hadn’t been able to muster much offense all night but it needed a first down to keep the game alive, down six points with just over a minute left to play. A facemask penalty set up a fourth and 3, but QB Jace Taylor’s pass fell to the ground, all but clinching a hard-earned win for Marin Catholic in the non-league contest between two stout defenses. Wildcats QB Michael Ingrassia scooted 1 yard into the end zone for the lone score of the night. Ingrassia finished with a game-high 62 rushing yards in addition to 160 yards on 15-of-22 passing. — Evan Webeck
No. 21 San Leandro 20, Cardinal Newman 17
The Pirates overcame a 14-0 deficit in the second half to win on the road against the perennial power from Santa Rosa in a season opener. Jonathan Martin scored two touchdowns for San Leandro, including the winner. QB Demetrius Freeney also scored a touchdown for San Leandro to pull the Pirates to within 14-6 in the third quarter. Martin’s first touchdown made it 14-12 and his second touchdown gave San Leandro the lead, 18-17. A two-point conversion widened the Pirates’ advantage to the final margin. San Leandro travels to Freedom, a winner over Hayward on Friday, on Sept. 3. — Darren Sabedra
No. 22 Campolindo 56, Moreau Catholic 21
The visiting Cougars broke a 14-14 tie with 28 straight points in the second quarter to take command. Campolindo 6-foot-3 junior Robbie Mascheroni had a huge game with six receptions for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Cougars quarterback Adam Harper completed 11 of his 16 pass attempts for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Teammate Dashiell Weaver added 114 yards passing and a touchdown. Scott Linden had two receptions for 65 yards and a TD for Campolindo. On the ground, Max Rittmann rushed for 127 yards on only nine carries and a touchdown for the Cougars. –– Phil Jensen
Salinas 42, No. 24 Half Moon Bay 22
The visiting Cowboys took a 25-7 second-quarter lead and didn’t look back in this opener. Salinas almost doubled-up the Cougars in first downs in the game (27-14) and racked up 534 yards of total offense. Half Moon Bay’s PJ Modena rushed for 183 yards on only 12 carries and scored a touchdown. Teammate Quinn McCauley added 95 yards on the ground on 13 carries. The Cougars’ William Moffitt also threw a 28-yard touchdown to Kai Zanette. — Phil Jensen
East Bay
Acalanes 59, Sierra 6
Acalanes rolled up 397 yards of total offense in the first half en route to an easy victory over Sierra-Manteca. The Dons led 46-0 at the intermission. Senior quarterback Luke Souza threw three touchdown passes and ran for another while playing less than two quarters. Two of his TD passes went to Will Berrien. Evan Malmquist scored three TDs, two on runs of 49 and 9 yards, and one on a pass from Souza. Sierra slipped to 0-2. For Acalanes, the schedule gets a little tougher next Friday when it hosts Rancho Cotate in his home opener. — Mike Lefkow
Amador Valley 37, Milpitas 7
Amador Valley raced to a 24-0 halftime lead and never looked back in a convincing win over host Milpitas. Marcus Hoerz and Kai Burgermeister led the onslaught with two touchdowns apiece. Burgermeister had a touchdown reception and ran for another six points. Hoerz scored both of his touchdowns on runs. Miles Tucker also ran for a touchdown and Riley Balch kicked a field goal. “We played really physical,” Dons coach Danny Jones said. “They didn’t have a first down until the second quarter.” Amador Valley was 8-3 in each of its last two full seasons. Milpitas scored its only touchdown after blocking a punt and taking over at the Amador Valley 5. — Mike Lefkow
Encinal 48, Newark Memorial 6
Quarterback Garrett Deatherage threw six touchdown passes in the first half as Encinal coasted to a season-opening win. Deatherage, a 6-3, 190-pound senior, was 7-for-10 for 238 yards overall. Encinal kept the ball on the ground after intermission. Marques Singleton and Kenneth Lorenzo each caught two touchdowns. Aaron Leung and Nah’shon Geeston-Vick also had touchdown receptions. — Mike Lefkow
Freedom 20, Hayward 8
The visiting Falcons increased their 6-0 halftime lead to win the opener. “Freedom came out with a lot of energy in the second half,” said Hayward coach Nate Moore, who also mentioned that his team had problems with penalties in the game. Shamond Brooks Jr. rushed for two touchdowns (30 and 25 yards) for Freedom, and teammate Mar’Tray Muldrow added another touchdown on the ground. Defensively, Jayden Rohan-McKay had 10 tackles for Freedom. The Farmers scored in the fourth quarter on a pass from Kennedy Braziel to Jaylin Leslie, who also forced Freedom fumbles as a cornerback. Other Hayward defenders who stood out were free safety Eric Braziel (approximately 15 tackles), cornerback Malique Elston (two interceptions) and junior Jesse Dunning-Ruiz (close to double-digit tackles). — Phil Jensen
South Bay/Peninsula
Sacred Heart Prep 28, Sacred Heart Cathedral 21
It doesn’t get much more dramatic than trading leads in the final 2 minutes, and these schools did it twice. SHC’s Kendric Sanders immediately followed Sacred Heart Prep’s go-ahead score with a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown that gave the lead right back to the Fightin’ Irish with 1:35 to play. But don’t count out the Gators: Quarterback Jack Herrell orchestrated a response that ended in Andrew Latu plowing in for the game-winning score from 4 yards out. They had to convert a two-point play to pad the lead after SHC star RB Jerry Mixon blocked the extra-point attempt on their previous touchdown. — Evan Webeck
Live Oak 41, Gilroy 26
Xavier Catano rushed for two touchdowns and returned the second-half kickoff for another TD as the Acorns defeated their traditional rival in Friday’s opener. Nathan Williams, Trent Cousens and Jordan Fuentes also scored touchdowns on the ground for host Live Oak. Defensively, the Acorns’ Justin Kester-Johnson produced two sacks and also blocked a point-after-touchdown kick on special teams. –– Phil Jensen
Branham 50, Gunderson 6
Branham pulled away from the host Grizzlies in the second quarter to take a 36-0 halftime lead and went on to a commanding opening victory. Junior quarterback Will Augenstein didn’t throw an incompletion in the game and accounted for three touchdowns. Sophomore running back Elias Antillion rushed for two touchdowns, and another sophomore, Dylan Derhammer, added another touchdown on the ground. Gunderson scored on a 50-yard slant from quarterback Josiah Rangel to Julian Cabrera on the first play of the third quarter, but penalties plagued the Grizzlies on some drives. — Phil Jensen
Leigh 41, Lincoln-San Jose 14
Unbeaten in the spring, Leigh picked up where it left off as Aidan Goo caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Williams on the first play and added a 39-yard touchdown reception. Williams finished 12 of 17 for 189 yards. Sam Betz ran for three touchdowns and kicked five extra points for the Longhorns, who have won six in a row dating to the spring. Leigh visits Gilroy next Friday. Lincoln is scheduled to play host to San Jose next Friday as the Big Bone game has been moved off of the Thanksgiving calendar. — Darren Sabedra
Mountain View 31, The King’s Academy 0
The host Spartans exploded to score all of their points in the second and third quarter in an impressive victory. Leo Navarro rushed for 221 yards on just 16 carries and scored two touchdowns. Quarterback Jackson Steffen completed 4 of his 7 pass attempts for 67 yards and two touchdowns. — Phil Jensen
Palma 47, Mitty 0
Mitty’s trip to Salinas was a complete mismatch as host Palma took charge early and never let up. Coming off an 0-1 spring, which means Friday was just Palma’s second game in nearly two years, coach Jeff Carnazzo’s team scored 14 points in the first quarter and 27 more in the second to lead 41-0 at halftime. Quarterback Luke Rossi accounted for five touchdowns, including a 1-yard keeper for the first score and later a 72-yard run. The loss was Mitty’s seventh in a row dating to the 2019 season. — Darren Sabedra
Fremont-Sunnyvale 28, Evergreen Valley 0 (called at halftime, air quality)
Fremont built a 28-point first-half lead before the Evergreen Valley administration ended the game early because of poor air quality. RB Lenny Sinapati scored three of Fremont’s four touchdowns on 73 yards rushing and recorded two sacks on defense. The Firebirds’ other score came on a 77-yard strike from QB Bronson Stein to sophomore Don Martinez. Fremont also got 29 yards rushing and six tackles from FB/LB TJ Takafua. — Evan Webeck
MORE WEEK 1 PREP FOOTBALL COVERAGE
San Benito 10, Santa Teresa 0 (called at halftime, air quality)
San Benito led 10-0 when the game was called. The teams were walking off the field for halftime when they got word the game would not resume Friday night, first-year Santa Teresa coach Steve Papin said. There is a possibility the game will be finished Saturday, but Papin said he hadn’t heard a decision as of late Friday night. With Santa Teresa scheduled to play Branham on Thursday, it’s likely the game against San Benito will not be resumed. Papin said air quality in Hollister was fine when the game began, but it quickly climbed over the 150 mark, which is considered dangerous. — Mike Lefkow
Westmont 42, Monta Vista 0
In a game played Thursday, Elijah Monroe, Zach Cepeda and Jacob Lang led the way offensively and Justin Temple and Quinton Hoang stood out on defense as Westmont rolled to the season-opening victory. “This was a very nice win to open the season,” coach Mark Kaanapu said. — Darren Sabedra
Correspondents Mike Lefkow and Phil Jensen and Marin Independent-Journal reporter Gus Morris also contributed to this report.