Upset of the night
Deer Valley 34, Freedom 32: In one of the season’s biggest shockers, Deer Valley snapped a 16-game losing streak dating back to 2018 with a dramatic win over Freedom. On Deer Valley’s final possession, sophomore quarterback Ayanfe Adediran drove the offense 65 yards in 30 seconds and found senior wide receiver Richard Felder, who made a diving catch in the end zone with six seconds left to seal the win. The passing game was not the only part of the offense clicking for Deer Valley; the running back duo of sophomore Cameron Clanton and senior Reginald Hill combined to give Deer Valley a dangerous rushing attack all game. Deer Valley had scored just 22 points in four games combined this season while opponents tacked on 168 for an average of 42 per game. Last week, Pittsburg blew Deer Valley out 67-8 but Deer Valley was able to end the season on a high note with Friday’s win. The team finished 1-4 while Freedom dropped to 1-5. — Sofia Scekic
Ranked teams
No. 5 Los Gatos 45, Palo Alto 7: Carson Dehorn’s 4-yard run across the goal line opened the scoring for Los Gatos. Lucas White then blocked a Palo Alto punt. When the ball rolled out of the end zone for safety, Los Gatos led 9-0. Rowan Felsch’s 11-yard reception from Danny Peters made it 9-7. But Los Gatos went ahead 23-7 at halftime on Jaden Mazzaferro’s 3-yard run and Carson Dehorn’s 66-yard pass to Kyle Pinkham. Any thought of a Palo Alto comeback ended when Adam Garwood scored on a 14-yard run to widen Los Gatos’ lead to 30-7 in the third quarter. Palo Alto finished 2-3. Go here to read more about this game. — Darren Sabedra
No. 7 Campolindo 44, Miramonte 0: Senior quarterback Jacob Griessel opened the scoring for the Cougars with three touchdown passes in the first half, including a 92-yard bomb to senior receiver Maxwell Weaver.Senior linebacker Jake Leuteneker recovered a fumble on one of Miramonte’s first drives, setting up Griessel’s first scoring pass of the night, a 4-yard connection to Zach Raphael.Leuteneker also got into the end zone for the Cougars’ final score of the first quarter, to make it 24-0, with a 4-yard run, following a long pass from Griessel to Cole Curtiss. The win was Campolindo’s 10th straight over Miramonte and the 44-point margin of victory the largest in this rivalry since at least 2004. Go here to read more about this game. — Evan Webeck
No. 12 Menlo-Atherton 49, The King’s Academy 21: Menlo-Atherton completed its perfect 5-0 season with a lopsided home win against The King’s Academy. Junior running back Thomas Taufui started the scoring for the Bears in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run. The Knights responded quickly with a touchdown of their own on a 10-play drive, but the Bears began to pull away from there. Junior wide receiver Jeremiah Earby caught two touchdown passes in the first half, giving Menlo-Atherton a three-touchdown lead at halftime. The Knights returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown, but the Bears scoring barrage did not cease, as senior quarterback Raymond Price entered the game and scrambled for a 12-yard touchdown. The Bears end the season outscoring their opponents by an astounding 116 points. — Brendan Cross
No. 13 Wilcox 25, Mountain View 7: Tied 7-7 after one quarter, Wilcox broke the game open early in the second quarter and scored 18 unanswered points to earn a victory over Mountain View. Wilcox scored the bulk of its points in the second quarter — 12 total — and added one more touchdown in the third quarter to round out the game’s scoring. Sophomore running back Daniel Escorza scored two touchdowns for Wilcox while his brother, senior linebacker Brian Escorza, shined on defense. Senior wide receiver Angelo Yslava and junior running back Luther Glenn scored Wilcox’s other touchdowns. Mountain View will finish its season with an even 3-3 record and Wilcox improved to 5-1 with the victory. — Sofia Scekic
No. 17 Bishop O’Dowd 35, Castlemont 6: It was a crazy day to end the craziest of seasons. By the end of it, Bishop O’Dowd had finished with its fourth win — but no outright title in the Foothill division of the newly combined West Alameda County Conference/Mission Valley Athletic League. Rather than play Hayward for a league title, Bishop O’Dowd was forced to scramble and schedule a last-minute contest with Castlemont after there was a positive COVID-19 test within the Hayward program, O’Dowd coach David Perry said. In the newly scheduled affair, winless Castlemont was little competition for the Dragons, who finished the season with a share of the league title after a 35-6 win Friday night. “As a coach, I wanted to give them so much more,” said Perry, who completed a turbulent first year as O’Dowd’s head coach. “I wanted to give them playoffs and a championship.” In the absence of injured starting quarterback Jesse Madden, junior running back Matt White “played ridiculous,” Perry said, running behind an offensive line that was “balling out.” White scored three times on the ground and another time through the air, totaling approximately 200 total yards. Even though the season ended without a postseason to play in or a banner to hang, Perry said the COVID-shortened season had provided a new perspective for himself and his players. “A lot of kids came up and said it was one of the funnest years in football ever,” Perry said. “In a time where there’s such disconnection, to create such a strong bond, it was amazing to me.” — Evan Webeck
No. 21 Liberty 30, No. 18 Heritage 21: Sophomore quarterback Nate Bell accounted for all four of Liberty’s touchdowns, running across the goal line for three and passing for another. Devon Rivers scored two rushing touchdowns for Heritage, including a 13-yard run in the first quarter that put the Patriots in front 7-0. Bell answered with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Auki-Kapuha Flores to tie the score 7-7. The quarterback’s 1-yard run in the second quarter gave Liberty a 14-7 edge, but Rivers evened the score 14-14 before halftime with an 18-yard burst into the end zone. Bell’s 3-yard run in the third quarter reclaimed the lead for Liberty, and the Lions would not relinquish the advantage. They widened the margin to 23-14 on Tashi Dorje’s 42-yard field goal with 8:40 left, a clutch kick after two penalties moved Liberty back after it had moved inside the 5-yard line. Heritage (3-2) closed to within 23-21 on an 8-yard pass from Asher Haynes to Jayden Ennis, but Bell’s long TD run that followed ended the drama and started the celebration for Liberty, which beat everyone on its schedule except for Pittsburg. Go here to read more about this game. — Darren Sabedra
No. 20 James Logan 34, San Leandro 26: James Logan’s season was on the brink when it trailed San Leandro 20-0 at the end of the opening period Friday night. That was the final score last week, when Logan lost to Bishop O’Dowd. However, from the second quarter on, James Logan was a different team. The Colts outscored San Leandro 34-6 to finish with a sound 4-1 season. San Leandro ended up 2-3. “They punched us in the mouth at first,” James Logan coach Eddie Smith said. “We played harder after that. Our motto is max effort on both sides of the ball. I’m very happy for our seniors. We went out in style.” James Logan scored 22 unanswered points during the second and third quarters to grab the lead, with the go-ahead touchdown being a 37-yard pass from quarterback Marcus Sanders to wideout Frankie Arreguin. The PAT by Julian Marquez made it 22-20. San Leandro went back in front 26-22 with about three minutes left in the third quarter, but James Logan scored twice in the final five minutes to win. Dwight Martin III put the Colts back on top with a 37-yard run, then Jeremiah Patterson took it to the house from 49 yards out for the final score. Patterson also scored Logan’s first TD on a 3-yard run. Smith raised some eyebrows when he had his team attempt a 2-point conversion while clinging to an eight-point lead after the Colts’ final touchdown. Marquez is a reliable kicker, and a single point-after would have made it a two-score game. “I wanted as many seniors as possible to touch the ball,” Smith said. “I made some calls tonight that I would probably never make again.”– Mike Lefkow
No. 23 El Cerrito 33, No. 22 De Anza 0: In a battle of undefeated teams, El Cerrito played a near-perfect game while rolling past De Anza to secure first place in the Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division. Gary Alexander scored the game’s first touchdown on a fullback dive, Antonio Hines had two TDs, Aaron Woodard returned the second-half kickoff 80 yards for a score and Mark Edwards had a pick-six. El Cerrito finished the season 5-0. De Anza was 3-1. “This was a sound football team,” El Cerrito coach Jacob Rincon said. “We’re very disciplined and we don’t make mistakes.” The Gauchos hardly allowed their opponents to score. They gave up seven points all season — a touchdown to Pinole Valley last week in a 48-7 romp. In all, El Cerrito outscored its five opponents 195-7. Rincon said the defense should continue to thrive in the fall. The Gauchos lose three starters on the defensive line, and they’ll also take a hit at linebacker. But Rincon has a strong group of linebackers returning. Same with the secondary. Edwards and Cole White have to be replaced, but many other key defensive backs return. — Mike Lefkow
No. 25 Oak Grove 26, Leland 9: Oak Grove dominated behind a four-rushing touchdown performance from senior running back Elias Herrera, who finished with 166 yards in 20 carries. “We are really going to miss our senior class,” coach Marcus Reese said. “It really took great leadership from our seniors to be able to continue to train with the season in doubt. This will be a season we all remember forever.” Leland, a young team, got on the board with a five-yard rushing touchdown from running back Mark Eby, who also ran for over 100 yards. Senior Connor Hattery, in for his first start at quarterback, threw for over 100 yards for Leland. “I think we played well at times for a young team with only three senior starters,” coach Kelly King Jr. said. “I think the shortened season and only having two weeks to prepare due to COVID made this year hard on all teams. I think it is important that we remember that it’s April and everyone was fortunate to get on the field and compete.” Isaac Morales had 10 tackles, including four for loss with a sack, to lead Oak Grove’s defense. Devyn Parker intercepted two passes for the winning side. — Shayna Rubin
East Bay
Benicia 13, Las Lomas 7: Both defenses left everything on the field in the final game of the regular season, but it was running back Janari Boone who would secure the victory and a winning season for Benicia in overtime. The game was scoreless until late in the third quarter when running back Landon Croinex put Benicia on the board. With less than two minutes remaining in the quarter, Las Lomas would respond with one of its own. A scoreless fourth quarter sent the game into overtime. Boone punched in the game-winner. “It was a lot of fun,” Benicia head coach Craig Holden said after the team’s final game. He added the overtime win was “an exciting way to finish.” — Michael Espinosa
Castro Valley 47, Washington 6: Castro Valley handled Washington of Fremont en route to an easy win on Friday night at home. Senior running back Michael Lewis scored three touchdowns on the ground and senior quarterback Bobby Selba added a rushing touchdown of his own to give Castro Valley four scores on the ground. Selba also threw two touchdown passes; senior wide receiver Jacob Gates caught one of his touchdowns and senior wide receiver Colin Thompson caught the other. Washington could not get anything going on offense and Castro Valley forced three turnovers as well: two fumbles and one interception. Washington will end the season with a 1-3 record and Castro Valley improved to 2-3 after losing three straight to start the season. — Sofia Scekic
College Park 12, Alhambra 7: College Park narrowly avoided a winless season with its victory over Alhambra on Friday. The team’s two touchdowns came from a two-yard run from Jeremiah Jack out of the backfield and an 11-yard pass from Jake Julian and Moses Valdez. Senior Nico Castrillo also logged two interceptions for College Park on defense. “It’s awesome to watch young people battle so much adversity, make up their minds to work together, and achieve something they deem worthy,” said College Park head coach Mark Spinelli after the team’s season finale. — Michael Espinosa
Hercules 52, Richmond 13: After an 0-4 start to the season while being outscored by 101, Hercules got off the mat with a league win at home against Richmond. Big plays for the Titans were often a family affair in the victory, as brothers Zayden, Zaren and Zachary Crockett all contributed to the stat sheet. Sophomore quarterback Zayden Crockett ran for multiple touchdowns while junior running back Zaren Crockett scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter. The Oilers kept it close at the half, only down 16-13, but a Hercules interception by junior middle linebacker Omari Catley prior to halftime and a rushing touchdown from Catley in the third quarter began to put the game away for the Titans. Senior running back Naashen Lane also added multiple rushing touchdowns in the second half, capping off the scoring for the Titans’ first victory of the season. — Brendan Cross
Kennedy-Richmond 34, Pinole Valley 12: A rushing touchdown in the first half from quarterback Devon Gordon put Pinole Valley on the board was the closest the team would get to victory tonight. Gordon’s touchdown would make the score 14-6 and from there, Kennedy Richmond would continue to pad the lead. A passing touchdown from James Gordon to Tony Freeman helped close the gap late in the fourth quarter — and the two would connect for another touchdown in the final seconds that was called back — but it was too little too late for Pinole Valley. The result evened out both team’s records to 2-3. — Michael Espinosa
Moreau Catholic 48, Encinal 0: Moreau Catholic rushed for six touchdowns and had one passing touchdown in a dominant win over Encinal. Senior running back Devin Arnold had a big night, rushing for well over 100 yards with two rushing touchdowns. Dean-Taylor Chapman and junior Sanjay Sanford rushed for two touchdowns each. Junior quarterback Magnus Tucker connected with senior wide receiver Ty Aldrige for the only passing touchdown of the night. Moreau Catholic head coach Rob Gatrell said his team, who went into the night 0-3, was happy to get a win during a hectic, injury-filled year. “It’s a relief, in a lot of ways, dealing with all the adversity and amount of injuries,” Gatrell said. “Not just us, but so many teams have had to sustain and deal with through this weird season. We came out healthy tonight, but we lost eight players.” — Shayna Rubin
Mt. Diablo 60, Concord 13: Mt. Diablo completed its first undefeated season in at least a half-century by outscoring Concord 46-0 over the final three quarters. The Red Devils finished the season 5-0. Concord was 1-3. Mt. Diablo bedeviled Concord through the air, with quarterback D’Antonio Jerome and wide receiver Willie Ward hooking up for six touchdown passes. Jerome also ran for two scores and Jayden Kennedy had a 40-yard touchdown run. Asked what changed after a tight first quarter, Red Devils coach Donald James said, “We made some adjustments.” Of leading Mt. Diablo to its best season in so many years, James said, “I feel good. We have not been in this situation in a long time.” Go here to read more about Mt. Diablo. — Mike Lefkow
Mt. Eden 28, Berkeley 21: Mt. Eden bounced back after two close back-to-back losses to finish the season with a winning record. “We corrected a lot of mistakes last week and our kids really grew up in a real short period of time,” Mt. Eden head coach Paul Perenon said. “The defensive effort was absolutely incredible, relative to how we’ve been playing all year long,” he added. Against Berkeley, the defensive effort included a recovered fumble and an interception each from defensive backs Danny Batres and Jonas Campos. Batres also caught a touchdown pass from Mt. Eden quarterback Alejandro Villanueva, the most productive offensive player on the team. In addition to his touchdown pass, Villanueva would rush for two touchdowns and a two-point conversion of his own. In the backfield, Jahsiri Johnson also punched one in on the ground to round out the four-touchdown night for the Monarchs. Quarterback Creg Brown-Lawyer did his best to keep Berkeley in the game, throwing for three touchdowns — two to sophomore Jackson Harris — but it wasn’t enough. Head coach James Hodgins was optimistic about Berkeley’s future prospects. “Tough loss on senior night but we will bounce back with many talented underclassmen,” he said. “This was a great spring ball experience for a young team.” — Michael Espinosa
Newark Memorial 13, Alameda 6: The Newark Memorial defense has had an up-and-down season, but came through when needed most against Alameda in its home victory. In their two wins, the Cougars have only allowed a combined 14 points. In the two losses, the team allowed 48 points to both Mt. Eden and Stellar Prep. Against Alameda, all of the scoring came in the first half as the Cougars jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Senior quarterback Jacob Berry threw a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Ulysses Gonzalez. Berry then scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown two drives later. Almost immediately after building that lead, the Hornets drew up a big play, a 75-yard touchdown reception from freshman wide receiver Travien Watson. That was all the scoring for Alameda, however, as the Cougars forced the Hornets to punt four times in the game and stopped them on downs twice in the last six minutes. The Cougars finish its season at 2-2 while the Hornets finish at 2-3. — Brendan Cross
Piedmont 14, Kennedy-Fremont 12: Scoreless until the middle of the third quarter, Piedmont running back Brian Cain Jr. put the Highlanders on the board with a rushing touchdown. Kennedy answered right back when quarterback Max Cutaia completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Kingston Gardere. But a missed PAT kept Piedmont in the lead. Piedmont extended the lead with Cain Jr. rushing for a one-yard touchdown to make it 14-6. Kennedy answered with a Cutaia 24-yard touchdown pass completed to Taeshaun Lyons to make it 14-12. But a failed two-point conversion ultimately sealed the victory for Piedmont, which went 5-0 this spring. — Shayna Rubin
Skyline 21, Homestead 20: In another close game that came down to the final few plays, Skyline pulled out a road victory over Homestead. Skyline’s key play was a blocked PAT by junior guard/linebacker/fullback Felipe Baires that left Homestead in a one-point deficit near the end of the game. Homestead was not able to mount a comeback on its final possession. Skyline’s special teams unit also put seven points on the scoreboard when senior wide receiver/cornerback Angel Viguerias returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Also on offense for Skyline, senior quarterback Ricardo Vidaurri ran in for a touchdown and junior guard/tackle Devynn Trahan played well on the offensive line, recording nine pancake blocks on the night. Junior wide receiver/running back Derek Sheerer scored two of Homestead’s touchdowns while senior running back Thomas Ngai found the end zone for his team’s third score. Skyline finishes the season on a three-game win streak and with a 3-1 record while Homestead’s loss dropped the Mustangs below .500 en route to a 2-3 season record. — Sofia Scekic
Peninsula
Burlingame 49, San Mateo 14: For the 11th season in a row, Burlingame has won the Little Big Game, played annually against rival San Mateo. The 93rd iteration was tied 7-7 early, but the Panthers piled on the points to finish the season at 3-3. The Bearcats finish the season winless at 0-6. Senior quarterback Wyatt McGovern was a standout performer for Burlingame on both sides of the ball, throwing for 3 touchdowns and intercepting a pass on defense. On back-to-back plays within the last two minutes of the first half, McGovern intercepted a San Mateo pass on a trick play then threw a 22-yard touchdown to junior tight end Charlie Koch. Junior middle linebacker Nick Cilia then scored on a 17-yard fumble return for a touchdown, capping off 3 touchdowns in 73 seconds. The Panthers lead the all-time series against the Bearcats 57-32-4, dating to 1927. — Brendan Cross
Carlmont 34, Sequoia 14: Carlmont scored on its first drive of the second half and didn’t look back in a win over rival Sequoia to clinch a perfect record and the Lake Division title in the Peninsula Athletic League. The Scots scored all three touchdowns of the second half in the 34-14 victory, highlighted by senior Sean McKenna, who took a fourth-and-2 handoff 45 yards into the end zone. McKenna also came down with a second-half interception after Sequoia had driven inside the Scots’ 30-yard line. On a fourth-and-long, it was senior linebacker Zane Rodriguez who brought down Sequoia’s scrambling quarterback, senior Damore Long, just short of the first-down marker. Coach Eric Rado, who arrived at Carlmont five years ago and developed a special bond with this senior class, said he was proud of “the amount of work these seniors put in, especially not knowing if they were going to have a season.” “Some of these kids, I see them every day besides Sunday,” Rado said. The win was only Carlmont’s second in its last nine meetings with Sequoia, which fell to 4-2 on the season and suffered its first league loss. The Scotts last finished atop the Lake Division in 2018, when they also went undefeated in league play en route to a 10-3 overall record. — Evan Webeck
Half Moon Bay 42, Terra Nova 12: The winner of the Peninsula Athletic League rivalry game between Half Moon Bay and Terra Nova has been awarded a skull as a trophy since the 2000s, though the rivalry dates back decades before. Tristan Hoffman, Half Moon Bay’s senior running back, led his offense with 164 yards, three touchdowns and helped his team win Friday. According to head coach Keith Holden, the last time Half Moon Bay won two in a row against Terra Nova during the regular season was the 1970s. Holden highlighted the performances of linebacker Sam Lowings, safety Cristian Haro and cornerback Connor Quosig, who rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Despite the 3-3 record, Holden commended his team’s battling and grinding over the whole season. “We pride ourselves on effort and attitude and they brought that,” he said. — Michael Espinosa
Hillsdale 17, Aragon 13: After jumping out to a 17-0 lead, it took until the final possession for Hillsdale to officially seal the win against Aragon in a tight 17-13 victory on Friday night. Junior running back Joshua Violette put Hillsdale on the board with an early rushing touchdown. Senior kicker Justin Flohr then kicked a short field goal and sophomore quarterback Liam Smith found senior wide receiver Ben Weiskopf for a 15-yard touchdown to make the score 17-0. Sophomore wide receiver Lloyd Walter and junior wide receiver Alan Tanielu each scored a touchdown for Aragon, however, to tighten Hillsdale’s lead to just four points. Aragon got the ball for the game’s final possession but Hillsdale managed to stop them around midfield with 14 seconds left to hold on for the win. The game concluded the regular season for both teams; Hillsdale finishes with a 4-1 record and Aragon finishes with a 2-4 record. — Sofia Scekic
South Bay
Live Oak 41, Lincoln-San Jose 6: The Acorns got all their senior players involved in a landslide win over Lincoln-San Jose. Live Oak took a 28-0 lead at the half on the backs of three seniors. Senior defensive end Logan Wiemann rushed for a three-yard touchdown. Senior running back Mosiah Saulala rushed for two touchdowns and senior Xavier Catano rushed for one touchdown. Running back Jake Enderle rushed for a 10-yard touchdown with the fourth quarter winding down with a failed two-point attempt. “Just a team win,” Live Oak coach Mike Gemo said. “Everybody got to play and all the seniors played and enjoyed their last game.” — Shayna Rubin
Santa Teresa 13, Overfelt 0: Santa Teresa ended its shortened spring season with a home shutout win against Overfelt. Saints head coach Ajene Palmer said that his team played well throughout the game. “We had to fight a little lull, but then we closed it out,” Palmer said. “Keeping that zero on their side is always a good feeling.” Senior quarterback Gabriel Lopez scored the only touchdown of the game on a quarterback sneak. Palmer said Lopez got them down the field with his legs so he let him finish the drive off. Defensively, Palmer said there were too many standouts to name, but he singled out senior middle linebacker Gabriel Tapia, who had many key tackles and an interception. Santa Teresa ends its season at 2-2 while Overfelt finished 1-4. — Brendan Cross
