Bay Area high school football roundup 2023: Best of Week 6 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 De La Salle 21, No. 8 McClymonds 0

In a game dominated by defense, Dominic Kelley scored on two touchdown runs and Toa Faavae threw his first touchdown pass of the season – a 38-yarder over the middle to Robert Santiago – to account for the scoring as De La Salle (4-2) won its fourth in a row. Mack is 2-2. Darren Sabedra has more details here.

No. 4 Pittsburg 37, No. 6 Los Gatos 27

In one of the top matchups of the night, Pittsburg built a 16-0 lead and held off Los Gatos’ comeback effort to win the nonleague game on the road. QB Marley Alcantara and WR Noah Quesada made huge plays for Pittsburg as the Pirates improved to 5-0. Los Gatos is 3-2. Glenn Reeves has the complete recap here.

No. 11 Wilcox 45, Mountain View 14

Mountain View scored first on Lex Silver’s 74-yard trick-play touchdown, but Wilcox took charge from there, rolling at home in a Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division opener. Wilcox QB quarterback Tyson Bonilla finished with 209 yards in 10 carries. Madeline Kenney has the game story here.

No. 12 California 41, Granada 17

California running back Devan Love rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Jayden Macedo threw for 212 yards and two TDs. California defensive end Ethan Cullen had three sacks as the Grizzlies dominated on the line of scrimmage. Joseph Dycus was in San Ramon and has the full report.

No. 13 St. Ignatius 31, Bellarmine 30

In a back-and-forth, nail-biter in San Francisco, host St. Ignatius prevailed when Cameron Jones scored on a 7-yard run with 34.1 seconds left and Odhran Kenny kicked the extra point through the uprights. The touchdown capped a late drive that came after Bellarmine had taken the lead with 2:26 left on the last of several remarkable plays by quarterback Parker Threatt. Scrambling near midfield, Threatt unleashed a deep pass that Joe Fuqua caught inside the 20. The tight end did not stop until he crossed the goal line, the 45-yard completion breaking a 24-24 tie. But Bellarmine’s point-after kick missed the mark. Threatt scored on two 80-yard runs before halftime – the first tying the score 14-14, the second giving Bellarmine a 21-17 lead at the break. He also threw a 12-yard TD pass to Luca Bovone in the first quarter to even the score 7-7. SI struck first when Pierce St. Geme scored on a 34-yard catch-and-run. Bellarmine fell to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the West Catholic Athletic League. SI improved to 3-2, 1-1. Next Friday, Bellarmine will play Riordan at San Jose City College and SI will visit St. Francis. – Darren Sabedra

No. 15 Archbishop Mitty 35, Sacred Heart Cathedral 27

Mitty, playing on its designated home field at Foothill College, built a 35-7 lead in the third quarter and held on for the West Catholic Athletic League victory. Lazaro Faraj-Washington finished with 144 yards of offense and a touchdown and Owen Harrington intercepted two passes to help lead the Monarchs as they improved to 4-1, 1-1. SHC fell to 0-5, 0-2. SHC scored first when Michael Sargent threw a 28-yard TD pass to Jackson Irons. Talon Salehieh’s 2-yard run tied the score 7-7 and Mitty went on to build a huge lead as the San Jose school bounced back from a loss last week at St. Francis. The Monarchs also got two rushing TDs from AJ Cenizal. Next Friday, Mitty will be back at Foothill College to play Serra and SHC will face Valley Christian at Kezar Stadium. – Darren Sabedra

No. 16 Campolindo 48, Benicia 0

For the first quarter and a half, visiting Benicia played Campolindo nearly even. The home team led 6-0. From there, it was all Campo as the Cougars improved to 3-1-1 overall and 1-0 in the DAL Foothill Division with a comfortable triumph. Campo led 27-0 at halftime and extended the margin to 34-0 by the end of the third quarter. Isaiah Ortiz threw two touchdown passes to Tim Daugherty and Mack Fisher, Jacob Gocobachi, Cort Woodford, Matthew Sugiyama and Micah Parker ran for a touchdown. Parker scored from 65 yards out. Benicia fell to 1-4, 0-2. On Friday, Campo will be back at home to face College Park and Benicia plays host to undefeated Miramonte. – Darren Sabedra

No. 19 Hillsdale 31, Half Moon Bay 15

Erick Waugh, the contemporary prep version of Brock Purdy, threw three touchdown passes Thursday to lead Hillsdale (5-0, 1-0) in its Peninsula Athletic League De Anza Division opener. Hillsdale has now gone 9-0 since Waugh took over at QB for the final four games of last season. Against Half Moon Bay he tossed a pair of first-quarter TD passes to Jack Haywood and Kyle King as Hillsdale jumped out to a 14-0 lead. A Harrison Tobias touchdown and two-point conversion brought Half Moon Bay within 14-8. Drew Rollolazo’s field goal gave Hillsdale a 17-8 lead at halftime. After HMB scored to make it 17-15, Waugh and King connected on another scoring pass, Waugh’s 14th of the season, and Dante Allendorf broke a long run for a touchdown. Nick Costello stood out defensively for Hillsdale, which plays at Homestead on Thursday. HMB (1-4, 0-1) returns to action Friday at home vs. The King’s Academy. — Glenn Reeves

No. 25 Las Lomas 38, Northgate 31

Las Lomas scored the game’s final 24 points, all in the second half, to stun archrival Northgate in the annual battle for football supremacy in Walnut Creek. Sophomore quarterback Dylan Thomas and receiver Roman Mercado hooked up on a 57-yard touchdown pass with three minutes left in the fourth quarter to break a 31-31 tie. Las Lomas, playing at home, remains undefeated at 5-0 and 2-0 in the Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division. Hard-luck Northgate (0-5, 0-2) is winless after five games for the first time since 2006, when it was 0-10. The Broncos have lost their two league contests by a total of eight points. Las Lomas began its comeback late in the third quarter when Daniel Soccol kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 31-17. The Knights then got the ball right back on an interception, and Kaden Lagaya scored the first of his two touchdowns to make it 31-24. Lagaya went over again on a 5-yard run with four minutes to go to knot the game at 31-31. Thomas then threw the crusher to Mercado for what proved to be the winning score. Thomas and Mercado also connected on a 33-yard TD pass early in the third quarter to make it 24-14. “We’re finding ways to win,” Las Lomas coach Doug Longero said of his 5-0 team.  The Knights’ rally spoiled a couple of big individual efforts by the Broncos. Ben Hosler rushed for 198 yards and three TDs, and R.J. Anderson caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Blayne Ballard. – Mike Lefkow 

East Bay

Alameda 47, San Lorenzo 0

Alameda’s defense continued to be stingy, shutting out an opponent for the third time this season. The Hornets forced four turnovers in the MVAL/WACC-Shoreline Division victory. Babacar Sy and Will Rozien each had an interception, and Matthew Thorton blocked a punt. Alex Gonzales rushed for two touchdowns, and Dion Bier and Evan Green both ran for a TD behind stellar blocking by linemen Hayden Arndt and Sinisa Finau. Quarterback Eli Slez connected with Ryan Aleman on a slant route for a touchdown. Alameda (5-0, 1-0) plays host to Piedmont next Saturday, and San Lorenzo (2-3, 1-1) travels to Newark Memorial on Friday. — Joseph Dycus

Atascadero 41, Oakland 8

Oakland’s undefeated start to the season ended at reigning 6-A state champion Atascadero, which Oakland coach Terry Hendrix described as “a really good, fundamentally sound team.” Oakland’s lone touchdown came on a two-yard pass from Rah’Shaan Buffin to wide receiver Josh Oludayo. Ymer Belvine had 15 yards rushing in addition to playing defense. Oakland (4-1) begins its Oakland Athletic League schedule on Oct. 13 at Fremont-Oakland. — Joseph Dycus

Dublin 20, Hayward 13

Trailing 10-0 at halftime, quarterback Jack Duncan came off the bench and was unstoppable as Dublin rallied against Hayward in a non-league matchup. Dublin coach Brandon Black said the junior dual-threat player had been dealing with some minor injuries and was limited in practice. Duncan was 7 for 10 and threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Both went to Garrett Esomonu, the first was an 80-yard TD on the first play of the second half. Esomonu’s last reception of his 125-yard game was an 18-yard touchdown with under a minute left to give Dublin the lead. In between those two strikes, Duncan rushed for a 43-yard TD. Kemauri Stinson ran for 102 yards on 15 carries for the Gaels. Dublin coach Brandon Black said, “The kids played with great effort and no quit.” On Friday, Dublin (4-2) starts EBAL Valley play at Granada and Hayward begins its MVAL/WACC Mission schedule by traveling to Mt. Eden. — Joseph Dycus

Miramonte 21, College Park 12

Miramonte remained undefeated behind a defense that clamped down on College Park in a Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division game. Gabe Roman and Carson Blair each rushed for touchdowns, and coach Jack Schram said receiver Jack Quinnild had an “amazing” TD reception in the third quarter. Schram said the junior was interfered with but still made the catch. Defensive tackle Andrew Davenport chewed up blockers and freed up linebackers Roman and Luke Milmoe to make plays. Next Friday, Miramonte (5-0, 2-0) plays at Benicia and College Park (2-3, 0-2) travels to Campolindo. — Joseph Dycus

South Bay/Peninsula

Del Mar 44, San Jose 18

Del Mar scored 44 points for the second week in a row in BVAL West Valley Division play. But coach Robert Chapman said the Dons’ victory was not an easy one, with Del Mar leading just 8-6 at halftime. As is usually the case, quarterback Andre Latimore keyed the veer offense with four rushing touchdowns and also added an interception returned for a touchdown as a defensive back. Bradley Tavish had a 15-yard rushing touchdown to complete the scoring. Chapman said senior tackles Leo Estelles and Julio Jaimes paved the way for over 300 rushing yards. San Jose got a 38-yard rushing touchdown from Brian Santos. Bulldogs quarterback Cooper Gardner connected with Cisco Avila for 36- and 80-yard touchdowns. San Jose (1-4, 0-2) plays at Yerba Buena on Thursday, and Del Mar (2-3, 2-0) visits Evergreen Valley on Friday. — Joseph Dycus

Fremont-Sunnyvale 42, El Camino 13

Two touchdown passes by El Camino sophomore Quentin Bromaghim had the visitors tied with Fremont 13-13 in the second quarter. Jonathan Delos Santos’ 10-yard run put Fremont in front 20-13 and the home team never looked back as the Firebirds improved to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the PAL El Camino Division. El Camino is 0-5, 0-1. QB Henry Buenrostro ran for 101 yards and three TDs in 14 carries and Elijah Smith ran for 125 yards and two TDs in 13 carries to lead Fremont.  Don Martinez had an interception and six tackles for the Firebirds, who travel to Los Altos on Thursday. El Camino plays host to Woodside on Friday. – Darren Sabedra

Leigh 13, Branham 12

In a tense game between neighborhood rivals, Leigh stopped a two-point conversion attempt with 1:35 left and ran out the clock to celebrate a thrilling victory. Branham led 6-0 after the first quarter. Leigh went ahead 7-6 at halftime as Tyler Donaldson threw a 5-yard TD pass to Carter Williams with 5:09 left in the second quarter. Donaldson’s 4-yard keeper extended Leigh’s lead to 13-6 in the third period, but the Longhorns didn’t convert the PAT. Branham’s final touchdown cut the margin to one. “Crazy fun atmosphere!!” Leigh coach Kyle Padia wrote in a text. “Typical Branham-Leigh game.” The victory snapped a two-game skid for Leigh, improving the San Jose school’s record to 3-2. Branham fell to 3-2. Leigh plays host to Mt. Pleasant in its BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley Division opener on Thursday. Branham travels Thursday to play Gilroy in its BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill opener. – Darren Sabedra

Milpitas 15, Sequoia 13

The Trojans won for the fourth time in five games when sophomore kicker Jerrel Phan booted a 23-yard field goal with six seconds showing on the clock. Phan’s 3-pointer capped a 74-yard drive that began with Milpitas at its own 20-yard line and 2:30 left to play. The Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division opener for both teams was close throughout. Sequoia (1-4) led 7-6 at halftime. Interceptions by Reynaldo Dunbar and Atticus Roberts-Daniels were huge for the winners. Jacob Alvarado scored both of Milpitas’ touchdowns. Sequoia has lost its last three games by a total of 11 points. – Mike Lefkow 

Prospect 45, Hill 0

Captains Tommy Lewit and Kieran Friss led Prospect to its fourth victory of the season and second in BVAL West Valley play. Lewit threw for a touchdown and Friss made his return from a knee injury to punch in a TD on the goal line. Prospect coach Rick Esparza credited senior offensive linemen Blake Quinonez and Aaron Diaz for opening up running lanes for Prospect ballcarriers. Lewit also kicked a 39-yard field goal. Esparza said running back Ahmed Alnaimi did “all the dirty work for us and gained the hard yards,” and Jack Austin scored a touchdown. George Bulychev, a junior, scored the game’s opening touchdown on a pick-six and later grabbed a second interception. On Friday, Prospect (4-1) plays at Gunderson and Hill visits James Lick. — Joseph Dycus

Santa Teresa 35, Leland 19

Jaikob Wright ran for two touchdowns and Noah Ebbah returned an interception 90 yards for a TD to lead Santa Teresa to a victory at home on Thursday over Leland in a Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division opener for both teams. Santa Teresa (3-3) extended its winning streak to three games. Leland (1-5) has lost five in a row since opening the season with a victory at Half Moon Bay. Wright’s 40-yard TD run and Ebbah’s pick-six gave Leland a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Jacob Gibson threw three TD passes for Leland, one to Hudson Vye and two to Brady Hernandez. Vye’s TD cut the deficit to 14-7. Leland responded with 21 unanswered points to put the score out of reach. Nayden Balladares and Jaren Morris also scored a TD for Santa Teresa, which has next week off before visiting Christopher on Oct. 12. Leland also has a bye next week, then plays host to Live Oak on Oct. 12. – Darren Sabedra

Willow Glen 17, Independence 6

Willow Glen extended its winning streak to four on Thursday night thanks to timely plays from the defense. Linebacker Joseph Dumas had a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, and free safety Joshua Taormina also came down with an interception. QB Cedeno Chavez threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Oakley Staples in the first quarter. Willow Glen (4-1) has a bye and then plays at Leigh on Oct. 13. Independence plays host to Pioneer on Friday. — Joseph Dycus