Bay Area high school football roundup 2023: Best of Week 2 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. 3 Pittsburg 41, Granite Bay 21

The visiting Pirates broke a 14-14 deadlock by scoring four touchdowns over a 9:23 stretch of mostly the fourth quarter. The eruption of six-pointers began when QB Marley Alcantara threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Makari Kenion with 15 seconds left on the clock in the third quarter. The Pirates (2-0) struck again when Alcantara flipped a 6-yard pass to Tristan Berena to make it 28-14 with 7:58 remaining in the game. Granite Bay drove deep into Pittsburg territory on its ensuing possession, but Samu Iosia’s interception ended that threat. Alcantara then scored on an 8-yard scramble with 5:02 to go and a 25-yard dash with 2:52 left, putting the game out of Granite Bay’s reach at 41-14. The Grizzlies (1-2) took a 7-0 lead, scoring on a 9-yard run by Carter Jackson early in the second quarter. The Pirates came right back on a 70-yard pass play from Alcantara to Noah Quesada to make it 7-7. Elijah Bow then scored on a 3-yard run to give Pittsburg its first lead at 14-7. Granite Bay knotted it up shortly before the half, but the Pirates scored the next 27 points en route to the impressive win. The Pirates spend the next two weeks at home against Monterey Trail-Elk Grove and California. – Mike Lefkow  

No. 5 San Ramon Valley 44, No. 17 Acalanes 21

San Ramon Valley didn’t play the prettiest game. But an efficient first half from senior quarterback Luke Baker gave the Wolves all they needed against Acalanes. Shayna Rubin has all the details here.

No. 6 Los Gatos 35, No. 14 Liberty 34

With his team down by 20 points early in the second half, senior running back Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung scored three unanswered touchdowns, including one on a 2-yard run with 3:38 left in the fourth quarter to help lead the visiting Wildcats to an improbable non-league win over the stunned Lions. Kopcsak-Yeung had 120 yards on the ground, most of which came in the second half on second efforts, and also ran a kickoff back for a touchdown in the first half as Los Gatos (2-0) overcame four first-half turnovers. Curtis Pashelka has the complete recap here.

No. 7 Valley Christian 16, Salinas 8

Sophomore Ekiah McLemore had two rushing touchdowns and Aaron VanderVeen kicked a field goal to account for Valley Christian’s points as the Warriors improved to 2-0 with a victory on the road over Salinas. Jordan Vargas had two interceptions, Jay Foster picked off one pass and Lovante Metcalfe and Rayne Mayo Jr. each had a sack to lead the defense as Valley surpassed its win total from last season. The Warriors, who beat Wilcox 16-15 in Week 1, will aim for three wins in a row next Friday at home against Hollister. — Darren Sabedra 

No. 9 McClymonds 40, No. 23 Bellarmine 0

Ta’Jir Golden carved up the Bells behind a punishing and veteran line that longtime coach Michael Peters said would be the key moving forward. Golden, who played wide receiver last season, ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns in 22 carries, and Sharky Tamale added 62 yards and a touchdown to lead Mack to a season-opening win. Bellarmine is 1-1. Darren Sabedra has the game story here.

No. 10 Wilcox 19, Hollister 9

Wilcox bounced back from a one-point loss at Valley Christian in Week 1, taking charge early on the road Thursday against Hollister and holding off the Haybalers in the second half. Tyson Bonilla and Elijah Walker each ran for a touchdown and Dillon Faga crossed the goal line on a scoop-and-score after teammate Brayden Rosa forced a fumble. “We got there really early because we didn’t want to sit in traffic,” said Wilcox coach Paul Rosa, Brayden’s dad. “We had been there for about 3 1/2 hours even before we started warming up. I was kind of worried how we would start, but we definitely started off quick.” Wilcox led 19-3 after the first quarter as it improved to 1-1. Hollister fell to 1-1. Wilcox will play its home opener next Friday against Sacred Heart Cathedral. — Darren Sabedra

Amador Valley 6, No. 11 Campolindo 0

Sophomore quarterback Aidan Foley scored on a second-quarter sneak and the Amador Valley defense made the advantage stand as the visiting Dons stunned Campolindo in Moraga. Sean Cervantes and Nate Jetter were all over the field on defense, Amador Valley coach Danny Jones said, adding that his defensive line set the tone. He said the guys in the trenches are “unreal” and “big and good.” Campo stopped trying to run in the second half because of how well the defensive line played, Jones noted. Campo was coming off a double-overtime victory at Vanden-Fairfield in Week 1. Amador Valley lost its opener at home to El Cerrito 14-7. Junior QB Tristan Tia, a transfer from Granada, will be eligible for AV after three more games. Next Friday, the Dons travel to Acalanes and Campo will play host to Windsor. — Darren Sabedra

No. 18 Archbishop Mitty 41, Aptos 28

Don’t let the final score of the game fool you. It was a much closer battle than what the results might show. Aptos erased not one but two of Mitty’s 14-point leads, including at the start of the fourth quarter when it knotted the score at 28. But Mitty star running back AJ Cenizal found a way to perforate Aptos’ defense time and time again, rushing for 248 yards and two touchdowns. Check out Madeline Kenney’s story here.

No. 19 Christopher 30, Piedmont Hills 24

William Rizqallah ran for two touchdowns and Josiah Garcia and quarterback Jaxen Robinson each rushed for one TD as Christopher won on the road in San Jose to improve to 2-0. Piedmont Hills scored with about five minutes to play to cut the deficit to six, but Christopher held on. “Crazy game,” Christopher coach Darren Yafai said. The visitors also got a 37-yard field goal from Rylan Antipuesto. Next Friday, Christopher will play host to San Mateo and Piedmont Hills will travel to Oak Grove. — Darren Sabedra

Palo Alto 38, No. 24 Leland 20

Jason Auzenne caught five passes for 174 yards and a touchdown as well as returning a kickoff 86 yards for another TD. Declan Packer completed 9 of 14 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns as Palo Alto improved to 2-0. Diego Vasquez (106 yards) and Chayse Swenson (105) combined for 211 yards rushing for Leland (1-1), which returns to action Thursday at Overfelt. Palo Alto has a big test next in a home game against Sacred Heart Prep on Saturday, Sept. 8. Glenn Reeves has the game story here.

East Bay

Kennedy-Fremont 35, Washington-Fremont 13

The Titans won decisively for the second week in a row, building a 14-0 lead at halftime on Thursday and never looking back against their old Misson Valley Athletic League rival. The teams are still in the same league but play in different divisions, so it counts as a non-league matchup. Senior TE/MLB Junaid Khan came up big on both sides of the ball, scoring a touchdown and contributing numerous tackles. Jason Nomura rushed for over 100 yards and reached the end zone twice. JFK is 2-0 for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when it finished 2-2. The Titans haven’t finished above .500 since 2016, when they were 10-1. They will try to up their record to 3-0 when they visit Deer Valley next Saturday. Washington fell to 0-2. The Huskies are scheduled to host Novato next Friday night. – Mike Lefkow 

Oakland 16, Highlands-North Highlands 8

After three consecutive winless seasons, Oakland got a hard-fought victory in its first game under new Terry Hendrix. Travis Williams did it all for the Wildcats, hauling in Oakland’s only completed pass for 17 yards, returning a punt 47 yards and recovering a fumble to go with seven tackles. The rushing attack paved the way on offense, with Ahmiollion Brown running for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Rah’Shaan Buffin led the team with 117 rushing yards, and senior speedster Josh Oludayo ran for 55 yards on eight carries. Oakland (1-0) hosts Galileo-San Francisco, which has won only one game in each of the last three full seasons, on Friday. — Joseph Dycus

South Bay/Peninsula

Capuchino 21, South San Francisco 0

The Mustangs shut out host South San Francisco on Thursday for their second victory of the season. Capuchino running back Charles Barfield rushed for a nine-yard touchdown, and South San Francisco got a second-half interception from junior linebacker Elijah Fields. Capuchino (2-0) travels to Los Altos on Friday, and South San Francisco (1-1) plays at Mills. — Joseph Dycus 

Milpitas 34, Independence 13

The Trojans scored 34 unanswered points in the second and third periods on Thursday after host Independence took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Milpitas is 2-0 for the first time since 2017, when it began 12-0 en route to a 14-1 season. Quarterback Adrian Chavez accounted for three touchdowns, one a 2-yard run and the others on passes of 10 and 35 yards to Malachi Jackson and Venkat Nakka. Jackson is a 6-3, 180-pound senior who should be an inviting target for Chavez. Jacob Souza and Jacob Alvarado added rushing touchdowns. Independence was playing its first game under former Oak Grove coach Jay Braun, who most recently had been on the staff at Bellarmine. – Mike Lefkow

Rancho San Juan 27, Los Altos 13

Down by seven with less than 30 seconds left in Salinas, Los Altos drove to within 10 yards of a potential tying touchdown. But on fourth-and-5 from the 8-yard line, Rancho San Juan senior Fabian Ceja intercepted a pass in the end zone and ran the ball all the way back for a 100-yard pick-six with 10 seconds to play. RSJ (1-1) is hoping to make the CCS playoffs this year after it didn’t last year despite an 8-2 record. After losing its season opener in overtime to Monte Vista Christian at home, Los Altos (0-2) returns home to face Capuchino from the PAL Ocean next Friday. — Alex Simon