CCS football playoffs: Palo Alto heats up, rolls past Leigh in Division IV semifinal
Palo Alto's big second half sends Vikings into Division IV championship game against Mountain View.
PALO ALTO — Rainfall and a wet playing field didn’t stop top-seeded Palo Alto from scoring six touchdowns en route to a 45-14 home win over Leigh on Friday night in a Central Coast Section Division IV semifinal.
Senior quarterback Declan Packer threw a touchdown pass and rushed for another. Running backs Jeremiah Madrigal and Isaiah Phillips added a touchdown each in the win.
“We faced so much adversity this year,” Palo Alto coach David DeGeronimo said. “We had a ton of injuries early in the season. We had a tough schedule, but I think that prepares you for the end of the season. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
Leigh took an early 14-7 lead after senior Shayan Shariat scored his second touchdown of the first half on a one-yard plunge with just over seven left in the second quarter.
Palo Alto tied the score at 14 when junior Isaiah Phillips took a toss 15 yards for a touchdown. A 21-yard field goal from Gerardo Becerra right before halftime gave the Vikings a 17-14 lead going into the intermission.
Palo Alto didn’t stop in the third quarter.
Packer scrambled for a nine-yard touchdown run less than three minutes into the second half to give Palo Alto a 24-14 lead.
After the Vikings’ defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Packer found junior receiver Jeremiah Fung down the middle for a 49-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-14.
“We came out super slow in the first quarter and we were not where we wanted to be,” Packer said. “We knew we just had to pick it up in the second half.”
Palo Alto’s defense stepped up big after halftime, holding Leigh scoring while shutting down the San Jose school’s rushing attack.
“We just needed to solidify things on our edge,” DeGeronimo said. “Once we did that, we shut down the run and forced (Leigh) to pass.”
With the game secured, the Vikings added one last score when cornerback Jason Auzenne intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown.
“We just knew our role, and trusted each other to do their job,” Auzenne said about the Vikings’ second-half performance.
Palo Alto stretched its winning streak to four. It’s a big turnaround for a team that at one point was on a four-game losing streak.
The Vikings move on to the Division IV championship game against Mountain View, a 38-34 winner over Branham on Friday night.
Despite the loss, Leigh coach Kyle Padia said he was proud of what his team accomplished this season.
“We won a league championship missing a lot of dudes and we won a CCS playoff game,” Paida said. “I’m just super proud of all the effort that they put in all year.”