Bellarmine’s seasoned senior Quarterback and versatile Athlete, Parker Threatt, exhibited his prowess in a highly anticipated match against the top-seeded Serra Padres. In an impressive display of skill and strategy, Threatt achieved a significant milestone by engineering a touchdown drive against the Padres’ formidable first-team defensive unit, an accomplishment hitherto unattained in the current season. Despite facing a daunting 27-0 deficit, Threatt seized an opportune moment to connect with his preferred target, the talented junior wide receiver Zayne St. Laurent, via a precision 49-yard pass along the right sideline. St. Laurent executed a spectacular reception over the defense of NorCal’s elite player, Jaden Green of Serra, effectively putting the Bellarmine Bells on the scoreboard, narrowing the gap to 27-6.

Bellarmine’s scoring efforts extended to a successful short field goal executed by Connor Tripp and a late fourth-quarter touchdown against Serra’s third-string defenders. As Alf Joaquin, the esteemed executive producer of GetSportsFocus, previously highlighted on the GSF Weekly show on YouTube, it was deemed a monumental achievement to score against the Serra Padres’ first-team defensive lineup. In his earlier commentary during the week, Joaquin had expressed his confidence in Parker Threatt’s capabilities to lead an offensive drive against Serra, a belief that was unequivocally validated on the field.

Serra’s defense, formidable in its own right, managed to generate two turnovers and even contributed to the scoring, thereby maintaining their defensive reputation. Early in the second quarter, they yielded a touchdown to Bellarmine, following their earlier dominance. The initial quarter witnessed notable contributions from Jabari Mann and Danny Niu, who consistently impeded Bellarmine’s offensive progress, forcing negative yardage. In a standout defensive play, Joseph Bey delivered a forceful tackle, causing a fumble that was promptly recovered for a score by Jaden Green.

Jaden Green’s exceptional performance was not limited to defensive contributions. His impact on special teams was nothing short of remarkable, earning him the prestigious GSF Weekly Special Teams Player of the Week Award. Green accrued over 125 return yards and demonstrated his versatility by scoring through a 65-yard punt return, a scoop-and-score, and a rushing touchdown. It is noteworthy that the touchdown scored against Green was the first he conceded since joining the Serra Padres’ varsity squad as a sophomore. Throughout his high school career, Green has consistently nullified the impact of star wide receivers, including RL Miller (Fresno State), Nziah Hunter (CAL), Rico Flores (Notre Dame), and Logan Saldate, who is set to join Notre Dame next year. None of these prominent receivers managed to make a significant impact in games against Serra when Green was tasked with their defense.

Serra’s talented 3-star national recruit at the signal-caller position, Maealiuaki Smith, assumed responsibility for two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown, contributing significantly to the Padres’ comprehensive victory. The match ultimately culminated in a convincing 54-16 triumph in favor of the Serra Padres.

The eagerly awaited football contest between the San Ramon Valley Wolves and the De La Salle Spartans unfolded as a showcase of remarkable athletic prowess.

De La Salle embarked on a slow start to the game, while the initial points were registered by San Ramon through a well-executed 34-yard field goal by Austin Shelton.

The Spartans displayed resilience as they countered with an interception courtesy of Anthony Dean, followed by an impressive 80-yard scoring drive culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by Derrick Blanche Jr., thereby asserting their presence on the scoreboard. The Wolves rallied and narrowed the margin, as Austin Shelton skillfully executed another field goal, this time from 43 yards.

The third quarter witnessed yet another defensive feat from Dean, who intercepted the ball to thwart San Ramon’s advancing momentum. Nevertheless, the Wolves persevered, engineering a scoring drive. Quarterback Luke Baker connected with the highly touted 4-star national recruit, Marco Jones, who navigated towards the left side of the endzone and executed a remarkable reception, allowing San Ramon to seize the lead at 12-6, despite an unsuccessful point-after attempt.

Toa Faavae, the quarterback for the Spartans, and his offensive unit responded with two pivotal touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The first was a striking 70-yard pass connection to Jonathan Guerrero, followed by a quarterback keeper by Faavae on the subsequent offensive series, extending the Spartans’ lead to 27-12. Notably sandwiched between these scoring plays was an interception returned for a touchdown by Dom Galwitz, which temporarily led to a premature exodus of fans from the stands. However, those who departed early missed a thrilling conclusion, as San Ramon Valley orchestrated a stunning comeback in the final minutes, pushing the contest into overtime.

Luke Baker engineered a key play, connecting with Zach Dodson on a crossing route for a crucial score, bringing the game to a tense 27-19. The Wolves then executed a successful onside kick, albeit with some confusion amongst the officiating crew. Subsequently, Baker orchestrated a counter sweep to Shelton after completing a short pass play to Evan Economos, securing a two-point conversion and tying the game at 27-27 with less than two minutes remaining.

In the overtime period, the Spartans’ formidable defense denied the Wolves any further scoring opportunities and sealed their victory with back-to-back rushing touchdowns executed by Faavae and Blanche. The game reached its thrilling conclusion with De La Salle emerging triumphant with a final score of 33-27.

Sacred Heart Cathedral managed to find the endzone twice during the opening half, thereby leveling the score against their visiting rivals, the St. Francis Lancers, resulting in a 14-14 tie with a mere 6 minutes and 52 seconds remaining in the first half. The Fightin’ Irish were led by Michael Sargent, whose adept leadership orchestrated two scoring drives that would eventually arouse the Lancers from their slumber.

Quarterback Aaron Knapp initiated the contest with a pair of passing touchdowns during each of the Lancers’ initial offensive possessions, with both receptions adeptly secured by the tight end, Grant Righellis. Following their concession of the second touchdown on the defensive front, the St. Francis Lancers’ kicker, Chris Han, expertly executed a 24-yard field goal, granting his team a 17-14 advantage, promptly followed by a remarkable 40-yard sprint by the junior running back, Kingston Keanaaina. Consequently, St. Francis entered the halftime intermission, boasting a 24-14 lead.

The second half witnessed the Lancers’ continued dominance as they outscored the Fightin’ Irish by a margin of 20-8. Kingston Keanaaina, the league’s preeminent touchdown-scoring running back, culminated with an additional pair of touchdowns, encompassing a 38-yard dash in the second half and a 22-yard advance in the fourth quarter. Notably, fullback Daniel Swank secured St. Francis’ inaugural touchdown of the season in a display of prowess at his position. It was another prodigious performance for Kingston, who spearheaded his team’s efforts with an impressive trifecta of touchdowns garnered through 24 carries, accumulating a remarkable total of 249 yards.

In the culmination of this hard-fought encounter, the final tally stood as follows: St. Francis 44, Sacred Heart Cathedral 22.

RB Evan Usher established the Woodside Wildcats run game early while senior captain Mason Furtado filled in for his injured QB and scored a 35-yard TD to keep Woodside ahead. Sophomore Daniel Torres stole the show with back-to-back big plays in the fourth quarter. Torres intercepted a pass and shortly after ran one in to seal the win.

The Fremont Firebirds came in with a 5-1 record. QB Henry Buenrostro managed to produce a couple of touchdown drives for his team but costly penalties and some hard-nosed defensive stops by the Wildcats kept them off the endzone.

Usher ended up with the GSF Game of the Week MVP award while Torres earned the Playmaker shirt. Final score 35-15 Woodside over Fremont.

Westmont Warriors QB Mason Pound completed 10 passes out of 14 attempts for 280 yards against the Sobrato Bulldogs. He connected with Mason Price and Spencer Hoang twice for touchdowns. He also ran one in for a score in the second half for a total of 5 touchdowns.

Hoang was the machine that kept Westmont moving. He had 151 total yards and three touchdowns, one receiving and two rushing.

Sobrato’s star RB Noah Taylor did his best with four touchdowns but it wasn’t enough. Warriors LB led all tacklers with 11 and one interception right before the half which led to Hoang’s second touchdown that made it 21-13.

Final score, Westmont 42, Sobrato 27.

Junior RB Kingston Keanaaina busted out a record-breaking 84-yard punt return for a touchdown. The previous record, an 83-yard punt return, was set in 1984. The Lancers were trailing 3-0 when Kingston fielded the punt, spun around a would-be tackler, and then ran down the left side for the score.

SI only managed to score on two field goals by Odharan Kenny. The offense struggled against the Lancers’ quick playmakers on defense. Grant Righellis’ interception early in the third was a game-changer. He also made some key plays on offense to help move the chains. QB Aaron Knapp threw for 162 yards and connected with sophomore playmaker Perrion Williams twice to wrap up the scoring for St. Francis.

Final score, St. Francis 21, SI 6.

The Padres run game came alive in their WCAL match-up against Mitty. JoJo Latu and Jaden Green scored a pair of touchdowns. Kyon Loud also took a handoff from QB Maealiuaki Smith late in the first half to score the third TD of the game for Serra. Smith’s offense struggled a bit in the beginning against a well-prepared Monarchs offense but connected with 3-Star TE Cole Harrison early in the second half for a touchdown.

Defensively, the Padres core did what they usually do. Jabari Mann, Danny Niu, Collin Tahitua, and Timo Poloka recorded sacks and TFLs. Two takeaways courtesy of Joseph Bey and Loud led to scores. Bey picked off a pass and returned it for 84 yards for a touchdown, but a penalty nullified it.

Final score 42-0.

Senior RB Shayan Shariat of the Leigh Longhorns delivered four considerable scores in their league-opening game against Mt. Pleasant. Shariat was named MVP, while his fellow senior Reese Schuyler earned himself the Playmaker award for his outstanding defensive effort.