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, Calif. — Rain and a muddy field didn’t stop top-seeded Palo Alto from scoring six touchdowns en route to a 45-14 home win over Leigh in a Central Coast Section Division IV semifinal on Friday night.

Declan Packer, the senior quarterback, threw a touchdown pass and ran for another. Jeremiah Madrigal and Isaiah Phillips both scored touchdowns in the win.

“We faced so much adversity this year,” said Palo Alto coach David DeGeronimo. “We had a lot of injuries in the beginning of the season.” We had a difficult schedule, but I believe it prepared us for the end of the season. It is not how you begin, but how you end.”

With just over seven minutes left in the second quarter, senior Shayan Shariat scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run, giving Leigh a 14-7 lead.

Palo Alto tied the game at 14 when junior Isaiah Phillips ran 15 yards for a touchdown on a toss. Gerardo Becerra’s 21-yard field goal just before halftime gave the Vikings a 17-14 lead at the break.

Palo Alto kept going in the third quarter.

Packer scored on a nine-yard scramble less than three minutes into the second half, giving Palo Alto a 24-14 lead.

Following a three-and-out forced by the Vikings’ defense, 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,” said Packer. “We knew we just had to pick it up in the second half.”

After halftime, Palo Alto’s defense came up big, holding Leigh scoreless and shutting down the San Jose school’s rushing attack.

“We just needed to solidify things on our edge,” explained DeGeronimo. “Once we did that, we shut down the run and forced (Leigh) to pass.”

After the Vikings had secured the game, cornerback Jason Auzenne intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.

“We just knew our roles and trusted each other to do our jobs,” Auzenne said of the Vikings’ performance in the second half.

Palo Alto’s winning streak now stands at four games. It’s a significant turnaround for a team that was once on a four-game losing streak.

The Vikings advance to the Division IV championship game against Mountain View after defeating Branham 38-34 on Friday night.

Despite the loss, Leigh coach Kyle Padia expressed pride in his team’s accomplishments this season.

“We won a league championship missing a lot of dudes and we won a CCS playoff game,” Paida said in a statement. “I’m just super proud of all the effort that they put in all year.”