Prep roundup: San Mateo snaps skid against Burlingame in Little Big Game

San Mateo ends its losing streak against Burlingame in the ‘Little Big Game.’ St. Mary’s-Berkeley easily defeats St. Patrick-St. Vincent.

The Bearcats defeated Burlingame 17-14, snapping a 13-game losing streak in the Little Big Game.

The 96th meeting between the schools drew around 3,000 fans. Burlingame still holds a 59-33-4 advantage in the series.

The Bearcats led 17-6 at halftime and never looked back. Xavier Zaragoza carried 25 times for 88 yards and a touchdown as a replacement for 1,000-yard rusher Emmanuel Fitzgerald, who was attending a funeral.

It was another productive day on the ground for a team that was averaging 299.9 rushing yards per game entering Saturday.

San Mateo may not pass very often, having thrown only 42 passes all season. But quarterback Cameron Palma completed his only pass attempt, a 25-yard touchdown pass to Matt Radulovich.

Gabe Buenrostro gained 54 yards on the ground. Interceptions were made by Felipe Sorbara and Palma.

San Mateo had lost the previous 11 meetings by at least ten points, including a 49-21 defeat last season.

Burlingame (3-7) advanced to the CCS playoffs as one of the five automatic qualifiers from the PAL Bay after Angelo Medina scored on a 2-yard run and a Luke Levitt-to-Jake Flood pass.

San Mateo (6-4), the PAL Ocean’s third-place finisher, is hoping for an at-large berth at Sunday’s seeding meeting.

St. Mary’s-Berkeley 42, St. Patrick-St. Vincent 14

The Panthers (6-4, 3-1 TCAL Stone) got two touchdowns from Elijah Hines and Samandi Scott. St. Mary’s led 35-6 at halftime and was never challenged. The Panthers are almost certain to make the NCS D-VI playoffs. Coach John Trotman wasn’t sure if his team had done enough to earn a home game in the first round. Vallejo took first place in the Stone Division. St. Patrick-St. Vincent has lost five of its last six games after starting the season 4-0. The Bruins, who finished 1-3 in league play, should still make the D-VII playoffs, but they will most likely start on the road rather than at home. – Michael Lefkow