On a frigid night, the Palo Alto varsity football Vikings appeared uncomfortable and showed signs of vulnerability, but like any good team, they found a way to win.

After a 49-8 pummeling of Carlmont in last week’s season opener, the Vikings traveled to Burlingame who had beaten Palo Alto in the last two times the teams have met. Last year against the Panthers, the Vikings jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter only to see their defense allow 31 unanswered Panther points in a crushing 31-20 loss.

On Friday, both teams had chances to come away with the non-league victory, but it was the Vikings who came away with the 21-13 win.

Heading into Friday’s match-up, head coach Earl Hansen made it clear what his team had to do, or rather not to do.

"We cannot fumble. We cannot turn the ball over," Hansen said.

The Panthers received the opening kick and promptly drove down the field with ease but the Viking defense stopped the Panthers in the red zone and forced a 30-yard field goal attempt. The kick had the distance, but flew just left of the uprights, giving the Vikings the ball on the turnover.

The Vikings ran only four plays in the first quarter thanks to the Panthers nine minute opening drive, but Palo Alto returned the favor by marching down the field during the second. After a nine minute drive, the Vikings had 1st and goal at the Panthers’ four yard line, it looked like the Vikings had all the momentum, but on three consecutive plays, junior, fullback Sione Mataele was stopped for only a one-yard gain. On 4th and inches, Hansen elected to give Mataele one more shot and he steamrolled his way into the end zone for a Viking touchdown.

"I was off my game tonight, but I didn’t want to let my team down," Mataele said. "I was feeling the pressure, but I wasn’t going to be stopped on 4th down."

On the ensuing drive with just under a minute left in the half, senior linebacker John Hall appeared to sack Panther quarterback Drew Campbell, forcing a fumble which the Vikings recovered. The referee, however, ruled the play an incomplete pass. The call stood, but the Panthers failed to capitalize on the controversial call, as time elapsed.

The Vikings entered halftime with the 7-0 lead, but on the first drive of the second half, the Vikings’ momentum collapsed. On the first play, senior, wide receiver Trenton Hart was ejected for allegedly punching a Panther defender. On the next play, senior, quarterback Nick Goodspeed threw a screen pass off his back foot, which was intercepted by senior, linebacker Aaron Serrato, who returned the pick seven yards for a Panther touchdown.

With the momentum shifting to the Panthers, the Vikings needed their offense, which had only 86 total yards in the first half, to defrost. Led by Goodspeed, the Vikings again marched slowly but efficiently down the field. Goodspeed completed three passes to three different receivers. Each reception turned a 2nd or 3rd and long into a Viking first down. Mataele fought through the Panthers’ tough front seven, adding 20 yards during the drive, and scoring his second touchdown of the game on a four-yard run.

The Panthers showed no signs of backing down and they responded with another long drive culminating with a 8-yard touchdown pass from Campbell to sophomore wide receiver Tim Ellingson. Needing only a extra point to tie the game with one quarter left, the Panthers lined up for the attempt, but senior tight end and defensive end Buddy Benaderet broke free and blocked the kick.

"The guy [Panthers defender] was talking trash," Benaderet said. "I told him ‘watch this.’"

The Vikings had the ball as the fourth quarter began and they needed to both score and take enough time off the clock to prevent a Panther comeback. They did just that with an eight minute drive capped off by a 1-yard keeper by Goodspeed to make the score 21-13.

The Panthers had two possessions to mount a comeback, but the Vikings defense stood their ground and never let the Panthers get close. As the clock expired, Campbell threw up a Hail Mary pass that was intercepted by senior, defensive back Maurice Williams.

After the Vikings shook hands with the Panthers, they returned to the sidelines with sighs of relief.