The Palo Alto High School varsity football team (4-1) heads into its first league game against Sacred Heart Prep (3-2), 7 p.m. tonight at Earl Hansen Viking Stadium.
The Vikings, after a restful bye week, are fresh and ready to take on their first games of the Bay League. Winning four out of their five games, the Vikings have put themselves in a great position for a playoff push. At this time last year, The Vikings held a 2-4 record, and still managed to clinch a playoff berth.
Junior Jake Wang, who joined varsity this time last year, has been a key part of their success. Wang leads the team in touchdowns, with eight trips to the endzone so far. According to Wang, there’s a level of focus the group has had in the last few weeks that has helped them get to where they are.
“We are just really locked in right now,” Wang said. “Especially [coming] off a bye week, we’ve got a chance to recollect ourselves and set our heads on that end goal.”
The Vikings have moved into a tougher league this year, the Bay League. Having previously played in the De Anza divsion of the Silicon Valley Athletic League, the Bay League is going to be a step up from the competition that the Vikings have been used to this season. Along with Sacred Heart Prep, teams like Los Gatos, Wilcox, and Menlo Atherton all come with serious programs and talented athletes dispersed throughout.
For the Gators, junior running back Maxime Morelle prepares for his first game of the season. Morelle was ruled ineligible for the first half of the season due to the section transfer rules, requiring a suspension for the entire non-league season. During his sophomore year at Los Altos, Morelle rushed for nearly 700 yards and eight touchdowns in the 11 games they played.
According to senior linebacker Roman Jacobs, he sees Morelle as a task the vikings will have to deal with, but a task they are prepared to complete.
“We’re going to be playing aggressively, ourmain priority is going to be stopping the run.” Jacobs said. “[Morelle] is a big dude, but if we stick to our assignments defensively and make minimal mistakes we’ll definitely be able to stop him and their offense.”
A key addition to the Vikings’ defense has been senior defensive lineman James Tautua’a. Tautua’a, standing at 6 foot 3 inches and 400 pounds, provides an intimidating figure for opposing offenses. According to Tautua’a, getting back on the field, after missing so many games due to health reasons, has filled a void in his heart.
“I felt sick not being able to play the last three years,” Tautua’a said. “But being on that field felt like a cure. It’s something I missed so severely over the years and I’m glad I could make a return before it was too late.”
According to Wang, getting in that championship-mode is going to be huge throughout this league season.
“A lot of us from last year’s team knows what it takes to get that ring,” Wang said. “Just sharing that determination with everyone is going to be key to our success.”
Student Section Theme: Pink-out
