Already up by a touchdown in the first quarter Thursday night, the Palo Alto High School Vikings (1-0) were still eager to extend their lead against the Leigh High School Longhorns (0-1).
Near the end of the opening period, senior captain and quarterback Justin Fung escaped the pocket, cutting sharply to his left to dodge a diving defender as pressure continued to close in on him.
In a last ditch effort, he heaved the ball through the air to his junior wide receiver, Bronson Lindgren, who elevated — up, up, up — over a defender and hauled in the ball for a 60-yard touchdown, one of three he scored in the Vikings 56-14 victory.
According to Lindgren, he was excited to make such a big impact in his first game as a Viking after arriving in Palo Alto from the Midwest over the summer.
“Coming all the way from Michigan and being able to contribute to this win as a Viking was just pure joy,” Lindgren said. “I wasn’t really thinking a lot — I was just kind of happy to have a great start to my Paly football career.”
The Viking momentum showed no signs of slowing as the team dominated the Longhorns, securing its first victory after a winless season and its largest margin of victory since 2021.
Viking head coach Edward Tonga in his first game on the job said he was happy to see his players’ joy but also highlighted aspects to improve upon before the next game.
“It feels great and rewarding just being able to see the smiles on these boys’ faces all around,” Tonga said. “Going into next game, there is a lot there that we can improve, especially on defense.”
The Vikings opened up the scoring frenzy in the first quarter with a powerful rush by junior running back Kaleb Osotonu followed by back-to-back touchdowns by Lindgren, bringing the Viking lead to 21-0.
According to Osotonu, he was excited to secure the victory as a collective team after coming off a winless season.
“It’s probably the best feeling I’ve ever had, winning a game, coming from an 0-10 season and fixing a lot of mistakes from it,” Osotonu said. “Shoutout to all my linemen for blocking and just the hard work and teamwork that we’ve built over the past months.”
Early in the second quarter, the Longhorns’ first promising drive was halted by a Viking interception, setting up another Paly touchdown as Fung delivered a well-thrown pass to senior wide receiver Mack Reller in the end zone, one of his six touchdown passes of the game. The performance marked one of the most prolific passing performances in Paly football history.
Fung said trusting his teammates was an essential part of the Vikings’ success.
“Staying composed and level-headed, knowing that and trusting my teammates to be in the right spot at the right time really helps make my job easier,” Fung said. “Staying in the pocket, delivering a good throw and not trying to do too much is a big part.”
The Longhorns managed to build some momentum just before halftime as senior captain and wide receiver Rocco Huntington scored his team’s first points of the night, leaving the Vikings with a 35-7 lead at halftime.
Entering the third quarter, Fung threw a short pass to Viking senior wide receiver Clement Romanski who exploded off the sideline breaking several tackles and stiff arming a defender for a 25-yard touchdown, extending the Viking lead to 42-7.
According to Fung, he was pleased with the chemistry he established with his receivers.
“I just trusted him,” Fung said. “We built that chemistry over the summer. That’s going to be a big connection throughout the season. All my receivers did a great job today.”
The Longhorns quickly responded with a touchdown run at the end of the third quarter, but that momentum was short-lived as the Viking offense fired back with a touchdown pass from Fung to Lindgren, followed by a 25-yard touchdown run by senior running back Shanley Davey to close out the game, 56-14.
Looking ahead, the Vikings will take on the Leland Chargers (0-0) next Friday in San Jose.
