After seven straight wins by an average point margin of 27 points, the Palo Alto Vikings continued their trend of precise offense and suffocating defense in pursuit of their second consecutive Central Coast Section tournament title.

Junior quarterback Will Brandin threw for 131 yards and a touchdown as the No. 3 seeded Vikings clobbered No. 6 seeded El Camino, 38-0, Saturday to reach the CCS Large Division Playoffs semi-finals.

The Vikings (9-2, 5-1 league) jumped out to an early 17-0 lead against the El Camino Colts (7-4, 7-0) and never looked back. Palo Alto’s tremendous senior tailback tandem of Sione Mataele and James McCollough continued their domination of opposing defenses as they combined for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Paly’s balanced offensive attack got the Vikings started quickly as they took advantage of excellent field position due to El Camino’s opening onside kick. After several short gains by Mataele and McCollough, Brandin connected with senior receiver Mike Scott on what should have been a stop for no yards. However, in a play that would look familiar by the end of the night, Scott slipped a tackle, made a move, and scampered for an extra 15 yards before being brought down by a cloud of white Colts. Brandin completed the 10-play, 55-yard drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak, moving the Vikings ahead 7-0. Scott would finish with six grabs for 100 yards, all of which were short passes turned into big gains, averaging an impressive 16.7 yards per catch on the slippery Paly field.

“It’s hard to make cuts on wet grass,” Scott said. “I had to take my time, use my patience, dodge tackles, just make it happen.”

After El Camino turned the ball over on downs, the Palo Alto offense took the field in at attempt to increase their 7-0 lead. McCollough opened up the drive early with a 15-yard run, and was quickly followed by a brutish 11-yard gain by Mataele. However, Scott stole the show with an impressive leaping 18-yard touchdown catch on a well-thrown ball from Brandin. This would be Brandin’s final touchdown as he put the Vikings up 14-0 heading into two-minute mark of the second quarter.

In a suffocating defensive effort by the Vikings, junior cornerbacks Harry Woolsen and Paul Brown led the charge in four Paly defensive stands that ended with El Camino turnovers. With 1:48 remaining in the second half Woolsen registered the first of Paly’s three interceptions and returned it 17 yards to the 14-yard line. However, the offense couldn’t get anything started and fumbled the ball away, giving the Colts a last chance to score before the half. This effort was stopped short as Woolsen was again in the midst of the defensive pile and recovered a Colt fumble. Paly put themselves up 17-0 with a senior kicker Tyger Pederson’s 27-yard field goal to end the half.

Brown continued Woolsen’s onslaught as he registered two interceptions within three minutes of each other to end El Camino’s only third down drives. Brown returned his first interception 44 yards, but fumbled near the 10-yard line.

“I cut back to the right and saw Harry (Woolsen) laying a block for me with the end zone wide open, and then the ball got knocked out of my hands,” Brown said.

Three minutes later Brown was at it again, this time returning his interception 31 yards to the El Camino 27-yard line.

“The second time I just stayed back, the ball floated over his [the wide receiver’s] head and I picked it,” Brown said. “I made sure I didn’t lose it once I got another chance.”

Brandin took advantage of Brown’s defensive prowess and marched the Vikings the final 27 yards in seven plays with passes of nine and 12 yards to seniors Jordan Jefferson and Mike Martin, respectively. McCollough finished the drive with a 1-yard dive up the gut for seven points and a 24-0 lead.

“Overall, we did what we had to do,” said head coach Earl Hansen. “James played great on offense, he ran hard.”

After a four-and-out by El Camino, Brandin and company took the field on the 47-yard line. Following an incomplete pass intended for Scott, Mataele picked up the first down on a rumbling 14-yard run and then let Scott do the rest of the work. Brandin tossed a short pass to Scott; just enough for the first down, but the quick receiver saw an opportunity for extra yardage. Two moves and five defenders later Scott found himself with 20 yards of open field, but tripped near the 1-yard line due to leg cramps. McCollough finished Scott’s work with another 1-yard plunge for seven points, putting the Vikings up 31-0.

“One leg cramped and I thought I’d just jump for it, but then the other one also cramped and I just toppled over,” said Scott after the game. “Hopefully that won’t happen again.”

Palo Alto finished the game on an emphatic note as junior Will Holder took backup quarterback Jeff Wilson’s handoff 76 yards, bringing the final score to 38-0. The Vikings finished with 343 offensive yards while holding the Colts to four first-downs and forcing one fumble and three interceptions.

Paly takes their 87 straight unanswered points and eight-game win streak to Foothill College where they will play North Salinas Saturday at 7 p.m. in the CCS semi-finals.