As rain fell over the Paly football stadium Thursday, Paly?s varsity football team crushed Monta Vista, 40-12, on the strength of a powerful performance by senior running back John Ginanni.

With over 235 combined yards, three touchdowns, two of which came from huge runs, a big kick return, and numerous short runs, Ginanni excelled in what could be his last home game as a Viking football player.

"This could be the last game on our home field, so we had to make it the best would could," Ginanni said.

Paly kicked off to start the game and got the ball back after the Matadors went three and out. Paly looked strong on their first possession. On first down, senior quarterback Nathan Ford connected with senior wide receiver Matt Wismann on a 45-yard play. Four plays later, junior Roger Prince went in for a touchdown on an 11- yard run. An extra point concluded the drive, and set the score at 7-0 in the Vikings? favor.

After a booming kick by Ford, Monta Vista started on their own 20-yard line. They put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive which ended in a touchdown run by junior running back Roger Kapul. The Matadors failed on the extra point attempt which made the score 7-6. The Vikings got the ball back on their own 30, and on the second play of the drive, the line opened a gaping hole for Ginanni, who ran it 70 yards to the end zone. The extra point was good, and it left the score at 14-6.

On Monta Vista?s next possession, the ramifications of poor weather began to show. Off of the snap, senior quarterback Jason Dias fumbled the slippery ball, and Paly junior linebacker Roger Villanueva scooped it up on the 25-yard line. On Paly?s first down, Wismann got his first attempt at a touchdown for the day, and dropped the ball. However, Wismann did not give up easily. Ford connected with him in the end zone four plays later and extended the Vikings’ lead to 21-6 with 14 seconds in the first quarter.

Monta Vista only got one first down on its next drive and was forced to punt for the second time of the game to the eager Viking offense. The Vikings had weather problems of their own as Ford fumbled a snap. Unfortunately for the Matadors, the momentum was all on the Vikings’ side as the ball was picked up by a Paly offensive lineman who gained three yards off of the miscue. Two plays later, Ginanni broke his second 70-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked, and with 9:23 to go before half time, the Vikings were ahead, 27-6.

Before halftime, neither team scored again, but both teams had turnovers. A Matador fumble picked up by sophomore defensive lineman Fred Koloto left Ford with the ball on the Matador 45-yard line, and a chance to score before halftime. Ten plays into the drive, Ford threw a lob pass that was picked off by Monta Vista senior defensive back Garret McManus. "I had a hard time gripping the ball because of all the mud on it," Ford said. The teams went into halftime with the score stuck at 27-6.

The Vikings received the ball after halftime, and on the return Ginanni got to midfield. On the play, a personal foul was called on the Matadors, and put the ball on the Monta Vista 35-yard line. Paly got to the Matador 30-yard line, and from there, Ginanni got the ball in four consecutive downs, and scored on the last play ? a five-yard run. Again, the extra point kick was blocked.

The Matadors gave the ball right back to Paly?s offense after four plays. A 17 yard pass from Ford to Ginanni, and five running plays on the eight play drive to Prince put the Vikings in a very familiar situation in the game ? the end zone. Prince went in for his second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run. This time Ford put the extra point through the uprights. Monta Vista scored its second and last touchdown of the game seconds after the end of the third quarter.

With the score 40-6 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Paly?s head coach Earl Hansen put in the second string.

Both teams went scoreless in the final quarter of the game. After the teams shook hands, and as the Matadors walked on the field, Paly players and coaches met in the center of the field. They put their hands in the center of the circle, and after Hansen said a couple of words to the team, they raised their hands and yelled, "CCS."

Paly?s first game of CCS playoffs will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday against Monterey.