Despite last week’s loss to Gilroy, a slow start to the game, and pressure to continue a five-year Paly tradition, the Vikings continued their dominance of cross-town rival Gunn by thoroughly destroying the Titans, 43-0, on Friday night.
“We were feeling great,” junior defensive player Nico Lobos said. “We felt like we were ready even after last week’s loss against Gilroy.”
Both the Vikings’ and Titans’ offense started out anemically, as both teams failed to convert a first down on the first six drives of the game. Paly, however, picked up some momentum after senior running back Sam Tompkins broke off one run of 43 yards, sequentially followed up with another run of 33 yards late in the first quarter. These runs set up senior quarterback Will Brandin’s one-yard touchdown plunge, putting the Vikings up, 6-0.
“I think we were a little overconfident,” senior two-way player Will Holder said. “We didn’t really come out and play at first, but we finished fine.”
The Vikings would continue to use their running game to great advantage as they ran over, around, and through any Gunn defensive player attempting to make a tackle. Paly set a season high of rushing for 204 yards, 152 of which came from Tompkins on just 18 carries. He would also add three touchdowns in just three quarters of action while averaging an astonishing 8.4 yards per carry.
“Sam had a good night,” Brandin said. “Ashraf [El Gamal] hurt his shoulder the other day, but he’s fine now and we didn’t want to risk anything. The offensive line as a whole had a good night without him though.”
After a three-interception outing in last week’s game against Gilroy, Brandin bounced back by throwing for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for three yards on seven carries, and scored a touchdown. In the second quarter, he connected on a 45-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Maurice Williams for a touchdown, and later connected with Holder on a 55-yard touchdown pass.
“When Will [Brandin] has protection, he’s pretty good,” head coach Earl Hansen said. “He has an arm and he didn’t make any mistakes tonight.”
While Brandin had no problems connecting with receivers, Gunn’s junior quarterback Danny Luskin completed as many passes to Paly as he did to his own team. Luskin connected on just two of 11 passes for 12 yards while also tossing two interceptions. The Viking defense completely suffocated the Titan offense, keeping the shutout even as the starters left in the third quarter. Paly also picked up a safety on their way to holding Gunn to just 89 total offensive yards, while also sacking Luskin five times, and picking off two interceptions.
“We knew that their strength was the running game,” senior cornerback Paul Brown said, “so this week in practice we had everyone switching out and helping out wherever we could.”
Holder made the Vikings’ first interception to stop a potential Gunn scoring drive early in the second quarter. Paly junior Haris Sultani followed this up in the fourth by registering his first career pick. Sultani showed some unanticipated athletic ability after making the catch and ended up breaking off a quick 20-yard return. The Vikings did an excellent job of holding Gunn sophomore Josh Jackson, a touchdown threat on every play, to just 32 yards.
“Our defense really played great today,” Hansen said. “All-around, it was a great game; offense, defense, and special teams all played great. We also showed some good depth with the second and third stringers also playing well. Haris had never played football in his life before this season, so that interception surprised me.”
After the first-string players left at the end of the third quarter, the Viking substitute players performed admirably in preserving the shutout victory. On offense, sophomore T.J. Braff made his debut at quarterback, filling in for Brandin. He connected on one of three passes. With Tompkins out of the game, the running game continued its pummeling of the Gunn defense as Paly senior Kasey Fields and junior Terry Beasley combined for 49 yards on 10 carries.
The Vikings will duke it out in their away game against the Los Altos Eagles Saturday at 1:30 p.m.