The Palo Alto Vikings took their first steps toward the Central Coast Section Championships as they steamrolled the Leigh High School Longhorns, 48-0, in their first CCS football game on Saturday.

“We were pretty pumped,” senior tight end Steven Gargiulo said. “We knew we could beat them, and we just felt pretty good about the game.”

The Vikings used their running game to great effect against the Longhorns. Initially, the game looked to be a battle of both team’s respective defenses, but that all changed in the first quarter, when senior running-back Sam Tompkins-Jenkins broke out an 89-yard touchdown run. Later in the same quarter, Tompkins-Jenkins had a 2-yard touchdown run, followed by another touchdown in the second quarter. Tompkins-Jenkins rushed for 229 yards. Senior running back Kasey Fields also ran for a touchdown, scoring the last points of the game.

“He [Tompkins-Jenkins] was great,” Gargiulio said. “That was probably one of the best games he’s played. He worked hard during practice, and he did good in the game as a result.”

The Vikings’ passing game helped maintain their offensive dominance. Senior quarterback Will Brandin threw for two touchdowns. He connected a 14-yard pass to senior wide-receiver Will Holder for one touchdown in the second quarter. Later, he connected with junior wide-receiver Joc Pederson for another touchdown.

“He [Brandin] played really well,” senior wide-receiver Ariel Arsac-Ellison said. “I mean, he didn’t have to throw that much because our running game was pretty good. But when he did, it was good.”

Senior linebacker Sean Keohane, junior defensive back Scott Witte, and sophomore defensive back T.J. Braff also contributed to the domination. In the second quarter, Keohane intercepted a pass and ran the ball back 20 yards for a touchdown. Witte also intercepted a pass in the second quarter, while Braff intercepted one in the fourth.

“Our defense had them on lock-down,” Arsac-Ellison said. “We were able to predict what they [the Longhorns] were going to do, and we were able to stop anything and everything they threw at us.”

Because of this week’s decisive victory, the Vikings are optimistic as they head into the rest of their post-season games.

“We’re definitely feeling confident,” Arsac-Ellison said. “We’ve taken out the No. 3 seed, and we’re playing Monterey now. If we keep playing the way we’ve been playing, then we have no reason not to be confident.”

The Vikings will play their second-round CCS game against Monterey at 3 p.m. on Saturday at San Jose City College.