It seemed like nobody took the Palo Alto High School football team as serious title contenders at the start of the season. Certainly, no one thought they would be where they are now.
Paly was ranked fifth in the Central Coast Section by the San Jose Mercury News in the preseason poll, behind West Catholic Athletic League powerhouses Valley Christian, Archbishop Mitty, Bellarmine and St. Francis. Only John Reid of the Palo Alto Daily News ranked Paly first, a bold preseason decision that is now more than justified considering the spectacular season the Vikings have put together. Palo Alto beat both Mitty and Bellarmine in the first two rounds of CCS. Now only Valley Christian remains.
With a 6-0 record halfway through its undefeated league season, Palo Alto was ranked third in CCS, still behind Bellarmine and Valley Christian. Critics had their doubts, arguing that the Vikings had faced a weaker schedule than the WCAL teams did. Only after all the WCAL teams fell in league play and Paly remained undefeated did the Vikings begin their ascent up the CCS rankings to No. 1 in the CCS Open Division playoffs.
After going 10-0 for the first time since 1950, Paly burst onto the playoff stage with a last-second win over Mitty. Then, the Vikings got a signature win in the semifinals with a 35-0 blanking of Bellarmine. It was a measure of revenge for Paly who fell to Bellarmine in the first round of the 2009 CCS playoffs. Now at 12-0, putting together one of the best seasons ever, the Vikings will challenge Valley Christian for the Open Division title.
Electric offense, hard-nosed defense and game-changing special teams – Paly has done it all. Sometimes the defense would save the game; other times the offense powered the team to victory. Senior quarterback Christoph Bono leads an offensive unit averaging 305 yards per game. The defense, anchored by seniors Kevin Anderson, Will Glazier, T.J. Braff and Michael Cullen, has turned it on in the playoffs, holding opponents to under 11 points. Paly is ranked 14th in the state of California, with Valley Christian close behind at 19th.
A win on Saturday could send the Vikings to their first State Championship game since 2006, when the team held a 12-2 record before losing to Orange Lutheran, 42-28, in the CCS Open Division finals. Click here for a preview of the game.