The Vikings celebrate their first state title in school history after beating Centennial High School, 15-13. – Marc HavlikNever say never. Time after time, the critics counted out the Palo Alto High School football team this season. And time after time, the Vikings proved them wrong. With a stunning 15-13 win over heavily favored Centennial High School for the CIF Division I state title at the Home Depot Center in Carson on Friday, Paly defied the doubters one last time.
No one picked Palo Alto to win the state championship. Not at the start of the season. Not after a flawless 10-0 regular season. Not even after a dominant display in the playoffs with three wins over West Catholic Athletic League powers to win the Central Coast Section title. It seemed unthinkable, Cal-Hi Sports didn’t think the Vikings would be able to keep within 20 points of the Huskies. The Centennial faithful were even frustrated at being seeded with Palo Alto in Division I, wanting the more prestigious Open Division game with De La Salle High School, which was ranked sixth in the nation. Comments on the CIF Facebook page showed that the Husky fans expected a rout.
On paper, Centennial was a match up nightmare. Armed with the most powerful offense in California, the Huskies were expected to light up the scoreboard. Ranked second in the state and fifth in the nation by both the Xcellent 25 Writer’s Poll and the Freeman rankings and averaging over 50 points a game, the Huskies looked almost unstoppable. Running back Barrinton Collins had over 2000 yards on the year with 42 touchdowns and was averaging more than 10 yards per carry. 6-foot-5 quarterback Michael Eubank, who had signed with Arizona State the week before, was a versatile option threat with big numbers on the ground and through the air. The duo and Centennial’s offense, similar to the option-read that Oregon ran to get to a national championship berth, were supposed to run wild over the Vikings.
But Paly was not overwhelmed by the hype. The Vikings gave Centennial the respect it deserved and stuck to the football they knew how to play. In countless interviews the week before the game, seniors Davante Adams, T.J. Braff, Christoph Bono, Kevin Anderson and Maurice Williams said they were not intimidated by Centennial’s video game offense, and it showed in the game. The Vikings played fearlessly. They were not rattled by the big game pressure, or at least they did not show it. The team never listened to the odds and believed in themselves.
Ultimately, it is not the gaudy numbers or the jaw dropping highlight reels that win a state title, but rather what is done on the field. It was a complete effort, on offense, defense and special teams, that powered the upset.
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The steady rain slowed the explosive Centennial offense, which perhaps was used to friendlier SoCal weather. The Huskies looked unsettled playing on the big stage, snapping the ball into the endzone for a safety on their second drive and losing two of their four fumbles. They had a touchdown called back for holding and had over 100 yards in penalties. On the other side of the ball, the Vikings were undeterred by the weather, having practiced in driving rain for their last practice in Palo Alto and pulling off a clutch, last-second, come-from-behind victory against Archbishop Mitty in a downpour in the their CCS quarterfinal match.
Every time the Huskies threatened, the Viking defense came up with a big stop or a turnover and kept Centennial’s big plays to a minimum. It seemed like the Huskies could never get into a rhythm. When they threatened inside the 20 yard-line at one point in the third quarter, senior inside linebacker Michael Cullen, who led Paly with 10 tackles, snuffed out the quarterback draw. Later on a two-point conversion, Cullen blew into the backfield to stop Eubank. Defensive end Anderson had key tackles on the final drive to keep Centennial away, wrapping up Eubank time after time. The relentless Viking “Swarm” forced two fumbles by Collins and knocked the star, who ran for 101 yards, out of the game in the first half. Braff, a safety, was always at the right place at the right time, recovering both fumbles. To put the tremendous defensive effort in perspective, the Centennial high octane offense had never scored less than 42 points all year. In an incredible effort, Paly’s stifling play held them to 13, with zero points in the first half.
Offensively, quarterback Bono was efficient. He went 13 of 23 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, constantly avoiding pressure and keeping plays alive with his legs. The Vikings burned the clock and kept Eubank and Co. off the field. The fewer possessions the Huskies had, the better. The game-changing play came with 1:21 left in the first half. The Vikings nursed a 9-0 lead and were fending off the Huskies, who looked as if they would break a big run at any moment. Bono spun away from the rush and threw up a prayer to Williams. He ended up playing defensive back on the play, cutting off the Centennial cornerback who thought he had an easy interception, and racing to the endzone for a highlight reel worthy 80-yard score.
When it came down to Centennial’s final snap of the game, a 42-yard field goal attempt with 35 seconds left and Paly leading, 15-13, it was Williams again. He blasted around the right side like he had done all year and got a hand on the kick, making it well short of the uprights. It was a fitting end to the game, a play symbolic of the versatility and big play capability that the Vikings had displayed throughout the season.
It took a State championship for the Vikings to get the respect they deserve. Palo Alto popped up on the national radar and was ranked 13th in the nation to end the year by Maxpreps.com, the highest in school history. They lept 59 places after the win over Centennial, the biggest movement by any team in the national top 25.
The graduating seniors will go out on top after the best season ever, having donned the green and white jerseys one final time for head coach Earl Hansen.
The state title is a magical finish to Hansen’s 23rd season, a measure of redemption for Paly’s loss in the 2006 Division II State bowl against Orange Lutheran. He deserves much credit for keeping the Vikings hungry and grounded despite their increasing success throughout the season by focusing on each game one at a time. Hansen and his assistants consistently crafted game plans that led to win after win. Every week, the old-school offense, devoid of gimmicks, and the unselfish defense got the job done.
This was Paly’s second appearance in the state finals in its five years of existence, an impressive feat magnified by the fact that Palo Alto is a public school, not a traditional parochial school powerhouse like De LaSalle, who is ranked first in the nation.
The team will go down in history as the best team to ever step onto the field to represent Palo Alto. Their season is finally over, without a loss, but their legacy will live on forever in the hearts and minds of fans everywhere as the team that could and did. As Bono put it best, it’s a great time to be a Viking.
More Information
Paly ends the season 14-0, its first undefeated season since 1963.
Centennial finishes 14-1.
Timeline of Palo Alto’s path to the CIF DI State Title
Recap of the game by The Viking Magazine‘s Ben Sneider