Senior running back B.J. Boyd returns a kickoff for a touchdown in Paly’s 29-13 victory over Homestead High School on Sept. 30 at Palo Alto High School.

– Matt Ersted

The Palo Alto High School football team (3-1, 1-0) prevailed over the Homestead Mustangs(3-1, 0-1), 29-13, tonight at Paly in the first league game of the season.

Senior B.J. Boyd scored on a kickoff-return and a pass from Keller Chryst, and senior Dre Hill added two rushing touchdowns to lead the Vikings.

The game opened explosively as Homestead gained possession of its own kickoff and promptly ran three times before scoring the game’s first touchdown to put the Mustangs up, 7-0, early.

Not to be outdone, senior B.J. Boyd responded by returning the ensuing kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown, and the Vikings followed with a successful two-point conversion putting them up, 8-7. 

Paly followed its first score with a 26-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Keller Chryst to senior running back/wide receiver B.J. Boyd to increase its lead, 15-7.

“It is an attitude and approach,” assistant coach Steve Foug said.  “It’s one thing to get pushed around, it’s another to accept it. We came up with some big plays. We came out flat, and like anything you’ve got to shake that off and get after it.”

In a game that saw Homestead continuously run the ball, exposing weaknesses in the Paly defense, the Vikings came out stronger in the second half.

“I think the most important thing is that we got better in the second half,” head coach Earl Hansen said.  “We started getting more physical, we played with an enthusiasm that we didn’t have during the first half.  We did what we had to do and they [Homestead] didn’t score [in the second half].”

Despite Homestead’s loss, head coach Charlie Bostic felt as though his team had a realistic shot at winning the game.

“Bottom line is that we controlled the game and the clock and we didn’t put up the points when we needed two scores,” Bostic said. “That’s it.”

Foug explained that Homestead’s turnovers were key to turning the momentum in favor of the Vikings as the game progressed.

“A team like [Homestead] wants to march down the field and eat clock,” Foug said. “If we can take the ball away from them, it just deflates them, and we can score quickly and that was huge for us.”

Hansen feels that the defense must improve if Paly wants to get better.

“We’ve really got to work defensive backs [and] just keep practicing the way we have been,” Hansen said.  “Hopefully we can step up and not make the mistakes we made tonight.”

Running back Dre Hill offered similar sentiments.

“I think we just have to bring it a little bit more,” Hill said. “Our [defensive] lines have to get more physical and just have to get stronger down in the trenches.”

Hill looks forward to next week’s league contest against Wilcox.

“We are going to come out next week and be focused,” Hill said. “We’ve got another hard physical team in Wilcox. I think we’re going to be ready.”

The Vikings will play Wilcox High School at 7:30 p.m. Friday at home.