It began as the potential final home game for the 15 Viking seniors. By halftime, Paly knew they would most likely be back for a playoff next week.
"It’s a bonus knowing that we are basically assured another home game," senior Nick Goodspeed said. "It’s a little emotional, but not that much."
One miserable quarter against Oak Grove prevented a perfect regular season, but with seven straight wins and the outright De Anza title for the first time since 1992, the Vikings (9-1, 6-0 league) are almost guaranteed to enter the Open Division in the CCS playoffs, where a rematch with Oak Grove is possible.
The Open Division is designed for only the elite teams in CCS and the Vikings feel they have earned a chance to play against the best of the best for the elusive title.
"That was one of our goals all year," senior Buddy Benaderet said. "We knew we could do it. We have the talent."
Before any of these playoffs scenarios could occur, the Vikings still had one task before them. The Mustangs (2-8, 0-6) entered determined to derail the Vikings, destroying the chance at an Open Division bid. On Thursday, however, Homestead was simply no match for the unforgiving Viking defense and the explosive Viking offense.
The seniors were honored before the game Thursday night with flowers in a pregame ceremony. The parents of the seniors had not even left the field when Goodspeed hit senior running back Will Frazier for a 15-yard completion on the first play from scrimmage. Frazier scored on a 7-yard run five plays later, giving the Vikings an early 7-0 lead.
The Vikings rushing attack averages nearly 200 yards and 3 touchdowns per game, all seasons. While Goodspeed is completing almost 60% of his passes and has passed for 12 touchdowns.
After a quick three-and-out by the Mustangs, the Vikings got the ball back, but two penalties and a dropped pass had the Vikings with 4th and 21. The punt by senior Maurice Williams was short and the Vikings were called for an illegal block. Instead of adding the 10 yards to the end of the run, the Mustangs elected to push the Vikings back and make them punt again. Williams punted again, sending an end-over-end kick to the Mustang returner who couldn’t handle the kick. The ball popped free and Benaderet recovered for the Vikings. Goodspeed capitalized quickly with a 31-yard touchdown strike to Williams on the next play.
The next Mustang punt led to a 32-yard field goal by junior kicker Tyger Pederson. The Mustangs punted again and the Vikings made good use of the great field position going 46 yards on 6 plays culminating with a 4-yard touchdown run from junior fullback Sione Mataele.
The Mustangs pulled out a trick play on the next drive with a fake punt-pass for a first down, only the second first down for the Mustangs. Three plays later, however, senior cornerback Dennis Pruzan intercepted junior quarterback Rex Blodgett and returned it 40 yards down the sideline, escaping multiple tackles.
The Vikings had the ball on the Mustang 24-yard line, but senior running back Evan Warner fumbled. The Mustangs could muster nothing and punted to Warner, who fumbled again. The Mustangs mounted an impressive drive and decided not to punt on 4th and 6 but turned the ball over on downs.
On the first play, the Vikings put Frazier in as the slot receiver. Goodspeed hit Benaderet on a floater over the linebacker and because the free safety focused on Frazier, Benaderet had nothing but daylight after the catch. The 59-yard touchdown gave the Vikings a 30-0 lead after the extra point after was missed.