Senior running back B.J. Boyd steam rolls San Benito’s defense on his 65 yard rushing touchdown. Paly beat San Benito in its first game of the season, 28-18 at Palo Alto High School on September 2.
– Matt Ersted
When the fourth-seeded Palo Alto High School Vikings (8-2-0) face the fifth-seeded Leland High School Knights (9-1-0) in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoff opener Friday night, the Vikings hopes of a repeat CCS Championship hang in the balance.
The Voice Sports team has compiled a short list of predictions about the game below:
Sports Editor Grant Raffel: “Coming off of consecutive wins in which Palo Alto scored a combined 126 points, I would look for the Paly offense, led by senior running back and wide receiver B.J. Boyd and sophomore quarterback Keller Chryst to exploit the Leland defense in a shootout. Leland did put up good fight against Central Coast Section Open Division No. 1 seed Oak Grove in its penultimate game, so I expect a competitive contest, but the Paly defense should be able to contain Leland enough for a victory. Paly 55, Leland 28.”
Sports Editor David Lim: “The Vikings are looking forward to a solid win against Leland. With Paly averaging 40.2 points per game and Leland averaging 37.9, Paly’s offense has scored more this season. At the quarterback position, the edge goes to Leland with senior Jason Habash over Paly’s Keller Chryst. Habash has a higher pass completion percentage and less interceptions thrown per touchdown than Chryst, and is older and more experienced. The difference will be special teams and the running game where the advantage swings back to Paly with seniors B.J. Boyd and Morris Gates-Mouton. I predict a Paly victory, 42-28.”
Aaron Chum: “Paly’s offense will continue to put points on the board, having scored 40 or more in each of its past four games. While the offense receives many accolades, the defense has done an admirable job all season. Look for the defense to hold down Leland’s offense in a Paly victory. Paly 35, Leland 14.
If the Vikings win, they will advance to play the winner of the first-seeded Oak Grove High School (9-1-0) versus eighth seeded Saint Francis High School (5-5) game. More information on the football CCS playoff bracket can be found here.
The game will take place at 7 p.m. Friday at Palo Alto High School.
Stay tuned to the Voice for coverage of the playoff opener on Friday.