Which teams sent loudest message?
Message heard, loud and clear.
The high school football weekend began with interesting matchups across the Bay Area and questions about some of the region’s top teams.
Would Pittsburg restore order against Freedom? Was Milpitas as strong as touted? Would Serra dominate Archbishop Mitty as it had Bellarmine College Prep a week earlier?
The answers: Yes, yes, yes.
It was Message Friday around the Bay as Pittsburg, Milpitas and Serra issued statements that essentially said: Boys, buckle up, we could be playing well into December.
Pittsburg, still smarting from two losses last season against Bay Valley Athletic League rival Freedom, switched the script, turning a tight and tense league opener into a 47-33 victory. The Pirates outscored Freedom 22-0 during one secondhalf stretch to take command after six previous lead changes.
Milpitas also had visions of flipping the script after losing a heartbreaker at Wilcox last season. The Trojans not only beat Wilcox 42-17 behind running back Tariq Bracy’s highlight reel performance, they also showed that this could be the team that takes Milpitas beyond the regional round for the first time.
Bracy has always been fast. Now the high-level college prospect is strong and fast. Milpitas, as usual, is big on the lines and aggressive on defense.
“I thought we played pretty well,” Milpitas coach Kelly King said. “It’s a good group of kids. Stay focused. Keep their feet on the ground. Don’t believe the hype stuff. We just try to go to work every day and get a little better every day.”
Serra clearly has gotten better since the West Catholic Athletic League schedule started. In their one night home game of the season, the Padres lit up the sky with nine touchdowns before the third quarter ended on their way to a 64-21 rout of Mitty.
The victory was Serra’s third in a row since a 35-28 loss to Pittsburg and underscored the gap between the WCAL’s upperechelon teams and the rest of the league. The Padres have outscored Riordan, Bellarmine and Mitty by a combined 157-21.
“It’s a testament to the kids and their belief in one another and their belief in the coaches — and we have some explosive kids,” Serra coach Patrick Walsh told the Bay Area News Group’s Vytas Mazeika after the game. “At any one point any of these players can have a big night, and we’re very fortunate to have the community that we have.”
Coupled with St. Francis’ 28-7 victory over St. Ignatius on Saturday, the WCAL has a huge matchup this Friday: Serra at St. Francis.
Quick hitters
• How good is Acalanes? The Dons are 6-0 after a 63-14 win over Concord. We’ll know for sure against Clayton Valley Charter in two weeks.
• Unbeaten Aragon handed Terra Nova its first loss on the field and set up a Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division showdown Friday: Aragon at MenloAtherton.
Contact Darren Sabedra at 408920-5815.