Not usual rivalry week this year

It is rivalry week for football teams in the Peninsula Athletic League, a weekend that normally closes the regular season.

That is not the case this year after poor air quality from the North Bay wildfires led administrators to postpone games last month and reschedule them for the weekend of Nov. 9-11.

But the rivalry games are still big.

They include the 90th Little Big Game between Burlingame and San Mateo, which will be played Saturday at 11 a.m. at San Mateo. Burlingame leads the series 53-32.

In the East Bay, Antioch and Pittsburg will play in the 99th Big Little Game on Friday night at Pittsburg. Because the North Coast Section did not push its schedule back because of the fires, the AntiochPitt game is a regular-season finale.

M-A scholarship

In just a few months at Menlo-Atherton, Aisea “Bojack” Mataele left an impression that those who knew him have not forgotten, excelling in academics, athletics and the community. Mataele died last December from an extremely rare disease called acute hemorrhagic encephalopathy, but MenloAtherton is keeping his memory alive.

A scholarship established in Mataele’s honor will be awarded to the football player who displays “the qualities and characteristics” that the freshman showed in his short time at the school.

Mataele, whose family has a rich history in the M-A football program, was a 4.0 student, played football and basketball and was heavily involved in his church.

When M-A retired his No. 60 jersey in a pregame ceremony before its football season opener in August, coach Adhir Ravipati said, “Aisea is always with us, and we’re playing for that angel tonight and for the rest of the season and as long as M-A football is around. We’ll be playing for No. 60.”

For more information on the scholarship, visit www. bojackfund.org.

Girls volleyball

The storied Archbishop Mitty program is back in a familiar perch. The top seed in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs, the Monarchs (28-5) will be at home Saturday night for a first-round game against eighth-seeded Burlingame (22-5). Mitty has won five consecutive state championships — including last year in the inaugural Open Division — and an unprecedented 13 state crowns overall.