Palo Alto Football Demolishes Los Altos 74-14

Los Altos (1-8, 0-6) finally saw what the defending state champions had in store for them when the Eagles moved up to the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Palo Alto (7-2, 5-1) erupted for 55 points in the first half on just nine offensive plays thanks to dominant blocking and execution on special teams.

“We came out there knowing what we had to do, regardless of who the team was,” Palo Alto senior runningback and linebacker Morris Gates-Mouton said. “On special teams we were aggressive and we were fast, looking for a chance to react.”

Palo Alto drew first blood with 7:25 left in the first quarter, with senior Dre Hill taking a handoff from the Eagles’ eight-yard line, running left, and diving for the pylon for six points. Four minutes later, after back-to-back sacks by Gates-Mouton, senior defensive back Justin Grey returned the ensuing Los Altos punt 57 yards for a touchdown.

Eagles’ starting quarterback Todd Grimm was knocked out early with a broken thumb, so sophomore Lambie Lanman stepped in and gave the Los Altos sideline hope when he established a connection with senior receiver Bemi Onipede. At the end of the first quarter, Lanman threw deep to Onipede for 71 yards, setting up a three-yard touchdown run by goal line runningback Ramiro Ramirez. Lanman was 11-for-18 for 178 yards and a touchdown, with Onipede reeling in 10 of those passes for 154 yards.

“We worked hard on offense and defense, but our special teams wasn’t as strong as we would’ve liked it,” Lanman said. “[Onipede’s] an athlete, so I’m just trying to get him the ball and let him go to work.”

Los Altos’ celebration, however, was short lived. On the next play, the Eagles attempted a squib kick to avoid a big return by the Vikings’ special teams. The ball went straight to senior cornerback Gabe Landa, who caught the ball off a bounce and dashed up the right sideline behind two lead blockers for a 62-yard touchdown.

It didn’t take long for the Vikings to strike again. With nine minutes remaining in the half, quarterback Keller Chryst dropped back for one of his two passes on the night, throwing a 50-yard bomb deep down the middle to B.J. Boyd who leapt over his defender, snatched the ball over his head, and was tackled immediately. Hill took a handoff on the next play 29 yards to the house for another Palo Alto score. Hill rushed the ball four times on the night, racking up 64 yards and three touchdowns, while also taking a screen pass from Chryst 34 yards for a touchdown.

Hill would leave his mark one more time before the half winded down. With 3:38 left in the half, the Eagles lined up to punt from deep within their own redzone. Hill burst through the Los Altos line, and blocked the punt. The ball flew off to the right, where Palo Alto linebacker Andrew Frick caught in the air and ran it in for another touchdown. The Vikings special teams scored for the fourth time on the night when Boyd took the opening kickoff of the second half 75 yards to the house – his fifth kickoff return for a touchdown on the season.

“Special teams is always a momentum changer,” Hill said. “Every time we can get a chance to block a punt, block a field goal, whatever the case may be – get a fumble on a kickoff – it’s another chance for our offense to go out and do work.”

The Viking defense was on full display, bringing Lanman down behind the line eight times in the first half with Gates-Mouton accomplishing the feat three times. Seniors Tory Prati, Moises Aguilar, Chris Martinez, and Nathan Hubbard, junior Erik Anderson, and sophomores Jack Anderson and Frick all joined in on the sack party.

Palo Alto put its depth chart on display the rest of the way, easing its way to victory. Justin Gates-Mouton, a junior runningback and younger brother of Morris, ran the ball three times in the second half for 123 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Los Altos would tack on seven more points in the fourth quarter when Lanman hooked up with receiver Daniel Eaton for a 22-yard touchdown.

Palo Alto will travel to Milpitas next Friday to take on the Trojans at 7:30 p.m. for a shot at the league title.

“[Milpitas] has a lot of speed,” Boyd said. “If we can slow them down we know we can have a good game.”