Game of the Week: Burlingame-Hillsdale is a litmus-test game

He hopes to accomplish more personal history this week as the Knights face a Burlingame squad that they haven’t beaten in more than 20 years, which spans five games, including a 21-12 loss last year.

“The last time we played there (at Hillsdale) was the game they dedicated the field to Coach Mazzoncini,” said Burlingame head coach John Philipopoulos.

That was 2008 — a 47-0 win in what Philipopoulos described as “a monsoon.”

But never tell Parodi the odds and, if the Knights are playing a game, Parodi always believes his team has a chance.

“I’m more happy than I was a few weeks ago,” Parodi said, referencing a 34-8 loss to Mt. Diablo-Concord two weeks ago. “After Week 1, there was an opportunity to understand the growth. Since that Live Oak game (Week 1, a 43-8 loss), the growth has been tremendous.

“It’s fun getting better. But how much can we get and can we get there faster?”

Philipopoulos has the same mentality, that his team can compete with nearly anyone, anywhere. But last week was not one of those games. To help with non-league scheduling, the Peninsula Athletic League has built in one crossover, non-league game between the top four divisions in the league. That led the De Anza Division Panthers taking on CCS giant and Bay Division power Los Gatos last week.

The result was predictable — a 49-0 Burlingame loss.

But like Parodi, Philipopoulos is looking forward to face a team more the Panthers’ size.

“We didn’t even watch the (Los Gatos) game film (as a team), like we normally do,” Philipopoulos said. “We moved on. (Last) Saturday morning … we moved right to Hillsdale.”

The two line up 7 p.m. Friday in San Mateo in the Daily Journal’s Game of the Week.

“I feel excited because it’s a challenge,” Philipopoulos said. “It’s a way to measure where we’re at.”

The Panthers defense will have their hands full with a Hillsdale (2-2 overall) offense that put together its best effort of the season against Terra Nova. Quarterback Grant Mattias accounted for the bulk of the Knights’ 190 passing yards, completing 10 of 12 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

Add a 2-for-3 performance for 42 yards and another score from Branden Kee and the Knights completed 80% of their passes.

That was complemented by 187 yards rushing, led by Jacob Bonner, who had a breakout game. He had run for a combined 147 yards in the first three game before erupting for 151 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

But Parodi is not a coach who is looking for offensive balance. While it may be good, at the end of the game, to try and keep a defense on its toes by mixing up the pass and the run, Parodi’s only concern is coming with a play that will gain positive yardage.

“If somebody says, ‘We’ll make you throw it 40 times a game,’ we’ll do that,” Parodi said. “I’m not a big fan of balance. I’m a big fan of what it takes to get a first down.”

Philipopoulos knows that defending the Knights can be a challenge.

“They do a lot of things (offensively),” Philipopoulos said. “They have a pretty good running game. … They do a lot of screens.”

Conversely, Philipopoulos’ Burlingame teams are known for their hard-nose running style. But over the last couple of years, the Panthers have proven they don’t have to be a one-dimensional team to be successful.

“We’ve always been known as a run-first team,” Philipopoulos said. “But I think we showed last year … when we have a quarterback who can sling it, we’re not afraid to throw it. We have some weapons on the outside.”

None of Burlingame’s stats look even slightly good from last week’s shellacking, as the Panthers managed just 78 yards of offense against Los Gatos. But senior quarterback Nick Armstrong has shown he can get it done in the passing game, having thrown for 152 yards and two touchdowns in a 50-22 win over Arroyo-San Lorenzo two weeks ago. He opened the season with a 146-yard performance in a season-opening 35-32 overtime loss to Half Moon Bay.

Armstrong’s relationship with younger brother Will Armstrong has made a big impact as the two have connected a team-leading 18 times for 282 yards and two touchdowns.

“We have some good weapons on the outside,” Philipopoulos said.

As much as both teams would love to win the game and have bragging rights, both realize this game, ultimately, is one to get them prepared for division play — Burlingame in the De Anza and Hillsdale in the Ocean.

And for Hillsdale, Ocean Division games are the only games that really matter. He knows that the Knights have to finish in the top two spots in the standings to guarantee a playoff spot.

“(The key is) understanding who we are and realizing that non-league games don’t define us,” Parodi said. “It’s a process to get us to where we need to be for league. Now, where we are, league (standings) matter.”