Game of the Week: Woodside off to a flying start, looking to make a statement

Just fine, actually. In fact, Woodside has answered every question as the Wildcats have bolted out of the gate with three straight, impressive wins. Last week, they crushed Castro Valley 49-13 as the Trojans became the first team to score against Woodside this season. The Wildcats had shut out their first two opponents, Westmont and Mountain View, by a combined score of 85-0.

“Going into the season, I thought our schedule was very daunting and intimidating,” said Woodside head coach Justin Andrews. “Me, being the offensive coordinator, I kind of had an idea we could score some points. … But as fun as it is to score points … I think the defensive play has been the big factor so far.”

Woodside (3-0 overall) has steadily climbed the Peninsula Athletic League division ladder over the last several seasons, moving into the Ocean Division in 2025 for the first time since 2017. They’ve already taken down the De Anza Division’s Mountain View, the division just above the Ocean.

The Wildcats will get another chance to bag another De Anza Division win when they host Capuchino at 7 p.m. Friday in the San Mateo Daily Journal’s Game of the Week.

Like Woodside, the Mustangs had major questions heading into the season after graduating their featured running back Lucas Zayac, who is the reigning Daily Journal Boys’ Athlete of the Season.

Things haven’t gone as smooth for Capuchino (1-2), however, as the Mustangs have struggled to find a consistent rhythm on offense. They opened the season with a 10-7 loss to Sequoia, followed by a 14-9 win over Jefferson.

“It looks like they’re still finding their footing with their offensive playmakers. They haven’t been able to find that consistency,” Andrews said.

The Capuchino offense got untracked last week, scoring 24 points. But for the first time this season, the Mustangs defense struggled, allowing a season high 27 in a 27-24 loss to Terra Nova last week.

The Mustangs will have their hands full again with a Woodside offense that has continued to get the job on the ground. The Wildcats are averaging 288 yards rushing. Yes, that number is enhanced by a 383-yard performance in the opener, but they have still rushed for more than 220 yards in their other two games, as well.

Additionally, the passing game has been more effective through three games. Starting quarterback Charlie Dalrymple isn’t asked to throw a whole lot. But when he does, he been fairly lethal this season, misfiring on just three passes. He has completed 16 of 19 attempts and in the wins over Westmont and Castro Valley, he is a perfect 10 for 10. Last week, he was 7 for 7 for a career high 204 yards. He’s thrown five touchdowns without an interception.

“I thought we had a sneaky good passing game that we don’t get to feature much,” Andrews said. “We have a diverse, physical run game we’ve been able to lean on.”

Andrews is used to strong starts. There was a time for several years when the Wildcats would find a lot of success in the non-league portion of their schedule, only to fade once they got to PAL division play.

So Andrews is not one to count his chickens before they hatch and he’s certainly not looking at Capuchino as a stepping stone.

“The last time we played against them (in 2019), that was the year we first switched to this style of offense and they thumped us pretty good (48-14). That’s been on my mind,” Andrews said. “Records this week are not even a factor. (Capuchino head coach) Jay Oca does a great job. Year in, year out, they’re a physical, well-coached team.

“(But) we’re not going let the start of the season, on our end or (Capuchino’s) end, dictate how we’re going to approach this game.”