Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division football preview

The competition is about as even as you’ll find in any league around and it’s good, quality ball. Since 2015, nine Ocean Division teams have advanced to Central Coast Section championship games and have come away with five CCS titles.

But as the middle division of the three-tiered PAL, there is always something better out there. In the case of the PAL, it’s Bay Division, where the best teams on the Peninsula play and it’s to that level Ocean Division teams strive.

“The football is absolutely outstanding in our division. The postseason stands out in that way,” said Hillsdale head coach Mike Parodi, whose team opened the season Thursday night against Silver Creek-San Jose. “But that hasn’t stopped us from wanting to play against the best. … (But) I have no problem going where we belong. If that’s what’s best for the program and the league, we need to go where we belong. Let the chips fall where they may.”

The Knights are the epitome of an Ocean Division team right now and are a step away from moving on to bigger things. This could be the year that moves the Knights out of the Bay. They return senior Liam Smith at quarterback, who averaged 175 yards per game passing last year, with 27 touchdowns against just six interceptions as he helped lead Hillsdale to a second-place finish in the Ocean and 9-3 overall in 2021.

The Knights also return running back Makoa Au Tau, who rushed for more than 721 yards last season.

“It will be great to get him going,” Parodi said. “And a bunch of other guys.”

But with the 2021 team being so senior-laden, Parodi will have a lot of holes to fill. He’s confident that the offensive line should hold up, with Diego Jimenez and Jackson Rollolazo, who saw plenty of snaps last season, moving into starting roles.

Caden Wellwood could emerge as a main target for Smith, one of the few returning receivers.

Most other Ocean coaches agree with Parodi’s assessment of the division: they’re here now, they’ll see where they are next season.

“If we go up (to the Bay) or down (to the Lake), we’re going to do our best to keep our guys on point and always getting ready to play,” said Capuchino head coach Jay Oca. “To me, it’s not a concern or issue. We just want to play football.”

And Cap’s way of playing football is to run right at the opposition and sprinkle in enough trickery to drive opposing coaches batty.

Ray Ibay, who split time with Isaac Nishimoto last season as Capuchino went 5-5 overall in 2021, will return as a featured running back. The Mustangs also return starting quarterback AJ Rich, who Oca expects to unleash a little more this season, noting his ability to throw the deep ball, along with his speed and explosiveness.

Jesse Blunt and Aldo Lopez, who started on the defensive line last season as sophomores, will have their workload increased as Oca sees them playing both ways more this season.

“Sometimes there is a thin line between the Bay and Ocean. Tweeners,” Oca said. “I feel we’re on the path that every day we’re getting better. That path takes us where it take us.”

San Mateo was as close as any team to make the move to the Bay after a second-place Ocean finish in 2019. But a winless pandemic season moved the Bearcats back into the Lake for the fall of 2021. They proved they didn’t belong there by dominating the Lake, winning the division title and finishing 8-2 last season and moving back into the Ocean for 2022.

“I think it would be great to one day be in the Bay. But I look at our school and the Ocean, I think it’s a fine level for us,” said San Mateo head coach Jeff Scheller.

The Bearcats are primed for success this season with quarterback Giancarlo Selvitella returning for his third varsity season running San Mateo’s triple-option offense.

“Having an experienced varsity quarterback running the triple option is great,” Scheller said.

Nalesoni Fakava should see his number called quite a bit as the lead running back after playing the offensive line at the JV level simply because that’s where he was needed the most.

Scheller said a summer of playing rugby should get him in shape to be an every-down back.

Scheller is also excited about sophomore wide receiver Cameron Palma. Not just for 2022, but also going forward. While Scheller said he looks good at receiver, he was the starting quarterback on the frosh-soph team and will be the varsity backup this season.

“He gets a ton of reps in practice,” Scheller said.

Carlmont also returns a three-year starter at quarterback in Jack Wiessinger, who will be helped by the healthy return of John Hanna, who third-year coach Eric Rado hopes can withstand the pounding as he has gotten into Olympic-style weight lifting.

It will be interesting to see what kind of impact senior receiver/defensive back Nate Wong will have. The Scots’ starting point guard the last three seasons, he is playing high school football for the first time in 2022.

“He has natural hands,” Rado said. “It’s just (about) getting used to pads. He’s done a good job in the middle of the field as a safety.”

The offensive line will be anchored by Richard LaGrill, who was the Ocean Division Lineman of the Year in 2021 and if the Scots’ drives stall anywhere inside the 40-yard line, Rado has no problem going to kicker Conner Cook.

Rado is hoping the Scots are kicking more extra points than field goals.

“Right now, our challenge to our kids is, we have to finish,” Rado said.

Jefferson head coach Sergio Portela Jr. is glad his team is playing in the Ocean, because it means the Grizzlies are not playing in the Lake Division. Portela said when he took over the program, winning a Lake Division championship “wasn’t even an option.”

But the Grizzlies are now in their third season in the Ocean and are looking to make a move toward the top of the standings.

“We’re trying to solidify ourselves as an Ocean program,” Portela said.

To that end, Portela will look for further development from returning quarterback Tyler Taylor, who Portela believes will become more of a passing threat this season.

“Last year, he was more of a runner,” Portela said.

Nate Sanz and Daemian Killian both saw time at wide receiver as sophomores last year and Portela is hoping a year of experience and more time with Taylor prove to be a boon in 2022.

“[Sanz] was kind of thrown into the fire last season,” Portela said. “He has the experience of a senior and is only going to be a junior.”

Hector Alipio, a senior, will anchor the defense from his linebacker position. A a three-year varsity player, Portela said Alipio put in the work during the summer.

He was up on varsity the COVID year (in the spring of 2021),” Portela said. “He knows the ropes and I’m expecting him to have a good year.”

And then there is the 800-pound gorilla in the room: Terra Nova. For the first time since the formation of the PAL in 1996, the Tigers find themselves playing in a division other than the Bay.

Terra Nova may have two of the better athletes in the Ocean Division this season with linebacker and offensive lineman Frank Ward, who is listed 6-4, 230 pounds. Mason Mini, is anything but. Moving from receiver to quarterback Mini goes 6-4, 205.

Sequoia would normally be included in the Ocean Division, but with the merger of the PAL and the SCVAL, two teams that have traditionally played in the PAL needed to join the El Camino Division to balance things out. King’s Academy, which is based in Sunnyvale, was an obvious choice.

The second team had to come from one the schools in the southern end of the county and based on 32-team rankings for the PAL, that meant the Ravens will be playing a heavy Santa Clara County schedule. Sequoia is a rare PAL team, along with Hillsdale, to play in all three PAL divisions: Bay, Ocean and Lake. The Ravens have made the climb once before and are looking to do it again. They played in the Lake Division last season, going 4-6, but finishing second in the division.

Senior John Larios returns at quarterback, but he missed all but two games last season. His reintroduction to varsity football should be made easier with the return of linemen Aaron Melz and Tony Veimau, a senior and junior, respectively.

SCVAL players to watch: El Camino Division

Cupertino Pioneers

• Jayden Hall, senior QB. A solid dual-threat quarterback, Hall averqge 174 yards passing per game in 2021, throwing for 16 touchdowns against five interceptions. He was the Pioneers leading rusher, as well. He ran for more than 500 yards and scored eight of the team's 14 rushing touchdowns. He could be moving to wide receiver this season, however.

Santa Clara Bruins

• Amos Talalele, senior OL/DL. At 6-5, 320 pounds, Talalele is a three-star college recruit and has orally committed to USC.

Los Altos Eagles

• Rafael Arce, senior OL/DL. At 6-1, 253 pounds, Arce is one of the most versatile players on the Eagles' roster, he is listed as an inside linebacker, defensive lineman and offensive guard.

Gunn Titans

• Carson LeClerc/Nolan Tok, QBs. Competition for the starting spot, with the other moving to another position.

King's Academy

• Jaeden Underwood, junior RB. The latest in a line of outstanding running backs, Underwood rushed for more than 1,300 yards in 2021.