Peninsula Athletic League's Bay among best in the Central Coast Section

“Over the last five or six years, (the PAL Bay) is maybe top 3,” said Burlingame head coach John Philipopoulos, who enters his 20th season leading the Panthers’ program and is the longest tenured coach in the division. “The WCAL stands alone, but the SCVAL and the Gabilan Division (of the Pacific Coast Athletic League) … I think we’re right there in the mix with those schools.”

How strong is the Bay Division? Five of the six teams — Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, Menlo-Atherton, Sacred Heart Prep and King’s Academy — have won a CCS title in the last five seasons. The sixth, Terra Nova, has appeared in two finals.

“We get four or five, out of six, qualifying for CCS,” Philipopoulos said. “I think the Bay Division and San Mateo County football has represented itself pretty well.”

Chris Saunders, Menlo-Atherton’s second-year head coach, cut his coaching teeth in the West Catholic Athletic League. Being the relative new guy in the Bay Division, what was the perception of the Bay Division outside the PAL?

“It was always competitive, to say the least,” Saunders said. “There is credibility and success. You’re always going to get well-coached teams.”

What makes the Bay Division so strong is the relative parity among the six teams. Menlo-Atherton has been on a run recently — having won four of the last five Bay Division titles while going a combined 20-0 in 2016, ’18, ’19 and the 2021 spring season — the rest of the division is pretty well matched. It’s the week-to-week grind of the Bay Division that Philipopoulos believes is the best preparation for the playoffs.

Despite the relative parity in the Bay Division, the last decade or so has seen teams win two, three division titles in a row. Right now, it’s M-A’s division until further notice. The Bears went 5-0 in the spring in Saunders’ first season and they have not lost a Bay Division game since 2017. The Bears are one of two teams in the division to return its starting quarterback and are loaded with college prospects.

“Until someone beats them and proves otherwise, absolutely (the Bears are the favorite),” Philipopoulos said.

Sacred Heart Prep, with former San Jose Sabercats quarterback Mark Grieb entering his fourth season as coach, has kept up the winning traditions established by Pete Lavorato — who has taken his talents to King’s Academy, where he led the Knights to the 2019 CCS Division III championship. The Gators were in the CCS semifinals in 2019 and appeared 2018 championship game. They will be replacing a three-year starter at quarterback in Teddy Purcell, but the Gators have shown a propensity for reloading instead of rebuilding.

King’s Academy will have to find a replacement for one of the most dynamic players in the division in Noah Short, who graduated this past spring. But Lavorato’s fly offense is one of the toughest to defend, making the Knights an always formidable opponent.

Half Moon Bay always seems to punch above its weight class. If the Cougars can keep key players healthy, they have a chance to be in the mix for a division title.

Ask anyone in the PAL who they like to play the least and Burlingame will be at the top of that list. The Panthers are always among the best coached and most disciplined teams in the league, despite being undersized most of the time.

Terra Nova may be last alphabetically in the Bay Division, but no one in their right mind would ever count out the Tigers. Jason Piccolotti enters his third season as head coach and he plans to continue with the spread offense that his predecessor Tim Adams installed years ago.

“In our league, everybody beats everybody. It’s been competitive from the 2 to 6 spot,” Philipopoulos said. “When you have to prepare for those schools consistently, week in and week out, I think that goes a long way in our success at the CCS level. Any time you have to compete against those kinds of schools, you can’t help but get better.”

The teams: Burlingame, Half Moon Bay, The King’s Academy, Menlo-Atherton, Sacred Heart Prep, Terra Nova

The favorite: Menlo-Atherton. The Bears have won the last two, official, Bay Division titles and it would be three in a row if you count the 2021 spring season. The Bears have won 17 Bay Division games in a row and 22 of their last 25.

The contender: Sacred Heart Prep. After a down 2017, the Gators have finished in second place the last three seasons.

The darkhorse: Half Moon Bay. Cougars coach Keith Holden said the 2021 spring season would have looked different if his team was healthy. But they went 10-0 during the 2019 regular season and the core from that team return for their senior seasons.

Players to watch:

Burlingame

Ryan Kall (sr., QB, 6-2, 190) — Kall will start under center for the first time, but has a year of varsity experience under his belt backing Wyatt McGovern last season.

Will Uhrich (sr., WR/SS, 6-1, 195) — Uhrich is three-year varsity player, who helped lead the Panthers to a 2021 CCS basketball title. He’s well built, athletic and has a nose for the ball on offense and defense.

Half Moon Bay

Quinn McCauley (sr., SB/S, 5-9, 175) — HMB head coach Keith Holden like McCauley on offense. He loves him on defense. If he can stay healthy, McCauley will be a key to the Cougars’ success.

Will Moffitt (sr., QB, 6-1, 170) — Moffitt enters his third year as starting QB, but split time between JV and varsity his first season, winning a pair of starts at the varsity level. The unquestioned leader of the Cougars’ offense.

The King’s Academy

Zach Denis (sr., DE/OL, 6-4, 225) — A four-year varsity starter, Denis is a legitimate college prospect who holds a full-ride offer to Cal Poly-Pomona and still has interest from several Pac-12 schools.

Reid Black (fr., QB, 5-9, 170) — Black is playing tackle football for the first time, but has several seasons of flag football under his belt. He had to learn over the summer how to be more of a traditional QB.

Menlo-Atherton

Matt MacLeod (sr., QB, 6-1, 185) — MacLeod cemented himself in M-A football history by leading a second-half comeback to win the CCS title his freshman year. In the spring, he averaged 178 yards passing per game, with 8 TD passes and no interceptions in the spring.

Jalen Moss (jr., WR/DB, 6-1, 175) — Moss is the latest in a line of DI college recruits. In five games, Moss caught 19 passes, averaging 16.8 yards per catch with three scores.

Sacred Heart Prep

Jack Herrell (sr., QB/DB, 6-1, 185) — Herrell appeared in only two games last season and will now step into the starting QB spot to take over for a three-year starter in Teddy Purcell, who graduated in the spring.

Andrew Latu (jr., RB/LB, 5-10, 185) — Latu is one of the most versatile players offenses players in the PAL. He rushed for a team-leading 264 yards and scored eight TDs. He can catch passes out the backfield and can return punts and kicks.

Terra Nova

Dominic Gordon (sr., QB, 6-0, 160) — Following in the footsteps of older brother Anthony and Nate Gordon, Dominic enters his third season of varsity football, but has appeared in only 11 games over the last two seasons.

Nate Bendo (sr., WR, 6-0, 150) — A three-year varsity player, Bendo has grown into a go-to player for the Tigers. As a sophomore, he caught 10 balls for 132 yards.