San Mateo County football capsules — Best bets

The Burlingame Panthers pulverized Alvarez last week, 34-7. … The Gators ground out a 21-6 victory over Carlmont. … Burlingame beat SHP 28-17 in 2017. … The Panthers rushed for 307 yards in the opener, led by Curtis Lauti’s 117 on 11 carries, including two of the team’s four rushing TDs. As a team, they averaged 7.7 yards per carry. … Defensively, Burlingame swarmed all over the Alvarez QB, coming up with five sacks, with Dylan Neeley accounting for three of them. … SHP took the running back-by-committee approach to the extreme last week as 10 runners combined for 150 yards. Tevita Moimoi led them with 49 yards and both SHP TDs on 10 carries. … The Gators had their own swarming defense, holding Carlmont to just 114 total yards.

Menlo-Atherton (1-0) vs. Mitty (1-0) at Foothill College, 7 p.m.

The Menlo-Atherton Bears made a statement in a 28-0 win over Bellarmine last week. … The Mitty Monarchs buried Central Valley heavyweight Oakdale, 42-14. … Mitty pulled out a 30-23 win over M-A in 2017. … The Monarchs led Oakdale 26-0 at halftime, scoring 13 points in each of the first two quarters. … Bears QB Justin Anderson made his varsity debut and led the team in offense. He completed 5 of 11 passes for 124 yards and a TD while also rushing for 75 yards on 11 carries and scored two more TDs.

Palo Alto (1-0) at Half Moon Bay (1-0), 7 p.m.

The Palo Alto Vikings vanquished St. Ignatius 21-14 last week. … The Cougars clobbered Jefferson, 42-3. … HMB blasted Palo Alto in Week 2 last year, 49-7. … Cade Duncan and Tristan Hofmann have the makings of a potent 1-2 punch out of the backfield. Duncan gouged the Jefferson defense for 195 yards on just 12 carries, while Hofmann, the starting quarterback, rushed for 136 yards on only nine carries in the Cougars’ triple-read option offense. They also combined for four TDs on the ground, three for Duncan, with Hofmann throwing for a fifth.

Terra Nova (1-0) at Carlmont (0-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Terra Nova Tigers mauled San Benito 49-14 in their opener last week. … The Scots succumbed to Sacred Heart Prep, 21-6. … Jared Julian got his first varsity start at QB for Terra Nova, completing 16 of 28 passes for 255 yards and three TDs. Raphael Bendo also got some playing time, going a perfect 6 for 6 for 112 yards and two TDs of his own. … Layne Couri and Giovanni Fabiani-Wyat combined for 91 yards on 12 carries, as both average more than 7 yards per carry. … Carlmont managed only 114 yards of offense last week, but the defense acquitted itself well, holding SHP to 257. … RB Julian Morin finished with a game-high 74 yards on 17 carries, breaking off a 40-yard run early in the third quarter.

Independence (1-0) at Hillsdale (0-1), 7:30 p.m.

The Independence 76ers trounced Evergreen Valley 43-0 in the season opener last week. … The Knights were knocked off by Campolindo, 38-6. … Independence went 7-4 overall last season, finishing in second place in the BVAL’s Santa Teresa Division, the equivalent of the PAL’s Ocean Division. … Hillsdale struggled mightily on offense last week, managing just 129 yards. … Nate Iskander was a bright spot, rushing for 78 yards and a touchdown on just three carries.

Aptos (1-0) at Aragon (0-0), 7:30 p.m.

The Aptos Mariners sank Templeton 55-6 to start the season last week. … This is the Dons’ 2018 opener. … Aptos went 9-3 last season while going undefeated and winning the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League. … This will be the fourth meeting in three years between these two teams. They met twice in 2016, including the CCS semifinals, with Aptos winning both. Last year, Aragon posted a 28-27 victory.

SATURDAY

Piedmont (2-0) at Menlo School (0-0), 1 p.m.

The Piedmont Highlanders trampled Rodriguez-Fairfield last week, 55-24. … The Knights’ game with Mission-SF last week was canceled. … Menlo beat Piedmont last year, 28-7. … Through two games, the Highlanders have outscored their opponents 83-31.

Elk Grove (0-1) at Serra (0-1), 1 p.m.

The Elk Grove Thundering Herd were silenced by Inderkum in their season opener, 37-13. … The Padres were pummeled by Serra-Gardena, 41-22. … These two teams met in Week 2 last year, with Serra coming away with a 42-21 victory. … Elk Grove is coached by San Mateo native John Heffernan. … The Herd did not throw a single pass last week, gaining all 170 yards of their offense on the ground. … Serra was held to just 65 rushing yards last week. … QB Luke Bottari completed 18 of 28 passes for 200 yards, with a TD and an INT.