Palo Alto pummels Scots

Carlmont (0-1) quarterback Tony Houseal and his receiving corps ended the night with a dubious distinction. Houseal completed 0-of-10 passes with an interception. There were a couple of drops, along with some underthrown balls. At least the Scots (0-1) could take satisfaction in their ground game. They rushed for 182 yards on 39 carries, and often times had the Vikings (1-0) on their heels. David Aknin, a bruising 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior, rushed for a game-high 120 yards on 19 carries. He scored Carlmont's only touchdown on a 2-yard run with 5:05 left in the second quarter, cutting the Scots' deficit to 13-7.

The score capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive, with Aknin carrying the ball five times on the series, including a dazzling 24 yard run up the gut. Just moments earlier, Carlmont was robbed of a touchdown after a referees' inadvertent whistle. Joey Wieler returned an interception 103-yards for a touchdown, only to have the ball placed all the way back to the Carlmont 20 after the official's gaffe. No matter: The Scots eventually scored anyways, but they had no answers for a Palo Alto team that wore down the Scots' defense. The Vikings amassed 354 yards, with quarterback Nick Goodspeed completing 11-of-21 passes for 167 yards. Cooper Miller and Teddy Jones combined for eight receptions and 110 yards.

"They definitely wore us down as the game went on," Carlmont coach Jason Selli said. "Our inability to complete a pass hurt us. Guys were open from what I understand; they just have to catch it. Our QB did a good job and it was pretty frustrating."

Speaking of frustration: The Scots lost their cool on the game's last series, committing three personal fouls, the last by Mafi Lutui, who was having a nice game before getting ejected with under two minutes remaining. Lutui rushed for 50 yards on nine carries, and he displayed some excellent runs as he routinely bowled over Vikings' defenders.

"Up until the last five minutes, I was proud of my team," Selli said. "What happened at the end was unacceptable. A lot of our players got frustrated and it was uncalled for."

Aknin proved to be the bright spot on an otherwise dreary night. His straight-ahead running style is smashmouth football at its best, and during one run in the third quarter he literally picked up a Palo Alto defender before tossing him aside. Behind an offensive line that includes Hau Tuikolongahau and James Walbridge, Aknin and Co. were able to control the clock and march down the field with blinding efficiency.

The Scots' Sam Holmes had a big night on defense, recording four tackles for losses, while Andrew Dennies and Joe Ferrari also made key contributions. Still, it wasn't enough as Palo Alto racked up 187 yards on the ground, 130 of which came from Will Frazier and Roger Prince, who had touchdown runs of 28 and 5 yards, respectively. Maurice Williams' 15-yard touchdown run put the Vikings up 26-7 with 16 seconds remaining in the third quarter.