By Pete Borello

High School Football Report

Cupertino clobbers Los Altos 35-6

With only one win midway through the season and a non-league game at unbeaten Los Gatos looming, it’s make-it-or-fake-it time for Los Altos High.

Eagles coach Ken Green is hopeful his 1-4 football team will strive to get better rather than simply play out the schedule like it did during last year’s winless campaign.

“We have four league games left, so we can still turn it around,” he said after Los Altos’ 35-6 homecoming loss to Cupertino last Saturday. “It’s going to come down to our mental attitude and how we handle it.”

The Eagles came into Saturday’s game pumped up by the presence of the biggest home crowd of the season and the chance to knock off an SCVAL El Camino Division contender.

But after an encouraging first quarter in which Los Altos took a 6-0 lead on Shawn Girouard’s 19-yard scoring strike to Mike Sage, the Eagles fell flat.

The offense sputtered, never again moving beyond the Pioneers’ 38-yard line. Los Altos had sparse success on the ground (rushing for just under 100 yards) and Cupertino’s relentless pass rush gave Girouard little time to throw.

A holding call wiped out what would have been Girouard’s longest completion, a 35-yarder to Gerryn Hamilton in the second quarter.

All told, the Eagles (0-2 division) made 11 penalties.

“We work on it all week and we still make mental errors,” Green said of his penalty-plagued team. “It’s just silly stuff that’s really killing us.”

Yet Los Altos trailed only 14-6 entering the final quarter. And that’s when the Eagle defense, undermanned and undersized, began to wear out against Cupertino’s huge offensive line. The Pioneers (2-0, 4-1) scored on all three of their fourth-quarter drives to put the game away.

Los Altos plays at Los Gatos, which has won 31 games in a row, at 7:30 p.m., Friday.

Mtn. View 39, Lynbrook 6

Halfback Nick Hilger took advantage of his first start, rushing for 34 yards and three TDs in the Spartans’ road rout Friday.

Mountain View (1-1, 4-1) got rolling early, as Sean Manson tossed a 52-yard scoring pass to Kalani Buonos on the first play from scrimmage. Manson finished 16 of 28 for 130 yards.

The Spartans play their homecoming game at 3:15 p.m., Friday, against fellow El Camino Division contender Cupertino.

Valley Christian 14, St. Francis 13

Former St. Francis quarterback Tyler Mariucci helped Valley Christian pull out a key West Catholic Athletic League game Friday in Mountain View. His 37-yard pass set up the winning score in the fourth quarter.

The lone TD for the Lancers (0-1, 2-3) came on Will Taufoou’s 1-yard run in the third.

Gunn 49, Saratoga 14

Doug Campbell threw for 151 yards and three TDs, two to Phil Ghilarducci, in Gunn’s SCVAL De Anza Division romp.

The Titans improved to 2-0 division, 5-0 overall.