Los Altos' 41-7 win clinches division
By Pete Borello, Town Crier Staff Writer
 Photos by R. Alan Hwang/Special to the Town Crier Los Altos High’s Yousef Saadeh, top, and Taeaonaisaua Tuufuli, bottom, sack Gunn quarterback Chris Gumbrecht, with Michael Dorricott, left, in pursuit. Los Altos had five sacks in Friday’s win. |
The celebration was so subdued - a smattering of claps, some smiles and a few congratulatory handshakes - it was hard to tell that the Los Altos High football team had just clinched the league title.
Perhaps it was because the Eagles expected to throttle Gunn, which they did by a score of 41-7 Friday in Palo Alto. Or maybe it had to do with them already turning their attention to Thursday’s SCVAL El Camino Division finale at Monta Vista, a team in title contention prior to last week.
“For us, it’s still like a playoff game anyway,” said coach Jeff Kalb, who is taking Los Altos to the Central Coast Section playoffs for the first time since 1998. “If we lose, we’re the eighth seed (in CCS) and have to go against Los Gatos or someone like that.”
While there’s no guarantee that the Eagles would avoid an unfavorable seed with a win Thursday (7 p.m. kickoff), it can’t hurt. Los Altos would be 9-1 overall, including 6-0 in division play.
Kalb seemed equally concerned about how his squad will perform in the playoffs against teams much better than those it dominated in the El Camino.
“It’s hard to sharpen your knife on soap,” said the coach, whose Eagles have outscored their division foes 190-35 this season. “The level of competition rises in CCS, and we’ll need to play a much more solid game.”
Los Altos may not have played its best game Friday, but the squad looked close to perfect compared to Gunn (2-7 overall). The Titans’ play was as sloppy as their field, muddied by the recent rain.
Los Altos put up 21 points in the first quarter and 41 by halftime; Gunn didn’t score until midway through the fourth. The Eagles gained 338 yards on offense; the Titans mustered 79. Los Altos didn’t punt until the second half; Gunn punted eight times.
“We knew we were capable of this,” said halfback Darrell Archie, who rushed for three touchdowns and 78 yards on six carries. “We executed, and they didn’t.”
Archie’s first touchdown came three plays into the game on a 23-yard burst. On the next series, he slipped past the defense for a 47-yard score. Kevin Serviss’ extra point pushed the lead to 14-0 with 6:31 left in the opening quarter.
Running mate Justine Arcune soon followed with a 10-yard touchdown run, and the rout was on. Arcune would later score from 2 yards out. He finished with 92 yards on 16 carries - a total topped only by teammate Kenny Peterman, who had 94 yards on four attempts.
The Eagles also scored on defense. Linebacker Trevor Phipps picked up a fumble by Gunn tight end Kyle Einfalt and raced 45 yards to the end zone.
Los Altos registered five sacks, 2 1/2 credited to standout defensive end Yousef Saadeh.
“He’s been a pillar for us,” Kalb said of the senior. “He should be league MVP.”
Other local football action
St. Francis sunk to 1-4 in the West Catholic Athletic League with Friday’s 10-6 home loss to St. Ignatius. The Lancers (4-4-1 overall) scored on Sam Scudellari’s 17-yard pass to Adrian Renaud in the fourth quarter.
