By Pete Borello
Talk about a reversal of football fortunes: Los Altos High has made the Central Coast Section playoffs for the first time since 1998, while St. Francis has missed the cut for only the second time since 1976.
The Eagles are not just in, they’re at home in the first round. Seeded fourth in the CCS Medium School Division, Los Altos is scheduled to host No. 5 Mills at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Los Altos, which claimed the SCVAL El Camino Division title outright with Thursday night’s 43-34 victory at Monta Vista, is riding a six-game winning streak. The Eagles are 9-1 overall, and one of their wins is against Mills (7-3), whom they routed 28-0 in a non-league game Sept. 22.
“It’s fortunate to play a team we know we can beat,” said Eagles coach Jeff Kalb. “We still have to do it on the field, but it’s nice to know we’ve done it before.”
Not that Kalb is taking Saturday’s game for granted.
“They’re playing their best football right now,” he said of Mills, also a league champion that has won six games in a row. “They’re going to be motivated, and it’s tougher to beat a team the second time around.”
And what will it take to do so?
“We’ve got to secure the ball and cut down on mistakes,” Kalb said. “If we play our game and they play their game, we should come out on top.”
The coach called Thursday’s come-from-behind win at Monta Vista “a wake-up call.”
After leading 16-7 at halftime - scoring on a keeper by Danny Young, a run from Devin Matthews and a field goal from Kevin Serviss - the Eagles trailed 28-24 in the third quarter. A short run by Justin Arcune put Los Altos back on top by quarter’s end, however, and it didn’t relinquish the lead again.
The Eagles extended their advantage early in the fourth when Young connected with Kenny Peterman on a long touchdown pass for the second time. DJ Archie sealed the victory by returning a kick 65 yards for a score.
Although Los Altos’ defense gave up a season-high 34 points, the unit did come up with three interceptions. Jose Taylor picked off a pass late in the game that ended any hopes Monta Vista (3-3, 7-3) had for a comeback.
As for 14-time CCS champion St. Francis, winning Saturday’s game at Riordan wasn’t enough to earn a playoff berth. The Lancers went 5-4-1 overall, but their 2-4 mark in the West Catholic Athletic League put them too far down in the standings to qualify.
St. Francis beat Riordan 29-12 behind the running of Robert Enquist. He rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
The area’s other local teams - Homestead and Gunn - also failed to make the postseason. Both teams finished 2-8 overall.
