Football

Ken Flax/Special to the Town Crier
Senior Jacob Cortinas, carrying the ball against Capuchino, led Mountain View High in rushing Saturday.

After slumping to 1-3 with Saturday’s 38-32 home loss to Capuchino, the Mountain View High football team seems eager for the fresh start that comes with the opening of league play this week.

“We’re kind of starting over,” said quarterback JD Coyne, whose Spartans will try to snap a three-game losing streak when they visit Gunn 7 p.m. Friday to kick off their Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division slate. “We’ve got to put this loss behind us and go to work for league.”

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
St. Francis High tight end Joshua Pakola tries to escape the clutches of a De La Salle defender in Friday night’s game.

The cannon placed in the corner of St. Francis High’s football stadium was primed to fire early and often Friday night against De La Salle. But the blast – which accompanies every Lancers touchdown – didn’t come until late in the third quarter and again in the fourth, with the game out of reach.

St. Francis fell to the nationally ranked Spartans 33-15 in a game in which De La Salle gave the Lancers opportunities just as quickly as they failed to capitalize on them. The St. Francis defense forced four turnovers, but the offense scored just once off of them.

Los Altos High’s football opener against Fremont was ho-hum for three quarters, but the fourth more than made up for it. The teams combined for six touchdowns, and the host Eagles came away with a 27-24 win.

“Today was going to be a big eye-opener for us, to get a barometer to see where we’re at on the scale,” Los Altos coach Trevor Pruitt said. “I’m very pleased with our effort, and our passion, and the way we play football.”

Town Crier File Photo

Defending state champ St. Francis High returns standouts such as halfback Darrell Page, right.

The St. Francis High football team kicks off a quest to defend its state title Friday night, but the Lancers’ home opener won’t be the only one played at Brother Fisher Field this weekend.

The Lancers are slated to host the 2018 Honor Bowl, a high school football showcase dedicated to the service and sacrifice of members of the military. Five games will be played this weekend at St. Francis.