Football

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier

Mountain View High receiver Austin Flax races to the end zone in Friday’s game. The junior scored two touchdowns in the win.

With Friday’s 34-6 rout of rival Los Altos, the Mountain View High football team has entered unfamiliar territory. The Spartans are off to their first 3-0 start since Shelley Smith took over as head coach in 2013.

“It’s promising, and that’s what you want,” said Smith, whose squad has outscored its opponents by a combined 114-13. “We’ve got some momentum going here, and we’re doing some nice things.”

Lina Broydo/Special to the Town Crier
RJ Gillen, a pro scout for the San Francisco 49ers, speaks at a Rotary Club of Los Altos meeting earlier this year.

RJ Gillen could certainly be considered a film buff, though he doesn’t watch movies as he stares at the screen for up to 12 hours a day. The Mountain View resident pores over game film of football players for his job as a pro personnel scout for the San Francisco 49ers.

“It’s a grind – seven days a week pretty much (during the season),” said Gillen, who’s in his fifth year with the 49ers. “But it’s not like I dread coming to work; a lot of days, the time flies by.”

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier

Los Altos High linebacker Miguel Tepepa sacks quarterback Austin Jobe in Thursday’s Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Game.

The North’s 34-17 win in Thursday’s Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Game at Westmont High marked the squad’s first victory over the South since 2014, and four local football players helped make it happen.

Los Altos High linebacker Miguel Tepepa and Mountain View High safety Danny Olsen contributed to a defense that held the South scoreless for the first and fourth quarters of the 45th annual showcase for the county’s top graduated seniors. On the other side of the ball, Los Altos’ Tyler St. Laurent and St. Francis’ Matthew Azzopardi played on an offensive line that opened big holes for runners and provided plenty of protection for passers.

Town Crier File Photos
Mountain View High’s Danny Olsen secures the ball after taking a hit last fall. Olsen intends to dish out the hits at safety in Thursday’s Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Game. His North teammates include Miguel Tepepa and Tyler St. Laurent of Los Altos High and St. Francis High’s Matthew Azzopardi.

There’s no getting around the fact that Thursday night’s Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Game is an exhibition, yet that doesn’t mean the football players and coaches are taking it lightly.

“The coaches remind us to have fun, but winning comes first,” Mountain View High safety/halfback Danny Olsen said. “At the end of the day, we’re competitors.”