|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Menlo-Atherton High football team leaped in the driver’s seat of the PAL Bay Division following its dramatic 21-14 triumph over five-time defending league champion Aragon in a PAL Bay Division opener on Saturday afternoon in Atherton.
M-A (1-0, 3-1) kept Aragon standout running back Seta Pohahau in check by taking a 14-7 halftime lead. M-A scored on a 35-yard scoring pass from quarterback Troy McCabe to receiver Sam Knapp and added a 24-yard touchdown run from running back Will Latu.
The Bears upped the advantage to 21-7 early in the third quarter on a 15-yard scoring sprint from running back Jamal Wilkins. After Aragon (1-1, 2-2) cut the margin to 21-14, Pohahau took off from his own 1-yard line and raced 72 yards downfield before being stripped by M-A safety Shaka Pahulu, who recovered the loose ball and stopped the potential game-tying score.
Aragon’s final drive started at its own 28-yard line and lasted 2:56 before ending at the M-A 13-yard line as time expired.
“Our defense played great and containing Pohahau was big,” said M-A coach Bob Sykes. “Now we must be focused for Terra Nova.”
Pohahau, who entered the game as San Mateo County’s top rusher and is headed to BYU next season, gained 150 yards on 15 carries. McCabe threw for 144 yards in the game, while Latu gained 65 yards rushing. Knapp had five receptions for 92 yards.
