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Menlo School quarterback Sergio Beltran turned in a performance for the ages, completing 15 of 21 passes for 349 yards and seven touchdowns.
And he did it all in the first half of a 63-6 victory over Sequoia in the season opener for both teams.
He also rushed for 101 yards on eight carries, accounting for 450 yards of total offense in two quarters as the Knights led 49-6 at the break.
“An incredible performance,” Menlo coach Todd Smith said. “Actually it was an excellent performance by everyone. Our offensive line did well and once we got rolling the kids played with a lot of confidence.”
Beltran threw four touchdown passes in the first quarter to stake Menlo to a 28-0 lead, and then threw three more in the second quarter.
“All of us seniors know it’s our last year playing together, so we came in with a mentality that we were going to give it our all, every single play,” Beltran said. We just all had that as a common goal and worked for that.”
Three of his targets had 100-yard receiving days: Carter Jung caught four passes for 151 yards and three touchdowns. Robby Enright grabbed four for 102 yards and two touchdowns while Ben Banatao caught six for 108 yards and one TD. Ty Richardson had two touchdown receptions and Jack Giesler one.
The Knights had five receptions of 40 yards or more, eight of 20 yards or more.
“I’ve never seen a Menlo team in space block as hard as they did downfield,” Smith said.
Mark Tennis, of the high school record-keeping website Cal-Hi Sports, said Beltran’s seven TD passes in the first half put him in a tie for the second-most touchdown passes in a half in state history.
Jake Bianchi came on at quarterback in the second half and was 8 of 10 for 117 yards and two more touchdowns. Even with a running clock in effect from the second quarter on, Menlo finished with 466 yards passing along with all nine touchdowns the team scored.
Ross Muchnick was 9 of 9 on PATs.
While it was a performance beyond Menlo’s wildest dreams, it was conversely a nightmarish experience for Sequoia, which lost starting quarterback John Larios on a tackle by nose guard Ralston Raphael early in the first quarter.
The Ravens never got untracked, managing only 18 yards rushing. Thomas Flynn came on for Larios at quarterback and completed 6 of 13 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown, a 52-yard strike to Jaymason Howard.
