SAN MATEO — One factor you won’t find out about San Mateo Excessive quarterback Cameron Palma?
“Big into collecting Pokemon cards,” he mentioned.
However what you may find out about Palma in the event you comply with Bearcat soccer is the third-year starter can lead an offense. On Friday evening in opposition to visiting Half Moon Bay, Palma rushed for 112 yards on 15 carries and threw two landing passes to guide the Bearcats to a 30-20 dwelling victory.
The consequence creates a showdown with Sequoia (3-0 in league) subsequent Friday for at the least a share of the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division title. San Mateo (7-1 general, 4-0) ripped off its six consecutive victory following a Week Two loss to Aragon. In the meantime, Half Moon Bay (6-2, 1-2) turns its consideration to Carlmont to land a comfort prize, a Central Coast Part at-large playoff bid.
If there was a Tremendous Electrical Breaker in Friday’s recreation, to borrow a Pokemon reference, it got here shortly – on San Mateo’s first offensive play, following a Half Moon Bay fumble pounced on by cornerback Ricky Gomez. The Bearcats don’t go a lot, however head coach Jeff Scheller referred to as for a deep throw to grab the momentum, and Palma hit Hamilton Pitney in stride for a 40-yard rating.
“They’re not going to expect it, so let’s take a shot,” Palma mentioned. “I wasn’t expecting that one either. Coach surprised me.”
One other Cougar fumble, additionally on a botched QB-RB alternate, got here early within the second quarter, with lineman John Juarez making the restoration at Half Moon Bay’s 34-yard line. 4 performs later, working again E.J. Fitzgerald was in the long run zone.
Two turnovers, 13 factors.
“That’s the difference in the game right there,” Half Moon Bay coach Ronnie Ekis mentioned.
Nonetheless, the sport remained removed from determined, with two related groups working the triple possibility. Half Moon Bay caught the Bearcats halfway by way of the third quarter, tying the rating 20-20 on a 15-yard run by Adler Halterman behind left deal with Taty Serrano.
However Palma, who performed each offensive and defensive snap as a two-way participant doubling at free security, was feeling good. With flawless reads, Palma ripped off positive factors of 8, 5, 11, 7, 17, and 24 yards on the following drive. His choices to maintain, hand off, or pitch had been primarily based on the protection’s reactions.
“I’m telling you, this guy’s a warrior,” Scheller mentioned.
Jovani Hernandez Cruz closed out the 11-play, 82-yard drive with a three-yard TD go-ahead run on the opening play of the fourth quarter for a 27-20 lead.
San Mateo rushed for 248 yards, far below its common of 342 going into the sport, however greater than sufficient on this occasion. The Bearcats make use of two wings, and a single again behind the quarterback. Any of them can carry the ball.
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“It’s a Flexbone,” Scheller mentioned. “It’s really hard to stop when you’re doing a good job.”
Ekis is aware of the offense properly, but additionally is aware of that it may be exploited if there’s a flaw. With a weaker ballcarrier, the protection can take away two choices and power the offense to go the third. However San Mateo, “doesn’t have a weakness,” Ekis mentioned. “All three options are very capable.”
A San Mateo defensive stand arrange an 11-play drive that ate up greater than six minutes off the clock. It included a six-yard run on fourth-and-4 by Fitzgerald and ended with a 22-yard subject aim by Yianni Fitzgerald for a 30-20 lead with 3:24 left to seal it, even with Half Moon Bay getting 99 yards on 18 carries from Halterman and Ronin McCauley catching six passes for 70 yards.
It wasn’t sufficient. The San Mateo protection closed out the sport, leaving the Bearcats inside attain of their very own model of the Inhabitants 1 PSA 10 Illustrator Pikachu, the most costly Pokemon card ever offered. In different phrases, a championship.
