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Menlo shocks SHP to move closer to CCS berth  

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By Andrew Preimesberger
Palo Alto Online Sports

Sophomore quarterback Jack Heneghan threw for 169 yards and ran for 92 more to lead Menlo School to a surprising 26-0 nonleague football victory over cross-town rival Sacred Heart Prep Friday night at Foothill College.

The triumph put the Knights (2-3, 7-3) in a stronger position to possibly earn a Central Coast Section playoff berth, while SHP (3-2, 7-3) already had clinched a spot after finishing among the top four teams in the PAL Bay Division.

Heneghan set the table early for Knights as he threw for 120 yards and ran for 52 in the first half alone. Senior running back Dylan Mayer powered in for two touchdowns in the second quarter to give Menlo a 12-0 lead at halftime.

SHP quarterback Kevin Donahue came out in the second half looking cold – throwing for just 12 yards.

Menlo junior wide receiver Connor Stastny caught a 26-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter putting the Knights up 26-0 to seal the win.

The Sacred Heart offense was ineffective as it gave up nine turnovers throughout the game –- three on forced fumbles.

The Gators didn't seem to have much flow throughout the night, committing five penalties and only getting 61 yards in the air from Donahue, who has be subbing for the injured Jack Larson.

Heneghan was solid on the ground as he had 11 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Sacred Heart's Pat Bruni caught four passes for 67 yards to lead all receivers.

Menlo and Sacred Heart Prep will discover their postseason plans when the CCS seeds are decided on Sunday. Both will play in Division IV, where the Gators are the defending champions.

Gunn 54, Lynbrook 23
With senior JJ Strnad rushing for 228 yards on 13 carries, the Titans closed their season on a winning note in the SCVAL El Camino Division. Gunn finished 4-2 in the division, good for third place, and 4-5 overall.

"That was a really good team effort and a good way to end the year," Gunn coach Dan Navarro told gunntitans.com. "We got better as the season went along and I'm very happy with how well so many different guys played tonight."

Strnad had touchdown runs of 80 and 69 yards in the first half on back-to-back possessions. He finished an outstanding senior season with 21 touchdowns and 1,360 yards on 123 carries. His 341-yard outburst against Cupertino gave Strnad the school's single-game rushing mark.

Junior quarterback Andre Guzman threw four touchdown passes and 111 yards. Senior Skylar Larson caught three TD passes in addition to returning a punt 91 yards for a fourth score.

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Comments

Posted by Member, a resident of Menlo Park, on Nov 12, 2011 at 9:53 pm

But SHP's t-shirts said that they were "God's Gift to Football." But they didn't even score. And they always chant, "God on our side." That's a very strange little school they have there.


Posted by Gator, a resident of Atherton, on Nov 14, 2011 at 8:08 pm

PLEASE!!, just another arrogant Menlo comment. Our kids are Gods gift....are yours? We are a catholic school my friend.


Posted by Ghost of Harbaugh, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Nov 14, 2011 at 10:47 pm

Paly would beat an SHP/Menlo allstar team by 3 TDs


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