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By Andrew Preimesberger
Palo Alto Online Sports

Senior running back Tasi Teu ran for 117 yards and returned a 55-yard interception for a touchdown to lead Menlo-Atherton to a 28-21 victory over visiting Burlingame Friday night in PAL Bay Division action.

Menlo-Atherton remained in first place and improved to 2-0 (4-2 overall) while Burlingame fell to 0-2 (2-4 overall). The Bears have now won three in a row.

"It's not about the division standings -- it's about our team getting better every day," said Menlo-Atherton coach Sione Taufoou. "Our effort needs to continue to be on par and we need to take care of the off-the-field issues so we can improve."

Senior wide receiver Evan Perkins set the table early for the Bears with a 34-yard touchdown catch to put M-A ahead 7-0 in the first quarter. Perkins had a solid game with 48 yards and one touchdown.

With 1:54 left to go in the first quarter, senior fullback Alan Sakalia plunged into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown, giving Menlo-Atherton the 14-0 edge.

Burlingame answered back with a 65-yard touchdown, putting the Panthers down by just one touchdown at the end of the first half.

The Bears started out their second-half drive with a booming 37-yard touchdown run from Sakalia putting MA up 21-7 after the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter Teu stepped up big for the M-A defense when he intercepted a pass and brought it back 55 yards for a touchdown giving the Bears a 28-14 lead.

"It just kind of flashed before my eyes," said Teu. "I read the quarterback, got the pick, and saw all the blocks down the field -- luckily my team was behind me."

Burlingame struck back with a two-yard touchdown with 0:19 left to get to within seven. The Panthers tried an onside kick, but failed when junior wide out Sam Stroud came up with the ball, sealing the win for the Bears.

"We're playing Half Moon Bay," Taufoou of next week's game. "They play hard and we have to go there so it's going to be rough but we'll be all right."

Palo Alto 38, Wilcox 12
Palo Alto junior quarterback Keller Chryst threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth to pace the Vikings to a 38-12 victory over host Wilcox in a SCVAL De Anza Division game on Friday night in Santa Clara. Paly improved to 2-1 in the division (4-2 overall) heading into a crucial showdown next Friday against visiting Los Gatos.

Trailing 6-0 in the first quarter, Chryst scored on a one-yard run. James Foug kicked a 23-yard field goal for a 10-6 halftime lead. After intermission, Chryst hooked up with De'Antay Williams on a 10-yard score and then a six-yard scoring play to give the Vikings a 24-6 lead. A 25-yard pass to Matt Tolbert helped set up the TD.

After Justin Gates-Mouton ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run for a 31-12 lead in the third quarter, Chryst found Malcolm Davis for an 18-yard touchdown for a 38-12 lead with 5:06 left to play and eventually ran out the clock as Wilcox fell to 1-2 (3-3).

Since losing to Milpitas three weeks ago, Palo Alto has outscored the opposition, 93-26, in the past two games.

In other SCVAL De Anza Division games Friday, Milpitas (3-0, 5-1) handed Santa Clara (2-1, 5-1) its first loss of the season, 23-0; Los Gatos (3-0, 4-2) moved into a tie for first with Milpitas following a 38-13 win over last-place Mountain View (0-3, 2-4); and Saratoga (1-2, 4-2) routed Homestead (0-3, 2-4) by a 54-7 count.

South SF 43, Menlo School 39
Menlo School saw its homecoming festivities ruined when South San Francisco scored with 14.2 seconds left in the game to pull our a wild victory in PAL Ocean Division action Friday afternoon. The loss ended the Knights' winning streak at five, dropping them to 1-1 in league (5-1 overall).

South San Francisco (2-0, 3-3) ran 73 plays from scrimmage to 49 for Menlo. The Warriors had 61 running plays for 427 yards and added another 96 yards passing.

Menlo, which came into the game averaging 52.2 points per game, grabbed a 14-0 lead and held a 26-14 lead at the half. The Warriors took over in the second half as the teams combined for 42 points -- 29 by SSF.

After the Warriors went ahead 29-26, the teams traded leads three more times. Menlo junior quarterback Jack Heneghan, who completed 21 of 35 passes for a career-high 357 yards, hit Wiley Osborne on a 53-yard TD pass. SSF responded with a 73-yard touchdown drive before Heneghan scored on a five-yard run with 4:42 remaining in the game -- plenty of time for the Warriors' winning drive.

Lost in the setback was Connor Stastny's eight receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns and Max Parker's 84-yard kickoff return for a score -- his fourth kickoff return for a TD in 2012.

Priory 58, Trinity Christian 22
James McDaniel carried 25 times for 247 yards and scored five touchdowns as the Panthers won their fifth straight and remained unbeaten in the Mission Trails Athletic League.

Priory (3-0, 5-0) blew the game open a 22-16 game with 36 second-half points. McDaniel scored on runs of seven, four, 35, one and 38 yards. Will Latta added 12 rushes for 74 yards and scored on runs of one and 25 yards with Malik Reid adding 40 rushing yards on seven carries, which included a five-yard TD run.

Terra Nova 20, Sacred Heart Prep 13
The host Tigers ended the Gators' unbeaten season for the second straight season, this time in Game 5 following Friday's victory in Pacifica in PAL Bay Division action. Sacred Heart Prep falls to 1-1 in league (5-1 overall).

Terra Nova (1-0, 3-3), which snapped the Gators' four-game streak to start the 2011 season, grabbed a 14-7 halftime lead and kicked a pair of second-half field goals while scoring more points than SHP had given up in the five previous games (nine).

Kevin Donahoe got SHP on the board in the second quarter with a 23-yard TD pass to Derek Hunter. The two hooked up again in the fourth quarter, this time a one-yard score.

Pinewood 28, Anzar 14
Pinewood's defense led the way, scoring first with a 75-yard interception return by Greg Naumann for a 6-0 lead. The Panthers' offense followed with a 54-yard run by Owen Lewis and extra- point conversion pass from quarterback Kevin Tracy to Naumann to end the first quarter with a 14-0 lead in the MTAL game in Hollister.

Anzar (1-1) answered with a seven-yard run and conversion in the second quarter for a 14-8 game at the half.

Pinewood (1-1) started the second half with Tracy completing a 40-yard pass to Christian Meter -- setting up a one-yard run by Tracy and conversion by Naumann to lead 22-8 at the end of the third quarter.

Pinewood added a 40-yard run by Tracy to grab a 28-8 lead. Anzar answered with a 40-yard pass play and then recovered an onside kick. Pinewood's defense, however, held as Michael Sweat came up with a sack. Naumann led the effort with 18 tackles while Grayson Burdon added 13, Oscar Fick 12 and freshman Adrian Lucero finished with 11.

— Keith Peters contributed

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