Palo Alto a win from Super Bowl Palo Alto a win from Super Bowl (November 16, 2005)

Jr. Midgets capture conference crown, but Pee Wees knocked out

by Keith Peters

Should the Palo Alto Pop Warner Jr. Midgets win the Pacific Northwest Regional Championship and advance to the national championships, the Knights will have to thank a coach from a football team they never played.

Palo Alto was expected to play the unbeaten Vallejo Raiders in the regional finals on Nov. 27. The Raiders would have been 11-0 and heavily favored.

The Vallejo coach, however, reportedly lost his playbook that contains the players' birth certificates, photos, report cards and medical releases. Without that book, Vallejo couldn't play in the Redwood Empire championship last weekend and forfeited to the San Francisco Bombers.

San Francisco, which has lost four games this season, now advances to the regional finals against Palo Alto. That game will be played Nov. 27 at Santa Clara's Townsend Field at 1 p.m.

Palo Alto (9-1) now goes from underdog to favorite.

"I can't see them not going to the Super Bowl," said Mike Piha, coach of the Palo Alto Pee Wees. Piha's team dropped a 37-20 decision to Oak Grove on Saturday in the Peninsula Pop Warner Championships at Woodside.

The Jr. Midgets (11-13 year olds) took the field later Saturday and avenged the Pee Wees' defeat by posting a 22-6 over the older Oak Grove team.

Gabe Manzaneres gave the Palo Alto Jr. Midgets the lead on a 10-yard touchdown run, which was set up by a 30-yard run by Melvin Bellard. Domenic Cole provided the extra point and later rushed 25 yards to set up 10-yard touchdown run by Bellard.

The Knights put the game out of reach when quarterback Davante Adams fired a scoring pass to Brendon Rider.

Palo Alto's offensive line of Cory Valenti, Michael Cullen, Hunter Shaw and Darryl Johnson performed well in the title game. The defense was led by James Berry, Isias Flores, TJ Braff and Miles Anderson.

Should Palo Alto win on Nov. 27, the Knights will advance to the Super Bowl in Orlando, Fla., in December. The Jr. Midgets would be the fourth straight Pop Warner team from Palo Alto to reach the nationals and the fifth in seven years.

The Pees Wees (10-12) lost out on a possible trip following their high-scoring loss to Oak Grove. Trailing by 12-0, Palo Alto scored when quarterback Christoph Bono threw a 40-yard pass to Austin Braff. Jamari Beverly later scored on a five-yard run to bring Palo Alto to within 24-12. Palo Alto got the deficit to 30-20 in the fourth quarter.

The Pee Wees will play the San Francisco 49ers in the Frank Guida Memorial Bowl (consolation game) on Saturday at Woodside at 11 a.m.

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