Wilcox High quarterback Tyson Bonilla (8) looks for an open receiver in the first quarter of their football game against Mountain View High in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)
ATHERTON — There was a sense of anticipation from the first big football matchup since the merger of two super leagues.
Menlo-Atherton and Wilcox, two of the dominant public high school football programs in the Central Coast Section, now are rivals under the banner of the Peninsula Athletic League’s Bay Division.
In its first non-playoff contest in San Mateo County in 11 years, Wilcox dominated the Bears, 41-3, on Friday night.
An aggressive defensive effort by Wilcox punctured the M-A ground game early and forced the Bears out of their game, both running and passing.
The result was a one-sided contest that ended with a running clock. Wilcox (4-2 overall) emerged with a 2-0 league record and left M-A (2-4, 0-1) searching for answers.
Wilcox quarterback Tyson Bonilla ran the Chargers’ split-back veer offense to perfection, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for another – a first-blood 22-yard TD throw to Will Ruff.
The Chargers rushed for 266 yards while building a 34-0 lead by midway through the third quarter.
Meanwhile, Wilcox limited M-A to 36 yards on the ground in 22 carries, and only 25 yards in total offense in the first half, taking the Bears completely out of their comfort zone and into chaos.
“Wilcox is known for its physicality,” Wilcox senior middle linebacker and captain Jeremiah Lewis said. “It’s the pressure we get on the line. If our linemen don’t get them, our ‘backers will. Once that happens, they’ve got no choice but to throw the ball.”
With its rushing attack stifled, M-A’s normally dynamic quarterback, Serra transfer Xander Eschelman, was pressured out of his rhythm in the passing game. The team’s best weapon, 6-foot-7 tight end/receiver Alek Marshall was not even targeted until the final minute of the first half.
Seeking to involve him more, Eschelman went to Marshall on a slant on the first play of the second half, only for cornerback Ri’yon Cooper to strip him of the ball, giving the Chargers possession on the M-A 28-yard line. That led to Bonilla’s 12-yard touchdown run for a 27-0 Wilcox lead.
Marshall, who according to his X (formerly Twitter) account has offers from eight Division I programs, including Houston, San Jose State, and Air Force, was held to two catches for 12 yards. Cooper had the responsibility in man coverage, with help over the top. Marshall had averaged six catches and 84 yards per game.
“Our defense was definitely locked in,” Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said. “Whenever we’re locked in against the run, and we’re able to cover guys, we’re pretty good.”
Offensively, Wilcox’s timing and precision kept the M-A defense off-balance. Elijah Walker rushed for 80 yards on 15 carries and scored from 23 yards, and Jamontay Amataga gained 74 yards on eight carries.
After the game, the PAL-Santa Clara Valley Athletic League merger was looked upon favorably by the opposing coaches.
“I like playing tough teams,” Rosa said. “And M-A’s a tough team. The score didn’t show it, but on the field, it was a tough game. That’s what you want. You want to play these games so that when you play teams later on, you’re ready to go.”
M-A coach Chris Saunders agreed that the leagues are stronger together — “It’s for the best,” he said.
But as he prepares his team for defending PAL Bay champ Sacred Heart Prep next week, Saunders hopes his team does not lose confidence after a tough loss.
“That’s why some people love football, because it’s full of adversity and learning opportunities, and chances for maturing and becoming a young man,” he said. “That’s what we’re confronted with. How do we handle this disappointment, the emotions of all this?”
Originally published at David Kiefer