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Junior fullback Sione Mataele plowed in from less than a yard away for the winning points in the fourth overtime to cap Palo Alto’s improbable 41-38 victory over Palma in the CCS Open Division semifinals Friday night at San Jose City College.
The victory by No. 2-ranked Vikings (11-1) over the No. 2 Chieftans (10-2), winners of 10 section titles, puts Palo Alto in the Open Division championship game next Friday (7 p.m.) at San Jose City College against top seed Oak Grove, a 23-22 winner over No. 5 Serra on Saturday night.
After barely escaping with a 23-21 win over Aragon last week in the CCS opening round, Palo Alto knew it had to play better, play smarter and take control of the game in order to beat perennial CCS champion Palma, which was hoping to reach its 14th CCS championship game.
The Vikings certainly did what they needed to do, shutting down the Chieftans’ high-powered offense during regulation that ended in a 14-14 deadlock following Mataele’s one-yard run with 6:22 left in regulation. Mataele had given Paly a 7-6 lead in the second quarter.
Mataele finished the game with 128 yards rushing on 21 carries.
The Chieftains missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt with 13.4 seconds left in regulation that would have won it. Palma also missed a 26-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter.
Once in overtime, each team got the ball on the 10-yard line with four plays to score.
Paly immediately grabbed a 21-14 lead when Will Frazier ran it in from the 10.
Palma scored on a fourth-and-one situation to send the game into the second overtime.
Paly senior quarterback Nick Goodspeed threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Mataele for a 28-21 lead, but Palma countered again.
The teams matched touchdowns again — Mataele scored his fourth TD from four yards out — and the score remained tied, at 35. But Palo Alto finally got the edge in the fourth extra period.
With the ball at the 6-yard line, Palma quarterback Brian Reader pump-faked to the left, then spun around to the right — right into Palo Alto defensive end Buddy Benaderet, whose pressure forced a second incompletion.
Palma went for a field goal and Kyle Harrigan nailed it from 23 yards.
The Vikings, who outrushed Palma 222-124, knew the game was going to be theirs.
Paly took over from the 10 and Frazier rushed for six yards. Mataele took a handoff and plowed down to the one. On third down, Mataele followed Koloto and Uly Morales in for the winning points.