Saratoga News Photograph by George Sakkestad Prospect's Sal Washington ran for 145 yards and scored a couple of touchdowns, but the Panthers lost 41-20 to Willow Glen last Friday afternoon. Warriors and Falcons did it Local football teams in CCS playoffs By Dick Sparrer Westmont did it one way, Saratoga did it another. But both local high school football teams did it... they made it to the Central Coast Section play-offs. Westmont got there by winning the championship in the West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. And Saratoga got there by finishing second in the rugged De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. For Westmont, winning the division championship was its only ticket to the post-season. Only the first place team in the West Valley Division earns an automatic CCS berth, and the Warriors were 1-3 out of league, so would not have qualified for an at-large spot. Saratoga, on the other hand, had plenty of qualifying points to claim a CCS berth, but the Falcons didn't need to use them. The top three clubs in the De Anza Division advance automatically to the playoffs, and Saratoga was a solid second. Saratoga takes a 6-3-1 season record into its first-round Division IV play-off game this week. The Falcons host Valley Christian (6-3-1) on Nov. 21, 7 p.m., at Los Gatos. The Warriors, led by former Saratoga head coach Mike Machado, won an at-large berth after tying for third in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL. Valley beat league champ Santa Teresa during the regular season. Saratoga beat Mitty and playoff-bound Willow Glen in the pre-season, while losing to Soquel. The Falcons lost only to division champ Milpitas and Los Gatos during the league season. The Wildcats are also a play-off team. Saratoga wrapped up the regular season last week by fighting Los Altos to a 19-19 tie in a nonleague. The Eagles were co-champions in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL and will join the Falcons in the CCS Division IV bracket. Los Altos opens the play-offs against Terra Nova, Willow Glen visits San Lorenzo Valley, and Palma hosts Seaside in open first-round games in the division. Westmont earned a berth in the CCS Division III playoffs by winning the West Valley Division crown. The Warriors, 5-1 in league play, take a 6-4 season mark into the postseason. The Warriors open CCS play Saturday at Aragon, 1 p.m. The Dons are 8-1-1 this fall. Alvarez of Salinas visits Los Gatos, King City faces Monterey in Gilroy, and Jefferson takes on St. Ignatius at Kezar Stadium in other games in Division III. Warriors win title Westmont clinched its championship and CCS spot with a tight 18-12 win over Yerba Buena last afternoon. Junior quarterback Tony Oka threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the victory that secured Westmont's first championship since 1981. Oka tossed a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Brando in the second period, then hit Mike Hilbert for 25 yards and a score before intermission. Westmont led just 12-6 at the break, but Oka ran for a 3-yard TD in the third period to clinch the win for the Warriors. Oka finished the day hooking up on 8 of 20 passes for 127 yards to lead Westmont to the victory. Brando led the rushing attack with 62 yards on four carries, and Hilbert ran for 49 yards on seven tries. T.J. Aimonetti led the defense with a pair of quarterback sacks for the Warriors. The win left Westmont in a first-place tie with Mt. Pleasant in the division. But the Warriors advance to the post-season by virtue of their 13-9 win over the Cardinals in the regular season. Falcons tie Eagles While Westmont was beating Yerba Buena out in East San Jose, Saratoga was fighting from behind to pull out a tie against Los Altos up north. The Eagles, co-champs with Santa Clara in the El Camino Division, opened up a 9-0 lead in the first period before Brent Colman scored on a 4-yard run early in the second to get the Falcons on the scoreboard. But Los Altos kicked a field goal and returned a fumble for a touchdown later in the quarter to take a 19-6 lead by the intermission. Saratoga fought back in the second half, though. Ryan Bernard ran eight yards for a touchdown in the third period and Eric Bickenbach kicked the extra point to cut the LA lead to 19-13. Saratoga tied it in the fourth when Colman shot in from the 4, but the attempted extra point kick was blocked, and the game ended in a tie. Juniors star Sal Washington and Jordan Williams left the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL with a warning last Friday--watch out for Prospect in 1999. The two juniors put up big numbers in the final game of the season for the Panthers, and they figure to make Prospect a force in the division next fall. Williams, a solid junior quarterback for Prospect, hooked up on 7 of 15 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington, a speedy junior back, ran for 145 yards and scored twice for the Panthers. Still, despite the efforts of Washington and Williams, Prospect dropped a lopsided 41-20 decision to Willow Glen in the Friday afternoon game. The Rams, who clinched a share of the division championship with the victory, opened up a 35-0 first-half lead before the Panthers could get on the scoreboard. Prospect scored before the half on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Washington. Brandon Delgado kicked the extra point, and the Panthers trailed 35-7 at the break. Prospect came right out and scored in the second half. Washington capped a drive with a 3-yard touchdown run and Delgado converted to make it 35-14. The Rams answered back with a touchdown, but the Panthers later added one more score. Williams fired a 22-yard TD toss to Andrew Heling to make the final 41-20. The loss left Prospect 0-5-1 in the Santa Teresa Division. The Panthers tied Silver Creek 7-7, but lost their other five games. Prospect finished the season 1-8-1. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, November 18, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.