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Football

Varsity Football Team 2004

Assistant Coaches

Adolph Bertero, Roger Fernando, Alex Georgakopoulos, 

Pat Johnson, Ken Major, Ray Morris, Ron Risi, Randy Takahashi 

NCS Playoffs

St. Mary's at Acalanes

NCS Semi-Finals

at Bishop O'Dowd

2004 Acalanes Fall Sports Schedules (Tentative)

Football

FROSH
9/16/2004 - Thursday 4:00 PM - vs College Park High School (@ Acalanes)
9/23/2004 - Thursday 5:00 PM - vs Campolindo High School (@ Campolindo)
9/29/2004 - Wednesday 5:00 PM - vs Mt. Diablo High School (@ Mt. Diablo)
10/7/2004 - Thursday 4:00 PM - vs Concord High School (@ Concord)
10/14/2004 - Thursday 5:00 PM - vs Dublin High School (@ Acalanes)
10/21/2004 - Thursday 5:00 PM - vs Las Lomas High School (@ Las Lomas)
10/28/2004 - Thursday 5:00 PM - vs Alhambra High School (@ Alhambra)
11/4/2004 - Thursday 3:30 PM - vs Northgate High School (@ Acalanes)
11/11/2004 - Thursday 5:00 PM - vs Miramonte High School (@ Acalanes)

VARSITY
9/10/2004 - Friday Colfax High School (TBA)

VARSITY, JV
9/17/2004 - Friday 4:00 PM - 9:30 PM - vs College Park High School (@ College Park)
9/24/2004 - Friday 4:30 PM - 9:30 PM - vs Campolindo High School (@ Acalanes)
9/30/2004 - Thursday 4:30 PM - 9:15 PM - vs Mt. Diablo High School (@ Acalanes)
10/8/2004 - Friday 4:30 PM - 9:30 PM - vs Concord High School Homecoming (@ Acalanes)
10/15/2004 - Friday 4:30 PM - 9:15 PM - vs Dublin High School (@ Dublin)
10/22/2004 - Friday 4:30 PM - 9:15 PM - vs Las Lomas High School (@ Acalanes)
10/29/2004 - Friday 4:30 PM - 9:15 PM - vs Alhambra High School (@ Acalanes)
11/5/2004 - Friday 4:30 PM - 9:15 PM - vs Northgate High School (@ Northgate)
11/11/2004 - Thursday 4:30 PM - 9:15 PM - vs Miramonte High School (@ Miramonte)
11/19/2004 - Friday TBA - NCS (TBA)
11/20/2004 - Saturday TBA - NCS (TBA)
11/26/2004 - Friday TBA - 2nd. Round NCS (TBA)
11/27/2004 - Saturday TBA - 2nd. Round NCS (TBA)
12/3/2004 - Friday TBA - NCS Championship (TBA)
12/4/2004 - Saturday TBA - NCS Championship (TBA)

"You know Priest Holmes from the Kansas City Chiefs? We're trying to get him," Thompson said with a laugh.

Sure. What team wouldn't like to add an all-pro player to its roster?

Thompson's response may have been made in pure jest, but it speaks volumes as to the task at hand for his team.  The Dons enter the season without their prolific running back, who graduated last year after rushing for 1,414 yards and 18 touchdowns.  O'Neill's absence leaves a gaping hole in Acalanes offense. Just how gaping remains to be seen, but it will be significant considering the shifty back led the Diablo Foothill Athletic League in rushing and averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

"You can't replace a kid like that, on or off the field," Thompson said. "We have a big hole to fill, and we've got a number of kids that are trying."

Senior Zane Blackman and juniors Sam Briggs and Chris Floyd are on a shortlist of athletes capable of filling the void. The team may opt to adopt a run-by-committee approach, but nothing is set in stone at this point.

O'Neill may be gone, but starting quarterback Greg Corbett is still around. That's good news for Acalanes.  Corbett had a solid junior campaign last season. He completed 89 of 182 passes for 1,526 yards and 14 touchdowns, while spearheading an offense that averaged 332.8 yards per game. Corbett had eight interceptions on the season.  The Dons also return receiver Dan Masi, defensive back Gavin Beeman and lineman Brian Diemer, among others.  Acalanes will see where it stands when it opens the season Sept. 10 at Colfax. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Then the team will have a week to prepare for the DFAL season, which starts off with a bang against College Park and Campolindo.  Acalanes finished tied with Las Lomas in the DFAL with a 6-3 mark last season and was 8-4 overall, after advancing to the North Coast 
Section 2A East Bay semifinals.

"Las Lomas will be very good, but it's Miramonte's league until someone takes it from them," Thompson said. "Expect us to compete."

Priest Holmes or no Priest Holmes.

DFAL Football Preview from Contra Costa Times

"It's (Miramonte's) league," Longero said. "Someone's got to beat them. Until that happens, it's their league."

Coaches around the DFAL remain wary of the Matadors, even if they are without players such as Dominick Carrie, Taylor Humphrey and Luke Sassano. But they also contend that if anyone is to push Miramonte for the DFAL crown, it's Las Lomas.  The Knights return a solid mix from a team that captured its second consecutive NCS title last season, including quarterback Jon Loeliger.

"Las Lomas looks very good," Acalanes coach Ron Thompson said. "But it's Miramonte's league until someone takes it from them." It's been a while since that's happened. The Matadors haven't dropped a league game since falling to Alhambra during the 1999 season. That was 39 games ago.  Graduation dealt Campolindo a bit of a hit, but the squad should be in the thick of it as well.

"From top to bottom, it's going to be competitive," said Dublin coach Tim Silva. "I don't think there's a team in our league that won't be competitive."

Acalanes

• COACH: Ron Thompson, fifth year
• 2003 RECORD: 8-4, 6-3

• TOP RETURNEES: RB/DB Dan Masi, Jr.; QB/DB Gavin Beeman, Jr.; OL/LB Brian Diemer, Jr.; FB/LB Sam Briggs, Jr.; WR Mike Lichtenstein, Sr.; QB Greg Corbett, Sr.; OL/DL Wyatt Zorn, Sr.; OL Nick Corr, Sr.; OL/DL Mike Balestrieri, Jr.; RB Zane Blackman, Sr.; DL Dan Lopez, Jr.

• TOP NEWCOMERS: OL/LB Nick Bruzzone, Jr.; LB/FB Chris Bohannon, Jr.; TE Cole Adcock, Jr.; RB Chris Floyd, Jr.

• KEY LOSSES: RB Tim O'Neill, WR Phil Gyulai, OL/DL Tony Ferraris, WR Peter Doherty, DB Derek Minetti, RB/DE Marshall Nunn, LB Kevin Joyce

• OUTLOOK: Replacing a running back as prolific as O'Neill will be tough, but that's the task at hand for the Dons. O'Neill rushed for 1,414 yards last season. A number of players will see time in the backfield, including Floyd, Briggs and Blackman.

Full article can be found here.

Colfax scored 14 unanswered third-quarter points to put the game away.  Running back Zane Blackman gained 95 yards on 18 carries for Acalanes (0-1).

Acalanes 0 6 0 8 -- 14
Colfax 7 0 14 6 -- 27

C -- Mayo 82 pass from Kleppe (Capuchino kick)
A -- Belton 5 pass from Corbett (kick failed)
C -- Ohnmacht 24 run (Capuchino kick)
C -- Snyder 5 run (Capuchino kick)
A -- Blackman 44 yard pass from Corbett (pass from Corbett)
C -- Snyder 35 run (kick failed)

Note: other statistics not available at press time

• WHERE: Diablo Valley College, 321 Golf Club Road, Pleasant Hill
• WHEN: 7 p.m.
• RECORDS: Acalanes 0-1, College Park 0-1
• LAST WEEK: College Park lost to Clayton Valley 24-14; Acalanes 
lost to Colfax 27-14• 

FACTS: These teams put on quite an offensive display when they met last season. The Dons prevailed 42-35, courtesy of former running back Tim O'Neill's four-touchdown effort.

Zane Blackman rushed for 114 yards as the Dons held off the host Falcons in a DFAL opener.  Acalanes (1-1 overall) led 27-14 entering the fourth quarter, before College Park (0-2, 0-1) scored twice in the final period to narrow the gap.

Chris Bahannon rushed for only 4 yards for the Dons but scored two 
touchdowns. Cole Adcock gained 65 yards in just four carries, including a 24-yard touchdown run.  Dan Lorenzana (61 rushing yards) and Sam Briggs (42) also ran for Dons touchdowns.

Acalanes quarterback Greg Corbett threw for 141 yards, including a 
24-yard TD strike to Adcock.  The Falcons scored with just 1:14 left in the game, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Dons, who ran out the clock.

A -- Briggs 1 run (kick failed)
CP -- Healey 53 run (Healey kick)
A -- Bohannon 1 run (Blackman run)
CP -- Fragger 6 run (Healey kick)
A -- Lorenzana 37 run (Arnold kick)
A -- Adcock 24 run (Arnold kick)
A -- Bohannon 1 run (kick failed)
CP -- Fragger 33 run (Healey kick)
CP -- Marquez 22 pass from Healey (Healey kick)

ACA   CP
First downs n/a 11
Rushing yards 233 41-367
Passing 9-16-1 2-4-0
Passing yards 141 25
Total offense 374 392
Fumbles/lost n/a 1/0

Individual statistics
Rushing: A -- Blackman 26-114, Lorenzana 6-61, Briggs 5-42, Chritton 1-12, Bohannon 4-4. CP --Fragger 16-190, Healey 19-105, Marquez 5-72, Bautista 1-0.
Passing: A -- Corbett 9-16-1 141. CP -- Healey 2-4-0 25.
Receiving: A -- Adcock 4-65, Dhillon 2-39, Biemer 1-17, Blackman 1-11, Beeman 1-9. CP -- Marquez 2-25.

Records: Acalanes 1-1, 1-0 DFAL; College Park 0-2, 0-1.

Campolindo (1-1, 1-0 DFAL) had success moving the ball in the first two weeks of the season against San Ramon Valley and Dublin, averaging over 450 yards per contest. But Macy doesn't want his team to have to do that every week to win games.

"The biggest concern for us is our defense and how much they can progress," Macy said. "We can't expect to win a high-scoring game 
every week. That puts a lot of pressure on our offense."

Campolindo quarterback Nick Graziano has been up to the task, throwing for 695 yards and four touchdowns so far. His favorite targets have been Phil Galligan, Braden Williams and Michael Vandenberg, who have combined for 586 of those yards.

Acalanes coach Ron Thompson knows his team has to defend Campolindo's passing game to have a shot at winning.

"The biggest key for us is to make them run the ball," Thompson said. "When they do pass the ball, our defensive backs have to be in the area. We also want to get a pass rush with our front four. If that happens, we'll be right in the game."

Acalanes' offense made strides last week against College Park after scoring just two touchdowns in a week 1 loss to Colfax.  Quarterback Greg Corbett completed 9 of 16 passes for 141 yards, and running back Zane Blackman carried the ball 26 times for 114 yards 
to help lead the Dons (1-1, 1-0) to a 33-28 win over the Falcons.

"It's hard to replace a (graduated) Tim O'Neill, but (Zane) did some very nice things in there," Thompson said. "Greg is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and has the capability of playing at the Division I level. He needs to be better with his feet, but he puts a very nice touch on the ball."

But one play in particular was anything but typical. Late in the first half with Campolindo deep in its own end, Cougars quarterback Nick Graziano was flushed out of the pocket and forced to scramble to his right.  Graziano then eluded the three Acalanes defenders that were chasing him, scrambled back to the left side and heaved a pass across his body 60 yards downfield. Waiting was receiver Phil Galligan, who caught the ball over an Acalanes defender and ran into the end zone for a 79-yard touchdown.  The Cougars (2-1, 1-1 DFAL) knew Graziano had a strong arm. But the play, which gave Campolindo a comfortable 23-7 lead, still left most of them in awe.

"He's done a couple of those," Campolindo coach Kevin Macy said of Graziano. "But it would be nice to give him better blocking and give him a chance to set up in the pocket. The passing game wasn't as clean as we would like because there wasn't many opportunities for (Graziano to set up). They flushed him out pretty good."

Graziano still completed 10 of 20 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Galligan, who caught six passes for 239 yards and the one touchdown.  Graziano and Galligan are proving to be one of the more prolific quarterback-receiver combinations in the DFAL. Before Friday's game, the pair had combined for 15 catches, 240 yards and two touchdowns.  

Acalanes coach Ron Thompson was hoping his team could stop either Campolindo's running game or its passing game.  But Campolindo also ran the ball effectively most of the night and finished with 205 yards on the ground. Tailback Travis Haffner, a replacement for the injured Alex Solomon, had 30 carries for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

"Either Graziano was going to have to beat us or (Haffner) was going to have to beat us," said Thompson, whose team dropped to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the DFAL. "We had designed (the defense) where if (Campolindo) found it and they ran it, well, they were going to hurt us. And it did."

Campolindo's defense picked off Acalanes quarterback Greg Corbett twice in the second half to help preserve the win. Corbett finished with 12 completions for 194 yards and a touchdown. Dons running back Zane Blackman had 130 yards on 19 carries.

C -- Haffner 3 run (kick failed)
C -- Franey 24 FG
A -- Masi 46 pass from Corbett (Blackman kick)
C -- Graziano 2 run (Franey kick)
C -- Galligan 79 pass from Graziano (Franey kick)
C -- Franey 31 FG
A -- Blackman 2 run (Adcock pass from Corbett)
C -- Clifton 15 pass from Graziano (Franey kick)
C -- Haffner 9 run (Franey kick)

CAM   ACA
First downs 15 13
Rushing yards 40-205 31-152
Passing 10-20-0 12-27-2
Passing yards 276 194
Total offense 481 346
Fumbles/lost 0/0 0/0

Individual statistics
Rushing: C -- Haffner 29-173, Graziano 9-33, Canbazoglu 2-(-1). A -- 
Blackman 19-130, Briggs 5-25, Floyd 2-11, Lorenzana 2-0, Spieler 1-(-3), Corbett 2-(-11).  

Passing: C -- Graziano 10-20-0 276. A -- Corbett 12-26-2 194, Beeman 0-1-0 0.

Receiving: C -- Galligan 6-239, Clifton 1-15, Vandenberg 1-9, Canbazoglu 1-9, Haffner 1-4. A -- Masi 2-57, Beeman 2-51, Dhillon 2-24, Adcock 2-16, Blackman 2-7, Litchenstein 1-29, Granlund 1-10.

Records: Campolindo 2-1, 1-1 DFAL; Acalanes 1-2, 1-1.

Inder Dhillon hauls in Greg Corbett Pass in Don's Loss Friday

A -- Blackman 7 run (Arnold kick)
MD -- Brown 43 run (Nguyen kick)
A -- Blackman 53 run (kick failed)
A -- Masi 12 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
A -- Adcock 19 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
MD -- Pongia 55 pass from Havrilla (Nguyen kick)
A -- Adcock 33 pass from Beeman (Arnold kick)
MD -- Harris 7 pass from Havrilla (kick failed)
A -- Masi 63 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick )
MD -- Price 35 pass from Havrilla (run failed)
A -- Lorenzana 5 run (Arnold kick)
MD -- Pongia 44 pass from Havrilla (pass failed)
A -- Litchenstein 24 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)

MD ACA
First downs 15 16
Rushing yards 35-229 36-333
Passing 13-30-2 7-17-0
Passing yards 233 162
Total offense 462 495
Fumbles/lost 3/2 3/1

Individual statistics
Rushing: MD -- Brown 25-183, Vella 2-22, Pongia 5-16, Havrilla 3-8. A -- Blackman 19-240, Briggs 6-50, Lorenzana 4-29, Beeman 2-13, Floyd 2-2, Spieler 1-2, Corbett 1-(-1), Richmond 1-(-2).

Passing: MD -- Havrilla 13-30-2 233. A -- Corbett 6-14-0 129, Beeman 1-3-0 33.

Receiving: MD -- Price 5-78, Molson 4-42, Pongia 2-99, Harris 2-14. A -- Masi 2-75, Adcock 2-52, Litchenstein 1-24, Lorenzana 1-8, Dhillon 1-3.

Records: Acalanes 2-2, 2-1 DFAL; Mt. Diablo 0-4, 0-3.

• WHERE: Acalanes High School, 1200 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette
• WHEN: 7 p.m.
• RECORDS: Concord 1-3, 1-2 DFAL; Acalanes 2-2, 2-1
• LAST WEEK: Acalanes beat Mt. Diablo 55-32, Concord lost to Dublin 12-7.
• FACTS: The Dons will look to tighten things up defensively, as they've given up a total of 72 points in their past two games. The Minutemen are getting close. Their past two losses were both by five points or less.

Senior running back Zane Blackman ran for 151 yards and all three of the Dons' touchdowns, but Mike Spieler's block of a Concord extra-point attempt was the difference in the Acalanes win.

"This game gave us a little element," Dons coach Ron Thompson said, whose defense surrendered the lowest point output of the season against Concord (1-4, 1-3 DFAL). "I hope this can take us to the next level. It was a good win this week."

Acalanes (3-2, 3-1) lost two fumbles, was stuffed on two fourth-down attempts and was shut out 7-0 in the first half. Sean Jones scored Concord's first touchdown with a 57-yard strike from Tony Kloberdanz, who threw three touchdown passes.  The teams scored in each of the first five second-half possessions. In the opening drive, Blackman scored on a 5-yard sweep to tie the game. Ricky Reger returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dons' 34 and Bobby Schneider beat Blackman deep on the first play to give the Minutemen a 14-7 lead.

On the next possession, late in the third quarter, Blackman ran it in from the 1 to tie the game again. The fireworks continued early in the fourth when Minutemen tailback Marc Otaguro took a short screen pass 25 yards for a score, breaking a weak tackle attempt at the 10. However, Spieler was able to bull through the offensive line and block Alex Franz's kick.

Eight plays later, Blackman scored on an 11-yard sweep, and kicker Scott Arnold nailed the PAT to give Acalanes a 21-20 lead with 6:03 left in the game. Mike Balestrieri sacked Kloberdanz on third-and-nine to stuff Concord's last hope, and then Blackman pounded the ball to run out the clock and preserve the win.

"I give a lot of credit to my offensive line and Dan Lorenzana, my fullback, played his heart out," Blackman said. "This (win) puts us above .500. It can only go up from here."

Acalanes 21, Concord 20
Concord 7 0 7 6 -- 20

Acalanes 0 0 14 7 -- 21

C -- Jones 57 pass from Kloberdanz (Franz kick)

A -- Blackman 5 run (Arnold kick)

C -- Schneider 34 pass from Kloberdanz (Franz kick)

A -- Blackman 1 run (Arnold kick)

C -- Otaguro 25 pass from Kloberdanz (kick failed)

A -- Blackman 11 run (Arnold kick)

CON ACA
First downs 8 24
Rushing  24/88  56/326
Passing 8-15-0  5-11-1
Passing yards 152  110
Total Offense 240  436
Fumbles/lost 2-0  3-2

Individual statistics
Passing: C -- Kloberdanz  8-15-0, 152 yards.  A -- Corbett 5-10-1, 110 yards, Beeman 0-1-1, 0 yards

Rushing: C -- Reger 14-60 yards, Otaguro 6-41.  A -- Blackman 25-151, Bohannon 20-122, Lorenzana 7-48.

Receiving:  A -- Adcock 2-48, Blackman 2-38, Spieler 1-24.

Records: Acalanes 3-2, 3-1 DFAL; Concord 1-4, 1-3 DFAL.

• WHERE: Dublin High School, 8151 Village Parkway
• WHEN: 7 p.m.
• RECORDS: Acalanes 3-2, 3-1 DFAL; Dublin 4-1, 3-1
• LAST WEEK: Acalanes beat Concord 21-20, Dublin beat Miramonte 36-30.
• FACTS: The home team has won this game five of the last six years. The Dons, an NCS 2A East Bay team by enrollment, are starting a four-game stretch against 3A East Bay teams. The Gaels are looking for their first four-game winning streak since winning the last seven games of the 1999 regular season.

The crucial play came with 1:30 left on the clock and the Dons (4-2, 4-1 DFAL) driving from the Gaels' 45-yard line. A pass-interference penalty put Acalanes inside the 20, and Dublin (4-2, 3-2) was unable to stop the Dons' driving offense. A few plays later, Dons quarterback Greg Corbett completed a 9-yard pass to tight end Cole Adcock to knot the game at 20. Scott Arnold's extra point broke the tie.

The game was an offensive tug-of-war as both teams matched up equally. Dublin began the game with a drive that led them 60 yards down the field for the touchdown, capped by a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Nick Segura.  Acalanes answered by driving 80 yards in 12 plays to tie the game at 7-7.

Late in the second quarter, Acalanes capitalized after a Dublin fumble at the Dons 18. Once again, Acalanes charged 81 yards and was poised to score from the Gaels' 1-yard line. As Corbett rolled right he threw a pass into the hands of Dublin defender Chase Swalwell to snuff the Dons' drive with only 20 seconds left in the half.  Acalanes mounted another 65-yard drive to open the second half that put it on the Dublin 10. But Dublin defensive back Russell Hallet pounced on an Acalanes fumble to turn the Dons away once again.

Dublin drove and turned a third-and-20 play at midfield into a first-and-goal at the Dons' 5-yard line -- on a 40-yard pass to wide receiver Mike Plimmer.  The Gaels followed with a 5-yard touchdown pass, but Swalwell's extra point was blocked, leaving the door open for Acalanes with less than three minutes to go.

D -- Segura 1-yard run (Swalwell kick)
A -- Bohannon 5 run (Arnold kick)
A -- Bohannon 1 run (Arnold kick)
D -- DeJesus 5 run (Swalwell kick)
D -- Leal 5 pass from Segura (kick blocked)
A -- Adcock 9 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)

ACA   DUB
First downs 20 14
Rushing 38/201 33/207
Passing 8-22-2 6-11-1
Passing yards 139 145
Total Offense 340 352
Fumbles/lost 2-1 2-1

Individual statistics
Passing: D -- Segura 6-11-1, 207 yards. A -- Corbett 8-22-2, 201 yards.

Rushing: D -- Swalwell 4-36 yards, DeJesus 17-144, Plimmer 7-25. A -- Blackman 26-114, Bohannon 12-67, Spieler 1-20.

Receiving: D -- Leal 3-32, Keeney 1-11, Plimmer 4-97, DeJesus 1-5. A -- Adcock 4-59. Masi 1-15, Dhillon 2-43, Blackman 1-14, Beeman 3-46, Lorenzana 2-6.

Records: Acalanes 4-2, 4-1 DFAL; Dublin 4-2, 3-2.

W L T PF PA Ovrl
Cam 5 0 0 167 84 5-1-0
Aca 4 1 0 145 139 4-2-0
Dub 3 2 0 138 102 4-1-0
LL 3 2 0 178 114 3-2-0
CP 3 2 0 184 153 3-3-0
Alh 2 2 0 136 78 3-2-0
Mir 2 3 0 121 115 2-4-0
Con 1 3 0 53 57 1-4-0
Nor 1 4 0 104 230 1-4-0
MD 0 5 0 79 233 0-5-0

Las Lomas tailback Bryan Kattenburg rushed for 227 yards and four touchdowns, and returned an interception for a score. He carried the ball eight times for 72 yards on the opening drive, and scored from 8 yards out.

Las Lomas didn't punt in the game. After Kattenburg's first score, a 25-yard Doug Stinson touchdown scamper and a Jaime Chandler 31-yard field goal, Kattenburg scored two more times, barely a minute apart.

First, he capped a 12-play, 69-yard, mid-second quarter drive with a 5-yard touchdown run, then intercepted Greg Corbett's screen pass attempt on the third play of the ensuing Dons possession and returned it 41 yards to the end zone. That made the score 30-0 Las Lomas at halftime.

The second half was more of the same. Kattenburg scored on the first two third-quarter possessions, on runs of 4 and 56 yards, then gave way to the backups.

On the flip side, Dons running backs Zane Blackman and Chris Bohannon -- who combined for 273 rushing yards two weeks ago in win over Concord -- were limited to only 24 yards on the ground.  

Acalanes (4-3, 4-2) didn't get on the board until Gavin Beeman scored on a 50-yard quarterback keeper with four minutes left in the game.

LL - Kattenburg 8 run (Chandler kick)
LL - Stinson 25 run (Chandler kick)
LL - Chandler 31 FG
LL - Kattenburg 5 run (Chandler kick)
LL - Kattenburg 41 interception return (run failed)
LL - Kattenburg 4 run (Chandler kick)
LL - Kattenburg 56 run (Chandler kick)
LL - Chandler 40 run (Chandler kick)
A - Beeman 50 run (Bohannon pass from Masi)

LL ACA
First downs 7 5
Rushing yards 51-377 23-67
Passing 5-8-0 6-19-1
Passing yards 117 70
Total offense 494 137
Fumbles/lost 0/0 3/0

Individual statistics
Rushing: LL -- Kattenburg 25-277, Stinson 12-83, Chandler 6-55, Davis 5-13, Ward 1-4, Yamashita 1-(-1), Franke 1-(-4). A -- Beeman 8-49, Blackman 6-16, Bohannon 4-8, Richmond 1-4, Floyd 1-(-1), Lorenzana 2-(-2), Corbett 1-(-7).

Passing: LL -- Loeliger 3-4-0 89, Davis 0-2-0 0, Kerl 2-2-0 28. A -- Corbett 4-12-1 41, Beeman 2-7-0 29.

Receiving: LL -- Yamashita 3-66, Gilmore 2-51. A -- Masi 3-43, Spieler 1-14, Dhillon 1-12, Adcock 1-1.

Records: Las Lomas 4-3, 4-2 DFAL, Acalanes 4-3, 4-2.

• WHERE: Acalanes High School, 1200 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette
• WHEN: 7 p.m.
• RECORDS: Acalanes 4-3, 4-2 DFAL; Alhambra 5-2, 4-2
• LAST WEEK: Alhambra beat Northgate 56-35, Acalanes lost to Las Lomas 51-8.

• FACTS: Five different players scored touchdowns for the Bulldogs and three had two or more in last week's win. The Dons ended a three-game winning streak last week, managing only five first downs and 137 yards of total offense.

Two deep bombs from quarterback Greg Corbett to Dan Masi and two interception returns for touchdowns gave the Dons a 28-3 halftime lead.  Acalanes (5-3, 5-2 DFAL) scored 42 straight points in the first three quarters, sandwiched between a 27-yard field goal by Bulldogs kicker Tyler King and two fourth-quarter touchdowns against the Dons' backups.

Corbett went up top to Masi down the left sideline for touchdowns of 55 and 48 yards on consecutive possessions after the King three-pointer. Two of the next three Alhambra possessions ended in the opposite end zone.

With just under 10 minutes to go in the first half, Alhambra (5-3, 4-3) quarterback Roy Paquette lobbed a screen pass attempt from his own end zone into the waiting arms of Acalanes defensive lineman Dan Lopez, who walked 4 yards for a score.

Then, just before halftime, Dons cornerback Gavin Beeman stepped in front of Alhambra receiver Philip Butler and strode down the left sideline before cutting back to the middle, juking Paquette at the 20, then scampering in for a 63-yard interception return.

"Those are momentum breakers," said Dons coach Ron Thompson of the interception return scores. "When you get stuff like that, it really pumps everyone up."

Paquette was picked off three times and completed six of his 20 pass attempts for 11 yards.  Backup Matt Butler also threw an interception. In addition to the four interceptions, Alhambra lost two fumbles and turned the ball over on downs twice, including once late in the first half when faced with fourth-and-inches at the Acalanes 1.

It was a bounce-back night for the same Acalanes defense that surrendered 51 points to Las Lomas a Friday ago, and came against the same Alhambra offense that lit up Northgate for 56 points that same night.

"We were very embarrassed from last week and we played like we were embarrassed," Thompson said. "It felt really good. The defense really stepped up."

Dons running backs Zane Blackman and Chris Bohannon each scored on short touchdown runs in the third quarter. King and Alex Argenal each scored rushing touchdowns for the Bulldogs in the fourth.

ALH -- King 27 FG
ACA-- Masi 55 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
ACA -- Masi 48 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
ACA -- Lopez 4 interception return (Arnold kick)
ACA -- Beeman 63 interception return (Arnold kick)
ACA -- Bohannon 1 run (Arnold kick)
ACA -- Blackman 5 run (Arnold kick)
ALH -- King 26 run (Knoll pass from M. Butler)
ALH-- Argenal 8 run (M. Butler run)

ALH   ACA
First downs 17 12
Rushing yards 28-127 35-121
Passing 12-28-4 10-16-1
Passing yards 214 221
Total offense 341 342
Fumbles/lost 3/2 2/2

Individual statistics
Rushing: Alh -- Argenal 8-37, Rutley 5-34, King 4-32, Goree 3-19, Giffin 1-9, Paquette 7-(-4), Aca -- Blackman 14-62, Lorenzana 5-33, Bohannon 5-11, Floyd 4-10, Beeman 5-9, Richmond 1-2, Corbett 6-(-6).

Passing: Alh -- Paquette 6-20-3-111, M. Butler 6-8-1-103. Aca -- Corbett 10-16-1-221.

Receiving: Alh -- Gricius 4-78, P. Butler 2-57, Rutley 2-31, Lewis 2-18, Goree 1-18, Giffin 1-12. Aca -- Masi 3-118, Beeman 3-40, Litchenstein 2-20, Dhillon 1-31, Adcock 1-12.

Records: Alhambra 5-3, 4-3 DFAL; Acalanes 5-3, 5-2.

Acalanes (6-3, 6-2 DFAL) came out of the gate aggressive as quarterback Greg Corbett connected with Cole Adcock for a 29-yard touchdown strike on a fourth-down conversion at the 7:31 mark of the first quarter.

The Dons would extend their lead to 24-0 before the Broncos (1-7, 1-6 DFAL) got on the board just before the half when Steve Rankin connected with Jimmy Shurr on a 1-yard pass to cut the deficit to 24-7.

A -- Masi 29 pass from Corbett (kick failed)
A -- Bohannan 1 run (run failed)
A -- Blackman 7 run (run failed)
A --Beeman 16 run (run failed)

N -- Shurr 1 pass from Rankin (kick good)
A -- Beeman 1 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
A --Bohannan 24 run ( run failed)
A --Masi 30 pass from Corbett (Beeman run)
N -- Bellamy 3 run (Uchi kick)
N -- Bellamy 9 run (Shurr run)

ACA  NOR
First downs 14 13
Rushing yards 36-225 27-128
Passing 10-16-0 14-26-2
Passing yards 177 198
Total offense 581 326
Fumbles/lost 2/2 3/3

Individual statistics
Rushing: N -- Bellamy 15-88, Rankin, 11-33 Lawson 1-10. A -- Blackman 17-118, Bohannan 11-85, Lorenzana 2-31, Beeman 2-20, Richmond 3-27, Floyd 1-11.

Passing: A --Corbett 10-16 158. N -- Rankin 14-26, 198.

Receiving: A --Masi 4-40, Dhillion, 2-23, Blackman 2-10, Beeman 1-9,
Litchenstein 1-16. N -- Shurr 8-108, McAtee 3-47, Lawson 2-28, Bellamy 1-15

Records: Acalanes 6-2, DFAL, Northgate 1-7

Quarterback Greg Corbett threw for 152 yards and a touchdown to lead the visiting Dons (7-3, 7-2 DFAL), who earned their first regular season win over the Matadors (3-7, 3-6) in 16 years.

Acalanes jumped out to a 17-0 lead after two quarters and withstood a second-half rally by Miramonte, which scored two touchdowns in less than three minutes to cut the deficit to 17-12 with 11:53 to go.

But the Dons put the game out of reach when Chris Bohannan capped a nine-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with 8:31 remaining. Bohannan finished with 42 yards on eight carries. 

Acalanes enters next week's NCS 2A East Bay playoffs having won three straight and five of its last six. Dons coach Ron Thompson said he is hoping for the second or third seed.  Miramonte saw its postseason hopes disappear with the loss and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1991.

A -- Spieler 8 interception return (Arnold kick)
A -- Beeman 30 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
A -- Arnold 33 FG
M -- Johnson 32 pass from Canter (run failed)
M -- Johnson 5 pass from Canter (pass failed)
A -- Bohannan 5 run (Arnold kick)

A M
First downs 16 14
Rushing yards 36-185 22-28
Passing 9-15-0 15-29-1
Passing yards 152 169
Total offense 337 197
Fumbles/lost 1/0 0/0

Individual statistics
Rushing: A -- Blackman 14-86, Beeman 4-46, Bohannan 8-42, Ring 7-14, Dhillon 1-3, Corbett 2-(-6). M -- Tool 14-41, Bowman 3-6, Luther 1-5, Canter 4-(-24),
Passing: A -- Corbett 9-15-0 152. M -- Canter 15-29-1 169.
Receiving: A -- Beeman 3-57, Masi 2-61, Adcock 2-13, Spieler 1-17, Blackman 1-4. M -- Johnson 5-72, Tool 4-26, Luther 2-5 Chovanes 1-27, Bowman 1-16, Hagelin 1-12, Watts 1-11.

Records: Acalanes 7-3, 7-2 DFAL; Miramonte 3-7, 3-6.

Rushing
Player, school Rsh Yds TD Avg
Blanche (Pitt) 147 1692 21 11.5
Brumley (MV) 203 1661 16 8.2
Best (Sal) 188 1659 19 8.8
Fragger (CP) 196 1649 15 8.4
Healey (CP) 187 1495 22 8.0
Gates (PV) 193 1283 17 6.6
Hernandez (JS) 192 1274 9 6.6
Allen (DV) 157 1140 10 7.3
Blackman (Aca) 163 1127 8 6.9
Cokes (Ber) 179 1091 15 6.1
Kattenburg (LL) 169 1081 19 6.4
Robinson (Ant) 157 1025 9 6.5
Cabianca (SRV) 110 954 9 8.7
Poltl (CV) 120 927 12 7.7
Guillory (AV) 111 908 12 8.2
D. Smith (DA) 122 883 12 7.2
Slaughter (Alb) 142 870 10 6.1
Lopez (DLS) 116 793 14 6.8
Johansen (Free) 138 752 7 5.4
Patolo (YV) 141 708 5 5.0
Otaguro (Con) 128 703 5 5.5
DeJesus (Dub) 110 662 11 6.0
Redlick (BC) 131 619 7 4.7
Dennis (EC) 114 605 3 5.3
Solomon (Cam) 106 603 7 5.7
Plimmer (Dub) 95 586 7 6.2
Brown (MD) 113 576 7 5.1
Palmer (MD) 100 569 6 5.7
Reger (Con) 128 562 5 4.4
Garratt (SRV) 79 557 7 7.1
English (Lib) 95 556 7 5.8
Argenal (Alh) 71 542 11 7.6
Keck (Foot) 116 528 3 4.6
*Olivier (Her) 69 521 4 7.6
Weidner (Cal) 106 520 6 4.9
Taylor (JS) 60 510 3 8.5
Gaines (SM) 100 500 5 5.0
Guerts (MV) 61 492 5 8.1
Jandegian (DLS) 96 487 7 5.1
Carrillo (Gra) 109 480 4 4.4
Young (AV) 45 462 3 10.3
Navarra (N) 87 452 4 5.2
Harrell (Pitt) 76 444 2 5.8
Sowels (EC) 76 424 5 5.6
Dehl (AV) 60 414 2 6.9
Georgatos (Foot) 90 404 6 4.5
Luther (Mir) 72 403 3 5.6

Passing
Player, school PC PA Yds TD Int Rating
Graziano (Cam) 137 231 2815 29 5 198.77
Zollman (AV) 51 99 1182 15 5 191.71
Flynn (SRV) 113 189 2011 26 6 188.21
Loeliger (LL) 112 186 1708 12 8 150.04
Corbett (Aca) 84 162 1542 14 9 149.21
Crawford (Foot) 140 257 2138 22 10 144.82
Gerrans (MV) 124 217 1837 14 9 141.25
Lopina (DLS) 71 136 1086 10 5 136.19
M. Gorgen (CV) 66 138 1157 13 10 134.85
Segura (Dub) 79 164 1547 9 9 134.54
Canter (Mir) 130 242 1858 15 10 130.40
Singleton (Sal) 88 189 1308 16 6 126.28
Brown (BC) 83 170 1202 16 14 122.80
Slagle (Cal) 110 227 1683 13 11 119.94
Southern (Alb) 47 103 706 8 5 119.13
Montgomery (Her) 78 160 1218 11 15 116.63
Carrillo (Gra) 103 202 1315 14 14 114.68
Borel (Free) 63 137 958 8 8 112.32
Smith (Lib) 81 209 1350 14 5 110.33
Paquette (Alh) 75 177 1309 10 13 108.45
Bry. Edwards (Ken) 93 174 1023 7 12 102.32
Rankin (N) 79 191 1143 11 8 102.26
Kloberdanz (Con) 86 191 1117 13 15 100.90
Arroyos (Ant) 71 169 1025 9 13 95.15
Dardenne (Liv) 78 193 1169 9 14 92.17
Tully (SM) 61 134 827 3 9 91.32
Tutass (EC) 59 129 615 6 7 90.28
Havrilla (MD) 80 216 1250 10 14 87.96

Receiving
Player, school Rec Yds TD Avg
Kirkpatrick (MV) 67 1007 10 15.0
Galligan (Cam) 61 1450 17 23.8
Khaila (Foot) 46 870 11 18.9
Carter (SRV) 45 1060 10 23.6
Wells (Sal) 44 763 8 17.3
Yamashita (LL) 42 902 2 21.5
Johnson (Mir) 37 541 5 14.6
Keck (Foot) 37 451 3 12.2
Stickle (Gra) 35 631 6 18.0
Gilmore (LL) 35 528 7 15.1
Martin (Ken) 34 460 2 13.5
Williams (DLS) 33 505 4 15.3
King (SRV) 33 495 6 15.0
Sasse (Alb) 33 451 4 13.7
Plimmer (Dub) 32 599 5 19.6
Shaw (Liv) 32 559 4 17.5
Vandenberg (Cam) 29 611 8 21.1
Faleafine (CV) 28 609 5 21.8
Watts (Mir) 28 621 7 22.2
Boursse (SM) 28 427 4 15.3
Shurr (N) 27 532 4 19.7
Molson (MD) 26 345 1 13.3
Fitzgerald (EC) 26 543 6 20.9
Davis (Pitt) 25 712 8 28.5
Waite (Cal) 25 504 3 20.2
Thompson (PV) 25 489 7 19.6
Collins (Con) 24 266 5 11.1
Holmes (DA) 24 387 3 16.1
*Allen (Her) 24 386 3 16.1
Clark (Cal) 24 282 2 11.8

Scoring
Player, school TD FG 2PT PAT Pts
Healey (CP) 23 0 2 28 170
Best (Sal) 23 0 1 0 140
Blanche (Pitt) 21 0 0 0 126
Kattenburg (LL) 20 0 0 0 120
Galligan (Cam) 18 0 1 0 110
Cokes (Ber) 17 0 2 0 104
Brumley (MV) 17 0 0 0 102
Fragger (CP) 16 0 3 0 102
Guillory (AV) 17 0 0 0 102
Gates (PV) 16 0 0 0 98
Chandler (LL) 4 7 0 41 86
Allen (DV) 14 0 0 0 84
Cabianca (SRV) 14 0 0 0 84
Lopez (DLS) 14 0 0 0 84
Carter (SRV) 13 0 1 0 80
Robinson (Ant) 13 0 0 0 78
DeJesus (Dub) 12 0 0 3 75
D. Smith (DA) 12 0 1 0 74
Khalia (Foot) 12 0 0 2 74
King (Alh) 8 1 0 23 74
Plimmer (Dub) 12 0 1 0 74
Poltl (CV) 12 0 1 0 74
Shurr (N) 11 0 1 0 68
Hernandez (JS) 11 0 1 0 68
Argenal (Alh) 11 0 0 0 66
Slaughter (Alb) 10 0 3 0 66
Kirkpatrick (MV) 11 0 0 0 66
Colvis (DLS) 4 1 0 39 66
Blackman (Aca) 10 0 2 1 65
Davis (Pitt) 10 0 0 0 60
Vandenberg (Cam) 10 0 0 0 60
Olivier (Her) 9 0 0 0 58
Hassfeld (MV) 0 5 0 42 57
Hurtado (Pitt) 0 3 0 47 56
Weidner (Cal) 9 0 1 0 56
Ochoa (Lib) 9 0 1 0 56
Wells (Sal) 9 0 1 0 56
Young (AV) 9 0 1 0 56

Team offense
School Rush Pass Total Avg TO
Monte Vista 2665 1918 4583 458.3 24
Campolindo 1505 2840 4345 434.5 12
San Ramon Valley 2089 2041 4130 413.0 16
Amador Valley 2664 1317 3981 398.1 15
Las Lomas 2026 1954 3980 398.0 15
Pittsburg 2603 1330 3933 393.3 24
College Park 3458 460 3918 391.8 20
Acalanes 2153 1650 3803 380.3 18
Foothill 1303 2177 3480 348.0 13
California 1594 1821 3415 341.5 24
Salesian 2048 1261 3309 330.9 20
De La Salle 1922 1308 3230 323.0 21
Alhambra 1727 1481 3208 320.8 22
John Swett 2573 618 3191 319.1 11
Dublin 1560 1534 3094 309.4 18
*Hercules 1200 1218 2418 302.3 25
Liberty 1658 1350 3008 300.8 16
Pinole Valley 1913 970 2883 288.3 12
De Anza 1680 1146 2826 282.6 14
Miramonte 920 1884 2804 280.4 20
Clayton Valley 1581 1179 2760 276.0 18
Ygnacio Valley 2110 729 2739 273.9 17
Mt. Diablo 1361 1354 2715 271.5 27
Granada 1172 1495 2667 266.7 27
El Cerrito 1479 1150 2629 262.9 20
Deer Valley 1938 690 2628 262.3 15
Berkeley 2021 525 2546 254.6 17
Concord 1424 1117 2541 254.1 27
Northgate 1366 1143 2509 250.9 23
Albany 1757 704 2461 246.1 15
Antioch 1236 1022 2258 225.8 17
Freedom 1260 1004 2264 226.4 23
Berean Christian 1007 1204 2211 221.1 21
St. Mary's 962 1100 2062 206.2 28
Livermore 803 1128 1931 193.1 20
Kennedy 685 1023 1708 170.8 24
**Richmond 221 451 672 96.0 20

Team defense
School Rush Pass Total Avg TA
John Swett 866 698 1564 156.4 11
Pinole Valley 1133 824 1957 195.7 15
Pittsburg 1276 699 1975 197.5 28
De Anza 1133 1140 2273 227.3 24
De La Salle 1626 653 2279 227.9 17
Berkeley 1266 1014 2280 228.0 31
Monte Vista 838 1548 2386 238.6 17
Ygnacio Valley 1441 1062 2503 250.3 10
Alhambra 705 1807 2512 251.2 23
El Cerrito 1519 1063 2582 258.2 25
Las Lomas 1420 1207 2627 262.7 15
California 1350 1295 2645 264.5 22
Kennedy 1921 750 2671 267.1 20
Albany 1702 973 2675 267.5 20
Amador Valley 1466 1284 2750 275.0 28
Freedom 1553 1232 2785 278.5 9
San Ramon Valley 1298 1494 2792 279.2 21
Clayton Valley 1814 993 2807 280.7 24
Berean Christian 2005 827 2832 283.2 25
Foothill 1290 1570 2860 286.0 23
Salesian 2183 742 2925 292.5 19
St. Mary's 2064 885 2949 294.9 18
Concord 1771 1222 2993 299.3 16
Deer Valley 1675 1412 3087 308.7 28
Liberty 1924 1259 3183 318.3 21
Granada 1758 1478 3236 323.6 16
Miramonte 2177 1059 3236 323.6 16
College Park 1650 1621 3271 327.1 16
Campolindo 1718 1587 3305 330.5 28
Dublin 1810 1548 3358 335.8 23
*Hercules 2145 560 2705 338.1 8
Antioch 2414 1172 3586 358.6 19
Northgate 2416 1315 3731 373.1 20
**Richmond 1640 1010 2650 378.6 11
Livermore 2722 1175 3897 389.7 16
Acalanes 2222 1795 4017 401.7 26
Mt. Diablo 2423 1961 4384 438.4 18

The Dons didn't have much trouble advancing past the first round of the NCS 2A East Bay playoffs, shutting out the Panthers until 1:37 left in the first-round game in Lafayette.

Acalanes (8-3) won the toss and elected to kick off, and its defense quickly set the tempo, forcing a punt and getting a huge return. Punt returner Gavin Beeman fielded the ball at his 45 and returned it to the 32-yard line before pitching the ball, while being tackled, to teammate Sam Chritton, who took it all the way down to the 6.

Two plays later, Chris Bohannan powered it in from the 2, and Acalanes never looked back against the Panthers (4-7).  In the Dons' next two possessions, tight end Cole Adcock fetched touchdown lobs of 25 and 19 yards from quarterback Greg Corbett in the corner of the end zone for a quick 21-0 lead.

"I'm hoping we get better defensively every week," said Dons coach Ron Thompson, whose team awaits the winner of today's Kennedy-Bishop O'Dowd game. "Offensively, we proved we can score."

The Dons had a defensive highlight in the third quarter when defensive end Mike Balestrieri reached behind himself with his right hand to intercept a David Pezzola screen pass intended for St. Mary's running back Rico Washington, then returned it 9 yards to paydirt. That made the score 45-0.

Friday also marked the final game for Panthers coach Jay Lawson, who announced his resignation earlier in the week. The loss signaled a bittersweet ending.

"It's a tough way to end it," Lawson said. "Acalanes is a really good football team."

Zane Blackman led the way for the Dons with 138 yards rushing and a touchdown. Ollie Churchill was the Panthers' offensive leader with 45 yards on the ground, and Washington scored their lone touchdown on a late 4-yard carry.

St. Mary's 0 0 0 6 -- 6
Acalanes 14 17 14 3 -- 48

A -- Bohannan 2 run (Arnold kick)
A -- Adcock 25 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
A -- Adcock 19 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
A -- Blackman 9 run (Arnold kick)
A -- Arnold 27 FG
A -- Litchenstein 4 pass from Corbett (Arnold kick)
A -- Balestrieri 9 interception return (Arnold kick)
A -- Arnold 27 FG
SM -- Washington 4 run (run failed)

SM   ACA
First downs 12 13
Rushing yards 35-125 36-312
Passing 6-18-2 4-9-0
Passing yards 65 61
Total offense 190 373
Fumbles/lost 2/1 1/0

Individual statistics
Rushing: SM -- Churchill 6-45, Gaines 12-25, Washington 8-20, Yates 2-16, Allen 4-13, Pezzola 3-6. A --Blackman 14-138, Loranzana 4-56, Ring 3-41, Floyd 5-34, Beeman 1-14, Bohannan 3-11, Richmond 2-9, Kephart 1-6, Corbett 1-6, Miller 1-(-1), Chritton 1-(-2).

Passing: SM -- Pezzola 3-11-1 39, Tully 3-7-1 26. A -- Corbett 4-8-0 61, Beeman 0-1-0 0.

Receiving: SM -- Boursse 4-30, Holloway 2-35. A -- Adcock 2-44, Beeman 1-13, Litchenstein 1-4.

Records: St. Mary's 4-7, Acalanes 8-3.

• WHERE: Bishop O'Dowd High School, 9500 Stearns Ave., Oakland
• WHEN: 1 p.m., Saturday
• RECORDS: Acalanes 8-3, Bishop O'Dowd 8-3
• LAST WEEK: Acalanes beat St. Mary's 48-6; Bishop O'Dowd beat  Kennedy 55-12.
• FACTS: The Dons gave up a season-low six points last week and  forced three turnovers. Zane Blackman led Acalanes with 138 rushing  yards and one touchdown. The Dragons scored on every possession in  the first half last week and got 192 yards and four touchdowns from  running back Jesse Brooks.

The Dons dropped Saturday's North Coast Section 2A East Bay semifinal 28-7 to host Bishop O'Dowd, which got 306 yards rushing from junior tailback Louis Arnold.

Last season Acalanes lost 52-20 in the semifinals to eventual 2A East Bay champion Miramonte.

This year, things started off looking hopeful for the No. 3 seed Dons.

Acalanes stopped the No. 2 seed Dragons (9-3) on their first possession, and quickly moved down field. The Dons (8-4) mixed running and short passes to drive all the way to the home team's 12-yard line. On second-and-7, quarterback Gregg Corbett lost the handle on the football, and the fumble was recovered by Bishop O'Dowd.

The Dragons capitalized on the turnover, needing only five plays to put the ball in the end zone. Tailback Jesse Brooks busted through the middle of the defense to score from 11 yards out.

Both teams struggled to move the ball for the rest of the opening quarter.  But when the second quarter began, again the Dons looked to threaten. A 15-yard pickup by Zane Blackman gave the visitors a first down on the Dragons 39 when once again disaster struck.  Corbett's pass was picked off by Bishop O'Dowd defensive back Alex Quinn, who sprinted 68 yards down the right sideline for the touchdown.

Obviously deflated from the turnover, the Dons gave up a third touchdown when they allowed Bishop O'Dowd (9-3) to run five straight times, culminating in Arnold's 17-yard sweep for a score.

Down 21-0 at halftime, the Dons regrouped nicely on their first drive of the second half.  Starting at its own 32, Acalanes went back to what worked best, a melange of running plays and quick passes. On first and goal from the Dragons 4, Blackman crashed into the end zone, putting the Dons back in the game briefly at 21-7.

Bishop O'Dowd then turned to junior tailback Arnold to put the squeeze on Acalanes.  Arnold carried on the next 10 plays from scrimmage, compiling 83 yards. He was stopped short on fourth-and-goal, but when the Dragons held the Dons on the next series, Arnold again picked up the pace. 

In the fourth quarter, Arnold got loose on a 67-yard run that iced the game. He finished with 37 carries for 306 yards.  Bishop O'Dowd faces No. 1 seed Campolindo (10-1) next Saturday at 7 p.m. The site has yet to be announced by the NCS.

"Running the ball is our bread and butter," Dragons coach Paul Perenon said. "We have a lot of second- and third-year starters on that offensive line, and they really made it happen."

BOD -- Brooks 11 run (Hartz kick)
BOD -- Quinn 68 interception return (Hartz kick)
BOD -- L. Arnold 17 run (Hartz kick)
A -- Blackman 4 run (S. Arnold kick)
BOD -- L. Arnold 67 run (Hartz kick)

ACA  BOD
First Downs 13 18
Rushing Yards 29-115 54-418
Passing 8-22-2 3-4-0
Passing Yards 87 26
Total Offense 202 444
Fumbles/Lost 2/1 1/1

Individual statistics
Rushing: A -- Blackman 21-86, Bohannan 4-26, Lorenzana 1-4, Ring 1-1, Corbett 2-(-2). BOD -- L.Arnold 37-306, Brooks 10-103, Quinn 4-16, Williams 3-(-7).

Passing: A -- Corbett 8-22-2 87. BOD -- Williams 3-4-0 26.

Receiving: A -- Masi 3-32, Adcock 2-42, Beeman 1-6, Dhillon 1-4, Chritton 1-3. BOD -- Perri 3-26.

Records: Acalanes 8-4, Bishop O'Dowd 9-3.

Semifinals
Friday
Campolindo 62, No. 5 De Anza (7-5) 37
Saturday
Bishop O'Dowd 28, No. 3 Acalanes (8-4) 7

Championship Dec. 4
No. 1 Campolindo (10-1) vs. No. 2 Bishop O'Dowd (9-3), at Foothill High 7 p.m.

All-DFAL
CO-MVP
Nick Graziano (Campolindo) and Mike Healey (College Park)

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Nick Graziano (Cam) Sr., RB Jason Palmer (Mt. Diablo) Sr., Brandon Fragger (CP) Jr., RB Bryan Kattenburg (Las Lomas) Sr., RB Matt DeJesus (Dublin) Sr., WR Phil Galligan (Cam) Sr., WR James Yamashita (LL) Jr., TE Kava Tyrell (Cam) Jr., C Brian Anderson (CP) Jr., G Jason Swisher (LL) Jr., G Justin Moore (CP) Sr., T Daniel Matheson (CP) So., T Chad DeLeuze (LL) Sr., PK Jamie Chandler (LL) Sr., P Mike Spieller (Acalanes) Sr., Utl. Mike Healey (CP) Sr., Utl Tristan Tool (Miramonte) Sr.

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
LB Ricky Doyle (Cam) Sr., LB Victor Green (Alhambra) Sr., LB Jason Swisher (LL) Jr., LB Mike Healey (CP) Sr., DL Oliver Canbazoglu (Cam) Jr., DL Jordan Atkinson (Alh) Sr., DL Justin Townsend (D) Jr., DL Chad DeLeuze (LL) Sr, DB Mike Vandenberg (Cam) Sr., DB Ron Lewis (Alh) Sr., DB Chase Swallwell (D) Sr., DB Kevin Merlander (LL) Sr.

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Jon Loeliger (LL) Sr., RB Alex Solomon (Cam) Sr., RB Mike Plimmer (D) Jr., RB Alex Argenal (Alh) Sr., RB Zane Blackman (Aca) Sr., WR Chuckie Watts (Mir) Jr., WR Mike Vandenberg (Cam) Sr., TE Jon Gilmore (LL) Sr., C Michael Carey (Mir) Sr., G Sean Kwasnicki (D) Sr., G Phil Schwartz (Alh) Jr., T Mike Rankin (Cam) Sr., T Rob Sullivan (Mir) Jr., PK Greg McAtee (N) Sr., P Richard Zuniga (Concord) Sr., Util. Jimmy Schurr (N) Sr., Utl. Rick Reger (Con) Sr.

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
LB Tom Martin (Cam) Sr., LB Clayton Goree (Alh) Sr., LB Chris Bohannon (Aca) Jr., LB Matt DeJesus (D) Sr., LB Rick Reger (Con) Sr., DL Gilbert Lauro (Alh) Sr., DL Mike Balesteri (Aca) Jr., DL Jeff Frisk (LL) Sr., DL Brian Anderson (CP) Jr., DB Gavin Beeman (Aca) Jr., DB Jason Palmer (MD) Sr., DB Reed Kelley (Mir) Sr., DB James Yamashita (LL) Sr.

2003 DFAL All-League Teams- Football

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL David Felso (C), Sr.; DL Brendon Swisher (LL), Sr.; DL Rich 
Stachowski (M), Sr.; DL James Jarzab (D), Sr.; LB Steve Hole (M), Sr.; LB Kevin Low (LL), Sr.; LB Richard Palmer (Mt. Diablo), Sr.; LB Mike Healey (CP), Sr.; LB Scott Kidd (C), Sr.; DB Tom Warner (M), Sr.; DB Daniel Rodriquez (M), Sr.; DB Pat Galligan (C), Sr.; DB Sean Irving (C), Sr.; DB James Yamashita (LL), Sr.; U Chris O'Neill (M), Sr.; P Luke Sassano (M), Sr.; K Luke Sassano (M), Sr.

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Nick Graziano (C), Jr.; RB Jayson Palmer (MD), Jr.; RB Jeff 
Anderlite (LL), Sr.; RB Rich Bononsea (Alhambra), Sr.; RB Alex 
Solomon (C), Jr.; WR Colin Regan (M), Sr.; WR Phil Guylai (A), Sr.; WR Kenny Ga (Alh), Sr.; TE Chris O'Neill (M), Sr.; OL Jeremy Jacobson (LL), Sr.; OL Chris Anderson (CP), Sr.; OL Jeff Werner (M), Sr.; OL Frankie Duenas (MD), Sr.; OL Collin Corey (LL), Sr.

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL Anthony Hyjer (M), Sr.; DL John Justice (Alh), Sr.; DL Aaron 
Poreda (C), Sr.; DL Torrell Daniels (MD), Sr.; DL Brandon Pressley (CP), Sr.; LB Sam Briggs (A), So.; LB Spencer Weiss (N), Jr.; LB Zach Landman (M), Sr.; LB Eamonn Dailey (C), Sr.; DB Joe Payumo (N), Sr.; DB Jayson Palmer (MD), Sr.; DB Rudy McKinnie (MD), Sr.; U Mike Healey (CP), Sr.; K Pete Schneider (CP), Sr.; P Adam Kirby (N), Sr.; P Derek Minetti (A), Sr.

2003 Football Team Awards

Tim O'Neill, Most Valuable Player
Tony Ferraris, Most Outstanding Lineman
Phil Gyulai, Most Outstanding Offensive Player
Derek Minetti, Mr. Tenacity
Peter Doherty, Mr. Consistency

All-Times Football Second Team- Offense

Tim O'Neill-  Running back (Senior)

Phil Gyulai- Wide Receiver (Senior)

NCS Playoffs

J.F. Kennedy (Fremont) at Acalanes

NCS Semi-Finals

@ Miramonte