The Piedmont High School boys football team closed out its season with a 33-0 win at Alameda on Nov. 6. The Highlanders finished the year with a 4-6 record.
Vaha Mafi had a big game, rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Cyrus Emanuelson completed 13 of 26 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. Colby Hong returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown as well.
A bad snap on an Alameda punt set up Piedmont at the Hornets 44 in the first quarter. It took the Highlanders six plays to score with Mafi running it in from the 16.
Thiago Trissell missed a 36-yard field goal for Alameda and the quarter ended with Piedmont up 6-0. The Hornets started the second period at the Highlanders 21. But two penalties set Alameda back and a short pass from Soren Toutjian to Timothy Lee wasn’t enough on a fourth-and-31 so Piedmont took over on downs.
The Highlanders drove to the Alameda 6 before being stopped on downs. But two plays later, a muffed handoff was recovered by Piedmont’s John Bunje at the Hornets 1. Hong ran in for the touchdown and it was 13-0.
In the third quarter, the Hornets failed on a fourth down again and Piedmont took over at the Alameda 41. Samuelson hit Max Fujimoto for a 13-yard touchdown pass to make it 19-0.
Another Bunje fumble recovery led to a crazy play that set up the next touchdown. On a second-and-10 at the 35, Samuelson turned one way to hand off the ball, but Mafi was on his other side. Then, Mafi took the handoff and appeared to be pulled down by Alameda’s Ayzek Siaki. But Mafi was on top of his would-be tackler, spun up and took off down the left sideline before the Hornets Jayden Mori was able to pull him down at the 1 for a 64-yard gain. Mateo Long ran the ball in on the next play.
Hong put the icing on the cake in the fourth quarter when he picked off Tyler Nasitka’s pass and brought it back for a touchdown.
Brady Olson led Alameda (3-7) with 76 yards on 21 rushes. Nasitka was six of 13 for 44 yards while Toutjian was four of nine for 20 yards.
Diego Hurwitz caught five passes for 81 yards for Piedmont.