Four out of six Salinas schools hosted their home opener in Week 2 — all of them walked away with a win. Find out how each team fared, who performed well and who’s next.
Hilmar 20 at Palma (2-0) 48
After a close battle with Sac-Joaquin Section’s Hilmar for a good part of Friday night’s non-league bout, Palma poured on 27 unanswered points to remain undefeated heading into the young season. The Yellowjackets won a CIF 6-AA state championship in 2018 while Palma, of course, won the 4-A in 2023.
Behind another dominant ground attack for a second consecutive game, the Chieftains fell just shy of 500 total yards of offense, rushing for 332. It marked the second game in a row they’d run for more than 300 yards and the seventh since 2023.
Junior Eli Dukes and senior David Garcia combined for 310 rush yards on 15.5 yards per carry, each with four touchdowns. And after throwing for just 25 yards in Week 1, junior Patrick Driscoll added 149 passing yards and two touchdowns — one a 61-yard strike to senior wideout Jaden Paul.
Next: Alisal at Palma, 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12
Stream California football games live on NFHS Network
Valley Christian 29 at Salinas (1-1) 38
The Cowboys needed a bounce-back effort after last week’s 35-point season-opener loss in Clovis and found one at The Pit on Friday over Valley Christian of San Jose. Senior Madden Eubanks had a game-sealing interception and defensive linemen Jackson Silacci-Jensen added an interception earlier in the game.
Brandon Palma, who’s been tabbed for a big senior season as the team’s lead back, had 24 carries for a varsity career-best 231 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Michael Andrade threw and ran for a touchdown and now has four total through two games after winning the starting job as a sophomore.
Salinas has beaten the Warriors, who compete in the West Catholic League featuring power programs like Junipero Serra and Archbishop Riordan, in three of the last four seasons.
Next: Salinas @ North Salinas, 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12
Rancho San Juan (0-2) 8 at Everett Alvarez (1-1) 26
After holding a lead just once throughout the entirety of its 18-game losing streak, Rancho San Juan has scored first in each of its first two games under first-year head coach Andrew Zarate. Sophomore quarterback Marcus Perez found Elias Leao, who has each of the Trailblazers’ touchdowns this year, for an opening-drive score and 8-0 lead on Friday.
It was Alvarez from there on as the Eagles scored 26 straight, including a 35-yard touchdown pass to senior Aiden Jones from junior Alejandro Esquivel, a first-year starter under center. It counted as the team’s third-straight win over Rancho San Juan.
Next: Alvarez – Bye
North County @ Rancho San Juan, 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12
Alisal (2-0) 34 at Leigh 16
Through just two games, Alisal’s offensive centerpiece, senior Jayden Duarte, has found the endzone seven times. According to MaxPreps, that number is the most of any player in the Central Coast Section entering Week 3 and within the top 10 statewide.
The Trojans have now scored 34 points in back-to-back outings and boast a defense allowing 15 points per contest. Friday’s production came on the road against Leigh of San Jose, which went 4-6 last season and returned 13 of 22 starters.
Next: Alisal at Palma, 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12
Soledad 7 at North Salinas (2-0) 27
The Vikings’ defense has stood tall against two opponents who went .500 last season, holding offenses to 8.5 points per game through two games — the same number they allowed in seven wins last season. In Friday’s three-score win over Soledad, North Salinas forced two turnovers and extended its winning streak to six over the Aztecs with an average margin of victory of nearly 21.6.
Kainoa Ceralde, the team’s three-year stalwart at quarterback who spent much of last season laboring an injury, threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to senior Canelo Gonzales, who also had a rushing touchdown and has more than 200 receiving yards through Week 2. Junior Dylan Reynoso added multiple touchdown runs of more than 25 yards and returned to last season’s all-league form after a quiet season opener.
Next: Salinas @ North Salinas, 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12
Salinas Power Rankings
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Week 2 high school football recap in Salinas
Reporting by Andrew Edwards / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
