FOOTBALL: Palo Alto Can't Slow Down Bellarmine in CCS Final

The last time Bellarmine Prep-San Jose quarterback Travis McHugh stepped on the football field to square off against Palo Alto High, he was unable to finish the game due to an undisclosed injury.

Fast forward to a little over a year later, the Bellarmine star quarterback completed his teams Central Coast Section Open Division title quest in style, running wild against Palo Alto during a convincing 41-13 victory Friday night at San Jose City College.

McHugh, a Redwood City resident, rushed for 204 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns in the Bells win—the 12th straight since an opening week overtime defeat at the hands of perennial state football power, De la Salle High-Concord.

The cagey Bells leader also threw for a touchdown, spearheading an offensive performance that left zero doubt about who the best team in the section is.

While McHugh had the Bells on the move throughout the chilly December evening in San Jose, the Paly offense never was able to get on track until it was too late.

Dynamic playmaker B.J. Boyd wasn’t able to catch his first pass of the night until the 5:18 mark in the third quarter.

“Defensively, we were able to stop the big plays,” Bellarmine head coach Mike Janda said. “We had goals. One of the goals was to win the WCAL. Once we did that, we wanted to win the Open Division.”

Boyd nearly reeled in a deep pass from sophomore quarterback Keller Chryst in the first quarter.

Instead, the ball was ripped free by Bells star tailback and safety, Tim Crawley. The interception was one of two thrown by Chryst in the Vikings loss.

“We had a great year overall,” Paly head coach Earl Hansen said. “I’ll take 10 wins every year. We were very young. This a young team that will grow and learn from this game.”

Chryst was 2-for-10 for 23 yards passing in the first half. The sophomore finished the Open Division title tilt 6-for-22 for 120 yards and one touchdown.

The touchdown came off a pretty pump-and-go pass to B.J. Boyd that resulted in a 48-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

“He’s just a sophomore,” Hansen said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun to have him another two years. We’re proud of him.”

The first five possessions of the game resulted in four punts and one Paly turnover. After each defense had a little fun early, McHugh opened the game’s scoring with a big 54-yard scoring run down the left sideline. The burly offensive captain chugged through a Paly defender’s tackle try en route to the end zone.

“As a high school athlete, it’s the grand ball of them all,” McHugh said about the magnitude of the game. “We wanted to complete one of our goals.”

The only blemish on McHugh’s near flawless night came on the extra point try after the opening touchdown—a missed boot that flew wide to the right.

On the ensuing kickoff, McHugh didn’t get the ball deep enough to keep it out of the hands of the most dangerous return man in the section.

Boyd caught the kick at his own two-yard line and buzzed 98 yards back the other direction for six points.

Justin Grey converted the extra point giving Paly it’s only lead of the night. However, the Bells scored touchdowns on their next four drives, taking a 34-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Palo Alto finished the year with a 10-3 overall. The Bells improved to 12-1 and will now have to wait and see if they are bowl bid worthy. The selection for the CIF State bowl games will be announced later on this month