Alex Kershner

Paly quarterback T.J. Braff ('11) hands the ball off to running back Will Glazier ('11). Braff had three touchdowns on the night.

The Palo Alto varsity football team (4-1-1, 1-0-1) tied the Homestead Mustangs (1-4-1, 1-1-1) 20-20 on Friday night in Sunnyvale.

With the score tied 20-20 at the end of the fourth quarter, officials declared the game a tie. However, the game continued into overtime, to determine the head-to-head victor if the teams had identical league records at the end of the season. Paly won the tiebreaker on a three yard touchdown run by quarterback T.J. Braff ('11).

(Click here for game photos)

The game will count as a tie for both teams, and the overtime victory for Palo Alto will only be used in the final standings if it is necessary for the head-to-head match up winner.

All of the Vikings' points in regulation came in the first half, as they jumped out to a 20-6 lead.

Just over three minutes into the game, Braff scrambled for a nine yard touchdown to finish off the Vikings' opening 63-yard drive.

The Mustangs fired back on the ensuing possession with a 61-yard strike from quarterback Shaquille Green ('11) to receiver Robert Graham ('12). However, kicker Peter Comesana ('10) missed the point after attempt, leaving Paly with a one point lead.

Alex Kershner

Paly wide receiver Joc Pederson goes up to catch a pass. Pederson racked up 62 yards on just three receptions.

On the following Paly drive, the Vikings moved quickly downfield with the help of two personal fouls committed by the Mustangs. Running back Miles Anderson ('11) ended the drive by gliding into the end zone untouched from the 10-yard line.

Palo Alto kicker and wideout Joc Pederson ('10), substituting for regular kicker Christoph Bono ('11), missed the point after – allowing Homestead to stay within seven.

"I still need to get used to kicking," Pederson said. "I need to get my leg in shape to be able to make those kicks."

That kick turned out to be the point Paly needed for the win.

With 8:10 left in the first half, Braff threw an interception. After a long return by Graham, Paly tight end Kevin Brown ('10) forced a fumble on the same play, which Viking tackle Austin Kaiser ('10) recovered.

Meanwhile, Palo Alto shut down the Mustang run game, limiting it to just 20 yards on 12 first half carries.

"Our offense is all about running the ball," Homestead running back Brian Rogers ('10) said. "We knew we could play with this team if we play physically, and as long as we kept running, so that's what we did."

With two minutes left in the half, Paly corner Davante Adams ('11) picked off one of Green's few pass attempts. This set up a 12-yard touchdown completion from Braff to wide receiver Maurice Williams ('11) with a minute remaining. The scoreboard read 20-6 at halftime, but Paly could not duplicate its first half performance.

"We didn't finish when we should have," Paly head coach Earl Hansen said. "They got stronger because we allowed it."

Homestead's defense obliterated the Paly offense in the second half, allowing it to reach the red zone just once.

"We had opportunities but we couldn't really capitalize on them or finish," Braff said.

The Mustangs scored a touchdown on a 17-yard run by wide receiver Tyler Bond ('12) with 6:44 left in the third quarter, putting the score at 20-13.

Paly had its chance to respond after a 34-yard reception by Adams, giving them first and goal on the Mustang five yard line.

However, the Vikings squandered the opportunity to score on each of their first three downs, and went for it on fourth down from the Homestead seven. Braff completed a pass to running back Terry Beasley ('10), who had a chance to score, but slipped on the two yard line.

The Mustangs then tied the game with a 10 yard touchdown rush by running back Aviv Spillinger ('10) following a Braff interception.

The Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) overtime format is similar to that of college football. One team starts with the ball on the other team's 10 yard line and has a set of downs to score. Then the other team gets the chance, and whichever team gets more points wins.

The Vikings stymied the Mustang offense, forcing it to kick a field goal on fourth down. On the 37-yard attempt, defensive end Kevin Anderson ('11) blocked the kick. This meant that Paly could score a touchdown or a field goal to win the tiebreaker.

On the Palo Alto third down play, the referee called defensive pass interference in the end zone on Homestead, which gave Paly a new set of downs on the three yard line. Braff promptly ended it with a three yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper.\

"It's kind of bittersweet because that's a tie," Paly linebacker Jared Beeson ('10) said. "We played a lot better than them, but the score didn't really show it."

Paly takes on Milpitas (5-0, 1-0) at home on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in what is sure to be one of the biggest tests for the Vikings in 2009.

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