Cameron Palma leads San Mateo to crucial win over Half Moon Bay

SAN MATEO — One thing you might not know about San Mateo High quarterback Cameron Palma?

“Big into collecting Pokemon cards,” he said.

But what you might know about Palma if you follow Bearcat football is the third-year starter can lead an offense. On Friday night against visiting Half Moon Bay, Palma rushed for 112 yards on 15 carries and threw two touchdown passes to lead the Bearcats to a 30-20 home victory.

The result creates a showdown with Sequoia (3-0 in league) next Friday for at least a share of the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division title. San Mateo (7-1 overall, 4-0) ripped off its six consecutive victory following a Week Two loss to Aragon. Meanwhile, Half Moon Bay (6-2, 1-2) turns its attention to Carlmont to land a consolation prize, a Central Coast Section at-large playoff bid.

If there was a Super Electric Breaker in Friday’s game, to borrow a Pokemon reference, it came quickly – on San Mateo’s first offensive play, following a Half Moon Bay fumble pounced on by cornerback Ricky Gomez. The Bearcats don’t pass much, but head coach Jeff Scheller called for a deep throw to seize the momentum, and Palma hit Hamilton Pitney in stride for a 40-yard score.

“They’re not going to expect it, so let’s take a shot,” Palma said. “I wasn’t expecting that one either. Coach surprised me.”

Another Cougar fumble, also on a botched QB-RB exchange, came early in the second quarter, with lineman John Juarez making the recovery at Half Moon Bay’s 34-yard line. Four plays later, running back E.J. Fitzgerald was in the end zone.

Two turnovers, 13 points.

“That’s the difference in the game right there,” Half Moon Bay coach Ronnie Ekis said.

Still, the game remained far from decided, with two similar teams running the triple option. Half Moon Bay caught the Bearcats midway through the third quarter, tying the score 20-20 on a 15-yard run by Adler Halterman behind left tackle Taty Serrano.

But Palma, who played every offensive and defensive snap as a two-way player doubling at free safety, was feeling good. With flawless reads, Palma ripped off gains of 8, 5, 11, 7, 17, and 24 yards on the ensuing drive. His decisions to keep, hand off, or pitch were based on the defense’s reactions.

“I’m telling you, this guy’s a warrior,” Scheller said.

Jovani Hernandez Cruz closed out the 11-play, 82-yard drive with a three-yard TD go-ahead run on the opening play of the fourth quarter for a 27-20 lead.

San Mateo rushed for 248 yards, far under its average of 342 going into the game, but more than enough in this instance. The Bearcats employ two wings, and a single back behind the quarterback. Any of them can carry the ball.

“It’s a Flexbone,” Scheller said. “It’s really hard to stop when you’re doing a good job.”

Ekis knows the offense well, but also knows that it can be exploited if there is a flaw. With a weaker ballcarrier, the defense can take away two options and force the offense to go the third. But San Mateo, “doesn’t have a weakness,” Ekis said. “All three options are very capable.”

A San Mateo defensive stand set up an 11-play drive that ate up more than six minutes off the clock. It included a six-yard run on fourth-and-4 by Fitzgerald and ended with a 22-yard field goal by Yianni Fitzgerald for a 30-20 lead with 3:24 left to seal it, even with Half Moon Bay getting 99 yards on 18 carries from Halterman and Ronin McCauley catching six passes for 70 yards.

It wasn’t enough. The San Mateo defense closed out the game, leaving the Bearcats within reach of their own version of the Population 1 PSA 10 Illustrator Pikachu, the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold. In other words, a championship.