Palo Alto High fell 17-14 at San Mateo on Friday, Oct. 16, leaving the Vikings in fourth place in the Peninsula-De Anza league.
The loss left Paly at 5-2 overall, according to the Midpeninsula Post. San Mateo improved to 6-1 with the win.
The Bearcats rushed for more than 300 yards, photographer James Regan reported in an Instagram post accompanying his game photos. Regan credited junior Lucas Hyndman with 70 rushing yards and senior George Slater with 69.
Junior halfback Okiki Asogba scored a touchdown for Paly. Senior Mack Reller caught a fourth-down pass during a late fourth-quarter drive, but the Vikings could not complete the comeback, according to Regan.
The loss interrupted a turnaround for a program that went 0-10 in 2025. Under first-year head coach Edward Tonga, the Vikings won five of their first six games.
That start included a 35-21 homecoming victory over Burlingame that ended a six-year homecoming losing streak, the Paly Voice reported.
In that win, senior quarterback Justin Fung ran for two touchdowns and more than 100 yards. Junior receiver Bronson Lindgren caught his 10th touchdown pass of the season.
Several Vikings were injured late in the Burlingame game. Senior linebacker Peter Born re-aggravated a shoulder injury but told the Paly Voice afterward that he expected to continue playing.
"I have a sprained AC joint," Born said. "It's just Grade 1 and it will take a while to heal, but I can play through it."
Paly’s next game is at Mountain View at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, according to its current schedule. The Spartans enter at 3-4 after a 33-0 loss to Woodside, according to MaxPreps’ game information.
