Palo Alto High quarterback Justin Fung is optimistic after an ankle injury, while linebacker Peter Born says he expects to play Friday, after both were injured in the Vikings' 35-21 homecoming win over Burlingame.
Fung tweaked his left ankle in the fourth quarter of the Oct. 9 game after a 50-yard rush, when a defender tackled him from behind and he rolled up on the ankle. He returned with tape on the ankle.
"I just tweaked it a little bit, but I think I'll be all right," Fung said after the game, according to the Paly Voice.
Born re-aggravated a shoulder injury late in the game after tackling a Burlingame running back for a loss. The senior linebacker said he has a Grade 1 AC joint sprain that has been nagging him for a long time.
Head coach Edward Tonga said Born had been having a standout game before the injury, noting the team's training staff would get him ready for the next matchup.
Both injuries bear watching because the Vikings (5-1, 1-0 PAL De Anza) travel to San Mateo (5-1, 1-0) on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. for a game that could shape the league title race.
Fung accounted for five touchdowns against Burlingame. Wide receiver Bronson Lindgren caught his 10th receiving touchdown of the season in that game, the most among Central Coast Section (CCS) receivers at that point, according to The Paly Voice.
Paly went 0-10 last season. In Tonga's first year as head coach, the Vikings are 5-1. The Bay Area News Group placed Tonga on its midseason Coach of the Year watch list on Oct. 5, crediting him with reviving the program.
San Mateo presents a stiff test. The Bearcats have scored at least 28 points in five of six games, with their only loss a 35-7 defeat to Los Gatos, according to MaxPreps.
The players' postgame comments do not establish medical clearance for Friday's game.
