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ATHERTON — Noa Ngalu understands what it takes to play for a state title.
It’s the type of effort on defense Menlo-Atherton put forth Saturday afternoon at home during a 17-7 triumph over Palo Alto in the Central Coast Section Open Division I semifinals.
“I got the same vibe that I did in sophomore year,” said Ngalu, who is two years removed from the Bears’ lone trip to a state final. “I feel like we can take it all the way.”
Paly coach Nelson Gifford used one word to describe what it felt like.
“They’re suffocating,” he said.
No. 2 M-A (10-2) gambled on its interior core to stop the run — and won.
Ngalu, a 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive tackle and Washington commit, along with inside linebacker Daniel Heimuli, a four-star recruit considering offers from Alabama, Oregon, UCLA, Utah and Washington, anchored the Bears in strangle-mode.
Third-seeded Paly (10-2) managed only 12 yards on the ground, counting the four sacks on quarterback Jackson Chryst.
“If you’re able to make a team one-dimensional, it’s easier to worry about just one thing,” M-A coach Adhir Ravipati said.
Chryst, under pressure throughout, never found his rhythm in front of a packed house at Coach Parks Field.
He finished 18 of 36 for 174 yards and two interceptions, including one inside the red zone with 20.1 seconds left in the first half by M-A junior Treavon Norton that was returned 86 yards. Only a touchdown-saving tackle by Paly wide receiver Jamir Shepard kept the Vikings within reach at halftime, trailing 10-0.
“We really wanted to try and flush him out of the pocket and make him have to get past his primary read,” Ravipati said.
M-A didn’t find much success on offense, either.
Ravipati took the brunt of the blame for the play calling, though turnovers nearly derailed the season.
A 47-yard field goal by Anthony Waller midway through the first quarter put the Bears ahead 3-0. But a fumble inside the 5-yard line on the ensuing drive with 36.8 seconds left resulted in a touchback, and after the M-A defense forced a punt Paly middle linebacker Wes Walters nearly had a pick-6 before he was pushed out of bounds at the 10-yard line.
Penalties forced a turnover on downs, then the Bears embarked on a 10-play, 71-yard drive that ate up more than six minutes off the clock.
An encroachment call on fourth down extended the possession, and on the next snap M-A quarterback Jack Alexander threw a fade to sophomore Troy Franklin, who snagged the ball away from the Paly cornerback with inside position for a 26-yard touchdown to make it 10-0 with 1:47 left until halftime.
“Every time the ball is in the air that’s my main focus, it’s just to not let him catch the ball and it’s all mine,” Franklin said.
Just when neither team appeared capable of scoring in the second half, Walters made his impact felt again with a fumble recovery in M-A territory.
Four plays later, Paly found life as Chryst connected with Junacio Henley on a 7-yard touchdown to get within 10-7 with 9:46 left in the fourth quarter.
“Our guys were right there, it was so close, they could taste it,” Gifford said. “It wasn’t a blowout, so it’s probably harder because the game was within our grasp.”
M-A felt the game slipping away, so it turned to Deston Hawkins.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound running back displayed a blend of speed and power on a 75-yard drive entirely composed of handoffs to the senior that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown with 6:27 left for insurance.
“I didn’t know I was going to get the ball seven times, but I knew our team needed that momentum back, so I had to make a few plays,” Hawkins said. “It’s just the determination to win and make it to state, that’s all those runs.”
Hawkins finished with 18 carries for 136 yards.
“He’s a big-time player and we’ve got to be able to ride him and use him to put ourselves in good down and distances,” Ravipati said.
A last-gasp effort by the Vikings ended on an interception by M-A senior Joe Posthauer.
“It’s the worst,” Gifford said. “And it sucks not because you’re losing, but because in the end you’re saying goodbye. Every season, every team is unique — it’s like a snowflake. You’re never going to have the same team two years in a row, and so it really is putting a final chapter.”
Meanwhile, M-A clinched a spot in a yet-to-be determined NorCal bowl game.
“All the seniors that were in state a couple of years ago, they’re teaching all the young bucks to just keep pushing,” Franklin said. “They’re teaching us what it takes to get to state.”
First things first, the Bears have their sights set on next week’s CCS Open Division I title game against top-seeded Wilcox (12-0).
“Our goal is to win it and I’ve seen Wilcox play a couple of times this year — they’re the real deal,” Ravipati said.
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