Seaside-Palma football

Central Coast Section Open Division III playoffs
Friday's game
No. 6 Seaside (6-4) vs. No. 3 Palma (6-4) at Rabobank, 7 p.m.
 You can make the argument that the Chieftains turned their season around in their first meeting with Seaside, overcoming a nine-point halftime deficit, outscoring them 17-0 in the second half.
 Sophomore tailback Anthony Villegas put himself in the record books for Palma, rushing for a single game record 327 yards and three touchdowns that night.
 The Spartans experiment with a running quarterback was brief as Ivan Ochoa returned behind center for the final game, completing 8-of-12 in helping clinch a playoff spot.
 If Ochoa can get the ball down field to the likes of Roderick Gaskins and De'Antae Williams, it will force Palma to reconsider stacking eight in the box in an effort to stop DeMarcus Hawkins.
 Arguably the best player in the county, Hawkins is coming off a 205 yard, four-touchdown rushing effort against Monte Vista, giving him nearly 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns this season.
 The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Hawkins is also a demon on defense with 98 tackles and 10 sacks this fall for Seaside. Teammate Daniel Sayre has 12 interceptions in his last two years.
 Part of Palma's resurgence has been the play of quarterback Grant Sergent, who threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with under a second left in a win over San Benito.
 Sergent has fired six touchdowns in his last three games for the Chieftains, four to Dominic Scattini, who is also among the team leaders in tackles.
 Palma, who was just 2-4 at one point, has won four straight games to earn its 33rd straight playoff appearance.