Palma-Oakdale football

Friday's game
Palma (1-1) at Oakdale (2-1), 7 p.m.
 Having gone on the road last week and defeated Aptos, the Mustangs lone loss this fall was a 19-14 setback to Liberty, who is ranked No. 21 in the state.
 Tailback Leo Ayala rushed for a pair of touchdowns last week against Aptos, while Cameron Snow returned a fumble 52 yards for a defensive touchdown.
 Defense has set the tone through three games for the Mustangs, who fell to eventual state champion Rio Linda in the SAC Joaquin Section semifinals last year.
 Palma spotted Sacred Heart Cathedral 14 point last week on the road before awakening and running off 35 straight points.
 If it took a quarter for the Chieftains to get their legs under them after a two plus hour bus ride, it can expect to be on the road for three plus hours Friday, with temperatures in the 90's at kickoff.
 Anthony Villegas has piled up 422 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in two games for Palma. He's on pace for 2,110 yards in 10 games. But he's also on pace for 250 carries.
 Sophomore quarterback Luke Rossi looked more poised and confident in his second start, tossing his first touchdown pass to J.T. Amaral.
 His emergence is critical for the Chieftains, who have arguably two of the top receivers in the county in Jon Jon Berring and Micah Olivas, who have five catches between them.
 After allowing 47 points in a season opening loss and 14 in the first 15 minutes last week, Palma's defense shut down SHC until late in the fourth quarter when the game was in hand.
 Jacob Herbst has two picks in two games for the Chieftains. Gabe Nale has become a special teams weapon, having kicked a field goal and converting all nine extra point attempts.