10.14.2022 –Menlo School football jumped out of the gates to take an immediate lead and fought to the last seconds in a 53-42 loss to Half Moon Bay at home Friday.
The Knights (1-1 Peninsula Athletic League-Bay, 4-3 overall)
Three plays in when Half Moon Bay diverted from its run game, Menlo senior Ty Richardson picked off a pass and ran it in for touchdown just a minute into the game.
The Cougars (2-1, 6-1) then used an 16-play drive that used 8:44 of the quarter and Liam Harrington’s keeper tied the game.
On the Knights’ first play from scrimmage, it was Richardson again, this time taking the ball 53 yards into the end zone for a 13-6 Menlo lead to end the first quarter. Early in the second, HMB’s Dio Lucido scored , then ran in the conversion for a 14-13 lead it wouldn’t give up.
Coming off a 400-plus yard performance in last week’s win, Menlo’s Jake Bianchi completed 18 of 24 passes for 301 yards. Richardson was again outstanding on both sides of the ball. Along with his pick-six, he had 160 all-purposed yards and a pair of touchdowns, and tallied a team-high 17 tackles.

Though Half Moon Bay had built a 15-point lead in the third quarter, the Knights pushed back. Bianchi connected with junior Brady Jung for a 22-yard TD pass and Menlo closed the gap 31-29.
Then. PJ Modena scored on two of his 30 carries to give HMB its biggest lead 46-29.
With just over 3 minutes left, Menlo got another big kickoff return from Charlie King, and five plays later, Richardson juked one defender, broke a tackle and rumbled into the end zone for a 20-yard score. Even with less than 2 minutes left, both teams scored late touchdowns. Menlo’s came when senior Robby Enright pulled in a pass from Bianchi with 32 seconds left.

Menlo seniors Cort Halsey finished with 10 tackles while Alec Jabal added nine more and a sack.

First quarter
M: Ty Richardson 33 INT return (pass failed)
H: Liam Harrington 5 run (kick failed)
M: Richardson 53 run(Ross Muchnick kick)

Second quarter
H: Dio Lucido 22 run (Lucido run)
H: Lucido 18 pass from Harrington (Julian Jimenez kick)
H: Jimenez 31 FG

Third quarter
M: Muchnick 34 FG
H: Harrison Tobias 61 run (Jimenez kick)
M: Brady Jung 3 run (Muchnick kick)
M: Jung 22 pass from Bianchi (pass failed)
H: PJ Modena 4 run (Jimenez kick)

Fourth quarter
H: Modena 2 run (Jimenez kick)
M: Richardson 20 pass from Bianchi (Muchnick kick)
H: Lucido 15 run (Jimenez kick)
M: Robby Enright 5 pass from Bianchi (Muchnick kick)