The Marin Highlanders clashed with East Palo Alto this weekend in a Northern California preseason game.

The EPA team is what had been Menlo-Atherton, but like a lot of teams, they have struggled to bring back the numbers to pre-pandemic levels. So they are operating as a HS club under the EPA name. These two teams are in the same NorCal league but won't play each other in regular league play, so this was a good benchmark for where they sit.

Marin got off to a quick start with sophomore lock Oscar Jordan scoring the first try in the 4th minute. Senior outside center Hudson Lavinsky cut through for one in the eighth minute and senior flyhalf James Kellerman converted for an earl 12-0 lead. Jordan would score two more in the first half before EPA was able to break through for a long range score. 

East Palo Alto took the momentum in the second half and scored twice before Marin inside center Sam Janowski dove over for his team's fifth try. Finally, hooker Bodhi Shipley, sophomore, intercepted a pass and took it in for the last score of the day. Kellerman converted five of the six tries and Marin won 40-17.

Both teams were missing players as it is still early in the season.

Elsewhere in Northern California, Jesuit and Bishop O'Dowd ran what was essentially a scrummage for younger players. And De La Salle beat San Joaquin Memorial 58-14 in a warmup for both teams. De La Salle will potentially be looking at the March all-state school team championship, a championship they won in 2020.