On Friday, October 29th during Week 9 of the varsity football season against Carlmont High School, Menlo quarterback Sergio Beltran fired a pass to fellow senior Tyler Flynn for a touchdown that made history. The catch marked Beltran’s 42nd touchdown pass of the season, the most by any Central Coast Section (CCS) quarterback ever. Even Bay Area native Tom Brady didn’t touch that record when he played in the CCS for Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo. With his 42nd touchdown, Beltran capped off a 55-17 win and an undefeated league championship title for the Knights.

Beltran began his football prowess in fourth grade when playing for the Redwood City Pop Warner team (little league tackle football), and his near-decade of football experience shows in his playstyle. Fans are often left stunned after Beltran seemingly senses defensive pressure or feels a way to get into the endzone and simply takes off running. In fact, Beltran admitted that his run game is a skill that he has built throughout his high school career. “[On JV] I just gave the ball to the receivers and let them do their work. But on varsity, I get chances to extend plays when things don’t go our way and am able to make the most out of a broken play,” Beltran said. With three rushing TDs in the game against Carlmont, Beltran hopes to continue his success in the endzone during the CCS playoffs. 

While this season’s success feels special for the Knights, Beltran is no stranger to winning. As a high school quarterback, Beltran boasts an impressive 24-2 record as a starter. One of those wins came from a game where he started on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Additionally, along with this current undefeated season, Beltran led the JV team to a 9-0 record in his sophomore year. As a seventh-grader, Beltran even attended the national championships in Florida with his Redwood City Pop Warner team. 

Despite his current success, Beltran continues to credit his team. He sees all of the records he broke as team achievements and attributes his success to the offensive line and the receivers. Although he admits it felt good to throw seven touchdown passes in a single half against Sequoia in Week 1 — another CCS record — Beltran continuously uses “we” when describing his achievements,  highlighting the substantial role his teammates and coaches play in his success. 

For Beltran and the Knights, all of these records are in the past, and their main focus is winning a CCS championship. The seniors on the team use the phrase “senior year” to remind themselves that, for most, this year will be their last year of playing football. It’s a reminder to push each other and give maximum effort. 

Beltran attributes the team’s success to all of their offseason preparation. “The receivers, the quarterbacks [and I] had a lot of offseason work where, after practice, we went on [the Hillview field] and just ran routes and got our connection right,” Beltran said. 

Beltran hopes his football career does not end with this season. He has hopes of playing at the D3 level at a school where he can take his talents to the next level and pursue an elite education. He’s currently focusing on finishing the season strong and bringing Menlo football home their first CCS championship title.