PALO ALTO >> Aptos High’s football team continued to defy the odds in postseason action on Friday night.

Playing on the road and in the rain, the No. 7 seeded Mariners jumped on a massive wave of momentum to end the first half and opened the second half with a special teams score to gain separation in their 49-35 upset of No. 3 Palo Alto in the Central Coast Section Division III semifinals.

The Mariners (7-5 overall) ended the regular season tied for fourth place in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division, but, two weeks later, now find themselves competing for their sixth section title in school history.

“I got a lot of emotions right now,” said Zach Hewett, the Mariners’ first-year head coach. “I’m just overwhelmed. I mean, that was a really good football team that we played and our offense was absolutely dynamite tonight.”

Aptos will face No. 1 Carmel (12-0) at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas for the D-III title on Friday at 7 p.m. The winner also advances to a CIF NorCal Regional bowl game.

The unbeaten Padres, the PCAL Mission Division South champions, beat No. 4 Hollister 40-21 in the semifinals.

Aptos stunned previously unbeaten Willow Glen, seed No. 2, 47-35 in the quarterfinals last week.

“I’m pumped, man,” Mariners quarterback Ryan Solorio said. “My team, we’re working so hard, working so great this year. My O-line, they’re working so hard on every freaking run we move. We competed, we did our job. That’s what I told my team to do and we did it. I’m so proud of my team. I couldn’t be any more thankful.”

Through two playoff games, the Mariners have given up an average of 35 points and 402 yards. But the Mariners’ proved yet again that they have enough weapons to win shootouts.

Again, the Mariners made just enough plays on defense.

“Timely, opportunistic. I’ll say lucky,” said Hewett, noting that he told an upset cornerback who misplayed a pass play that nearly led to a Vikings’ touchdown, by offering, “Hey, man, I’d rather be lucky than good at this point.”

Aptos scored on six of its 10 offensive series and punted just once. It finished with 440 yards on offense, including 359 yards and five touchdowns rushing on 54 carries.

“We knew they were a severe run-heavy team,” Palo Alto junior receiver Jake Wang said. “We knew they had a really good offense, a really good mesh, it’s hard to see the ball. That, obviously, showed up today. They executed really well. We competed, but they’re a very good team. They were the better team tonight.”

Oddly enough, it was a pass play on the final play of the first half that gave the Mariners the momentum for good.

On first-and-goal from the 9-yard line, Solorio rolled out to his right and fired a dart to the back of the end zone. Moises Torres made a leaping catch and stayed inbounds by the narrowest of margins with 1 second left.

“That’s a freaking hell of a catch,” Solorio said. “It was on the line. That was it, right there.”

Hewett said he’d like to get the Torres ball more often, given what he’s capable of.

“He has unbelievable hands,” his coach said. “He’s a really good receiver. We haven’t done enough to get him the ball this year, but that kid, he’s really something. He pulls off some catches that are pretty ridiculous. That one was really something. That’s probably the number one on his list of improbable circus things I’ve seen him do.”

Torres’ score gave Aptos a 28-21 lead, and Casey MacConnell took the opening kickoff in the second half 72 yards for a score to give the Mariners’ a two-touchdown lead.

“That kickoff return was huge,” Hewett said. “Moises getting the touchdown right at the end of the first half and then opening with a kickoff return. Like that’s a 14-point swing where they had no opportunity to do anything about it. That’s devastating.”

Sophomore quarterback Justin Fung and the Vikings responded. Fung pieced together a quick scoring drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Peyton Wehner to pull their team within a touchdown, 35-38, but the Mariners received short rushing scores from Nate Garcia in the third quarter and Felix Valencia on the first play of the fourth quarter to take a commanding 49-28 lead.

Fung connected with Dylan Robinson for a 4-yard touchdown pass, and the final score, with 8:28 remaining.

Late in the fourth, the Vikings marched from their own 19-yard line to the Mariners’ 5, but turned the ball over on downs with 2:28 left.

The Mariners killed the remainder of the game clock with three run plays and Solorio taking a knee.

Garcia finished with two touchdown runs for Aptos. Solorio ran for a team-high 88 yards on nine carries, and completed four of his five passes for 71 yards. Running back Gavin McDonald finished with 82 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, and Deric Moren had three carries for 64 yards and a touchdown.

It rained lightly for much of the game, but that didn’t deter the Vikings from airing it out. Fung was 15-of-25 passing for 219 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception.

Running back Isaiah Phillips led the Vikings’ ground attack with 14 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown. Joseph Kessler also rushed for a score.

The Vikings committed two costly turnovers, and the Mariners converted both miscues into touchdowns.

Elijah Lopez had a fumble recovery for Aptos, and MacConnell made his CCS leading ninth interception of the season.

Torres wasn’t the only player to make a sensational reception. Palo Alto’s Wang made an over-the-shoulder, one-handed catch in stride — in the rain, no loss — and sprinted to the end zone for a 64-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Wang he works on making one-handed catches in practice, and worked of fighting through the element during pregame warmups.

“I knew I had to make a play for my brothers, and that’s what I did,” he said.