SALINAS >> It was time for a program with a section record run of 39 straight postseason appearances, one that been challenged by growing pains to step up.

Caution got thrown to the wind Friday by Palma High. The Chieftains football season had been a case of painful losses in October, putting its section record playoff run of appearances in jeopardy.

“I talked about that with my coaches all week,” Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo said. “I said we have nothing to lose. We need to open it up and develop our quarterback. If we want a shot at the playoffs, we have to be successful throwing the ball.”

Sophomore quarterback Patrick Driscoll got the message, tossing a pair of scoring strikes in the first half, as the Chieftains’ scored the game’s first 25 points, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 32-15 win over Hollister at Rabobank Stadium.

Much like last fall when the Chieftains season was at a crossroads, the opponent on the other side just happened to be their longest-running rival in Hollister.

“Last year’s win over Hollister was huge, coming off the forfeits,” Carnazzo said. “It propelled us into the playoffs. We’re hoping this propels us forward from here on out.”

The defending State Division 4A champion Chieftains, who had not started a league season 0-3 since the mid-1970s, climbed into a tie for fifth in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division with the Hollister, where they will hold the tiebreaker in the event of a tie.

The top five teams in the Gabilan Division earn automatic spots in the Central Coast Section playoffs. There has not been a sixth team from the Gabilan to reach the playoffs since the league was formed in 2012.

Palma (4-4 overall), will likely have to win one of its final two games to ensure a spot in the playoffs. It closes the season with games against Monterey and Alvarez.

“Our morale was down after the Aptos’ loss,” Carnazzo said. “It’s hard not to be. We have a culture here of winning. The kids hear the noise in the stands, on the streets, in school. This week there was a sense of urgency.”

Three of Palma’s losses this year have come against Arizona state power Yuma Catholic, reigning State Division 4AA champion Soquel and six-time defending Gabilan Division champion Salinas.

Coming off a bye week, Carnazzo stressed the importance of eliminating the mistakes that have haunted the Chieftains all season and working to just get better as a team.

“This group stuck together and worked hard on improving these last two weeks,” Carnazzo said. “I felt like we got better in all three phases of the game.”

That includes special teams where the Chieftains got blocked punts from Aiden Lopez and Wyatt Deverick, with Weldon Chisum showing off his track speed in returning both for touchdowns.

Yet, it was the left-handed throwing Driscoll, who helped open up the offense for Palma, with scoring strikes of 83 yards to Cesar Mercado and 52 yards to Lucas Milburn.

“We decided to turn him loose,” Carnazzo said. “If he throws a pick, we don’t change what we want to do. Patrick threw the ball well tonight. And he managed the game really well.”

Dating back a decade, Palma is 8-2 against Hollister with five straight wins, including a 38-10 decision in last year’s playoffs.

David Garcia added a touchdown run in the second half for Palma, whose defense held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter for the fifth time this year, improving to 3-1 in home games this season.