The San Bruno fire has had an impact on the local sports community.

Gregg Tafralis, the former U.S. Olympic team member in the shot put, was at his San Bruno home at the time of the gas line explosion. The Tafralis home was destroyed. Gregg Tafralis suffered burns to his neck, back, elbow and calf, was treated at a local hospital and has been discharged. He, his wife and daughter are staying with friends.

Adam Tafralis, Gregg’s son, was a two-time San Mateo County Athlete of the Year at Mills High as chosen by the County Times. Now a quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, Adam Tafralis has returned home to San Bruno, trying to help his family. “We haven’t been able to get to the house to see it yet, but we know nothing is left,” Adam said.

The Capuchino football team had its season opener at South San Francisco canceled due to the fire.

“A lot of kids lived in the neighborhood, but no one on the team lost their home,” Capuchino coach Jordan Seiden said.

This is Seiden’s first year as head coach. He’d been looking forward to that game for months.

“What a way to start the season,” Seiden said. “The kids were disappointed, but at the same time they understand the situation. They were fine with the decision given the magnitude of the situation. A lot of players volunteered to help out over the weekend, something I was pleased to see.”

Capuchino plays its first game Saturday at 1 p.m. when it hosts Christopher of Gilroy, a school in its first year of varsity football.

“I’m definitely looking forward to getting the season off the ground,” Seiden said.

MAKING A STATEMENT: Sacred Heart Prep lost to Riordan last year 28-7. This time around the Gators beat the Crusaders 56-26 on Saturday.

“We got beat pretty good by them last year,” SHP coach Pete Lavorato said. “This is real big for our program. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the WCAL. Any time you can beat them or even compete it’s a big deal.”

Last year the Gators had the No. 1 ranked rushing attack in San Mateo County. But with his two top running backs graduated and a returning starter at quarterback in John Geary, Lavorato said he expected to have a more balanced offense this year. And Geary has completed 19 of 30 passes for 290 yards over the first two games. But the Gators rushed for a whopping 465 yards against Riordan.

“We really are more balanced, teams have to play us more honestly,” Lavorato said. “Our line is better with three returning starters. I like running the ball. At the high school level it’s a surety, something to pin your hopes on. But when you have both it puts defenses on edge.”

HIGHLIGHT SNIPPETS: Serra bounced back from a 45-7 loss to De La Salle with a 28-21 win over a highly regarded Monte Vista team.

“We’ve played De La Salle six times and I can tell you losing big is better than losing close to those guys,” Serra coach Patrick Walsh said. “It’s more difficult to get over those close losses.”

Against Monte Vista, fullback Alex Bravo ran for two touchdowns, but then took a helmet to the knee in the third quarter and had to come out of the game. In his absence, Erich Wilson carried the load in the fourth quarter as Serra rallied for the win.

Half Moon Bay rebounded from a 38-14 loss to Homestead with a 39-14 victory over Scotts Valley. Dominic Sena rushed for 218 yards to lead the Cougars.

San Mateo’s 27-15 win over Aragon might indicate something of a shift in the fortunes of this city’s public school programs. It was San Mateo’s first win over Aragon since 1996, when Buz Williams was still coaching the Bearcats. Even in 2003 when San Mateo won a Central Coast Section championship, Aragon came out on top 45-42 in a memorable game.