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De La survives week one and the WCAL looks good early It is becoming a pattern. You have to get them early. Time after time the De La Salle Spartans get tested in a game at the beginning of the season. For the second year in a row that test was Serra 9san Mateo). De La was held scoreless for the entire first half. Serra led 7-0 at the break. Terron Ward saved the day for the Spartans. The senior running back rushed for 100-yards, two TD's and had over 100-yards in kickoff and punt returns. The Spartans three quarterbacks combined for just 44-yards passing (4 of 14) and the team lost three fumbles. It was one of the worst games the Spartans have played in a while, and they still won the game. The next couple of weeks will tell a large part of the story for De La. They travel to New Jersey to play a Don Bosco team that came back to beat them last year before hosting Lakeland, Fl. the following week at DVC. Good thing De La still has that defense. Serra was held to 95-yard of offense in the game. Serra took a first quarter, 7-0 lead on a two yard pass from quarterback Andy McAlindon to tailback Don Andre Clark. St. Francis made some noise with a 35-0 white washing of Oak Grove (san Jose). Nathan Morace rushed for a school record 220 yards with just 18 carries in the win. Oak Grove pounded St. Francis last season 40-7 This year St. Francis was up 21-0 in the first quarter. Quarterback Kyle Miller completed TD passes of 45 and 13 yards to Romell Hanks and Poppy Livers in the first quarter and three of his six first half passes went for scores. The WCAL had a great first week of 2009. They went 5-1 with wins over playoff teams from a year ago. The only loss was Serra at De La Salle. If a team can go undefeated in league play and win the CCS title look for them to represent NorCal at state this year. It will be one of the best league seasons in recent memory. St. Ignatius 29 Marin Catholic 27, Sacred Heart Cathedral Justin Siena 24, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 41- Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 7. Down in LA the other half of the state got a mild upset when Crenshaw High got past their first hurdle with a 28-27 win against Lakewood, Ca. Crenshaw has one of the fastest teams in the state and they feature running back DeAnthony Thomas. and they are trying to become the first LA City section team to make it to the state championships. For what it is worth, Crenshaw is the top ranked team in the LA Times football poll. Crenshaw knows that being #1 in Sept. means little. They want that title come mid December after the open state title game. Head coach Robert Garrett is looking to get past the section semi finals for the first time since 2005 when Crenshaw last took home the section crown.
Over in Contra Costa county Clayton Valley has bounced back to their 1990 ways after going 12-1 last year.
They return a large core of seniors, which is always a good sign for a team. Concord High, College Park and Ygnacio Valley are all trying to win the league themselves. Ygnacio Valley features one of the top tailbacks in the Bay in Patrone Woods. the bruising Woods 11 rushed for a bay area leading 1,798 yards as a Jr. last year. A year bigger and better Patrone could reach 2G's in rushing this year. Pittsburg High has big plans this year and the will feature the services of running back/safety Erick Dargan. He is one of the top running backs in Bay this year and he is coming off a season were he rushed for 771-yards and 15-TD's despite splitting time in the backfield with Bryce Flowers last season.
The stage is set in football OPEN DIVISION: GRANT, SACRAMENTO vs. POLY, LONG BEACH Grant finished the season undefeated, including a pair of wins against state champions from Idaho and Utah. Its win against Alta (Sandy, Utah) represented the highest ranked team that anyone from Northern California defeated this season. The Pacers’ high-powered offense scored more than 30 points in all but one of their games. They defeated highly rated Granite Bay in the Section playoffs and also earned victories against Burbank in both league and Section finals. Long Beach Poly won its Section championship with a come-from-behind 20-17 victory against Tesoro Saturday night in the Pac-5 Finals. The Jackrabbits won their second consecutive Pac-5 championship, the toughest division in the Southern Section. They also began the season against Miami Northwestern who is playing for the Florida 6A State Championship.
DIVISION I: DE LA SALLE, CONCORD vs. CENTENNIAL, CORONA
They will face Centennial High School (14-0, 7-0) which was the Inland Division Champion from the Southern Section. The Huskies, who play in the Big VIII League, are coached by Matt Logan. This game will be a re-match of last year’s state Division I championship, which De La Salle won 37-31. De La Salle, making its third appearance in as many years in the state championship, played a tough schedule and their only loss was in the preseason to Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.), who went on to become the private school state champion in New Jersey. Should the Spartans win the game, Ladouceur would take over as the leader in career wins in California state high school football history. Undefeated Centennial bested Central Section champion Clovis West and also perennial power Mater Dei in a preseason game. The Huskies also beat highly ranked Chaparral twice, including the Section final. DIVISION II: ST. MARY’S, STOCKTON vs. CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC, SAN DIEGO
They will face Cathedral Catholic High School (13-0, 5-0) which was the Division III Champion from the San Diego Section. The Dons, who play in the Eastern League, are coached by Sean Doyle. St. Mary’s of Stockton’s greatest strength was its tough schedule. Its only loss was to Bellarmine, a contender for the Division I state berth. The Rams had strong playoff wins against Merced and twice defeated Lincoln of Stockton, giving them their only two losses of the season. Cathedral Catholic has been the top-ranked Division 11 team in the statewide polls throughout the season. Nine of their 10 regular season opponents made the Section playoffs, and they are riding a 20-game win streak. The Dons have victories this season against Carlsbad, a SDS Division I semifinalist, and Scripps Ranch, a Division II semifinalist. Cathedral Catholic also earned the CIF State girls’ volleyball championship Dec. 6, 2008.
DIVISION III: CARDINAL NEWMAN, SANTA ROSA vs. ST. BONAVENTURE, VENTURA
The Cardinals, who play in the North Bay League, are coached by Paul Cronin. They will face St. Bonaventure High School of Ventura (13-1, 7-0) which was the Northern Division Champion from the Southern Section. The Seraphs, who play in the Channel League, are coached by Todd Therrien. Both teams are making their second appearance in the state finals as the Cardinals played in the inaugural games in 2006, and the Seraphs won last year. Cardinal Newman was the top-ranked Division III team in Northern California for virtually the entire season. They had wins against Central Catholic, Del Oro and Palma during non-league play. They also defeated previously undefeated Clayton Valley in their Section championship. St. Bonaventure’s only loss was to Long Beach Poly, which will be playing in the state Open Division championship. The Seraphs had a commanding 42-7 victory in their Section final against Moorpark to finish off their tough season schedule. SMALL SCHOOLS DIVISION: HAMILTON UNION, HAMILTON CITY vs. ST. MARGARET’S, SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
The Braves, who play in the Mid-Valley League, are coached by Mark Cooley. They will face St. Margaret’s High School of San Juan Capistrano (14-0, 3-0) which was the East Valley Division Champion from the Southern Section. The Tartans, who play in the Academy League, are coached by Harry Welch. This is Welch’s second coaching appearance in the state finals as he also led Canyon of Canyon Country to the Division I title in 2006. Hamilton Union won its Section final in overtime against Willows and finished the season as the top-ranked team in the Small Schools Division in all the statewide polls. Their strength of schedule was key to their selection. The Braves are the first team from the Northern Section to participate in the state football championships. St. Margaret’s enters the state football championships on a 42-game win streak, the longest such string in Orange County history. The Tartans won their third straight Section title this season, though the first since being moved up to a higher division. They defeated two schools of approximately 2,000 students in the playoffs.
De La, Pitt to play for D1 Championship If the De La salle Spartans want to return to the CIF state championships they will have to get past a Pittsburg team that is playing it's best football of the season. While De La was over in Concord laying waste to a decent Foothill squad, Pitt was over off of Railroad dismantling San Ramon Valley 49-24. The Pirates were too much for San Ramon in the second half when the game was blown open. San Ramon got 438-yards passing and three Td's from QB Joe Southwick, but it was nit nearly enough against Pitt this night. The Pirates running game was un stoppable against San Ramon. Tailback's Erick Dargan and Bryce Flowers combined for 284-yards rushing and six total touchdowns. Dragan had five TD's himself. Four came rushing the football and one was on a 22-yard reception. Pitt has played De La many times in the past, but this might be their best chance to beat the Spartans since turning the trick way back in 1991. Prep football playoffs underway Their were a few surprises in the first round of the CIF football playoffs over the weekend. Berkeley High and El Cerrito renewed their little rivalry last week when Berkeley escaped with a close victory that gave the ACCAL regular season title to B-High. Both got a chance to host first round playoffs games, Berkeley (Deer Valley) and El Cerrito (Kennedy, Richmond) were looking to make a run in the post season. They both lost on opening night. Deer valley too advantage of early special team mistake's by Berkeley to score 17pts before they got a first down. Kristoff Williams scored on a 78-yard punt return midway into the first quarter. A bad snap on a Berkeley punt led to a short touchdown pass from Cruz Castillo to Jacori Dewberry and it was 14-0 Deer Valley. Julio Villegas made a 30-yard field goal to give the Wolverines a 17-0 halftime lead. Williams was all over the place for Deer Valley. He finished the game with 171-yards of total offense. Berkeley played great defense. It helped them outscore Deer Valley 20-7 in the second half. The final nail in Berkeley's coffin was a 18-yard run on 3rd and 10 with just over two minutes left in the game by Deer Valley's Derryle Jackson. Kennedy (Richmond) broke open a close game with 20, fourth quarter points to beat El Cerrito 34-9 in the first round of the NCS D3 playoffs. Two plays, a 33-yard touchdown pass three second before halftime and a El Cerrito fumble at their own two in that 20pt 4th quarter doomed El Cerrito. San Ramon Valley traveled out to San Leandro to play in what many thought would be an exciting game between to good teams that played a 38-35 thriller this season. San Ramon showed up, but after the first few minutes of the game, I don't know what happened to San Leandro. They would lose 42-14 in a game that was not as close as the score looked. San Ramon Valley will now look ahead to facing Monte Vista, their good friends from across 680. They just played each other in the last game of the regular season with San ramon coming out on top. It was the last game Monte Vista has played so you know they are happy to see San ramon again. The big boys will suit up this weekend as the playoffs get into full swing. Da Le Salle, Pittsburg High and Clayton valley in the east bay. The three schools are just miles a part, intense rival's in football and league champions in three different leagues. De La Salle survived the EBAL, Pittsburg won the BVAL and Clayton Valley is a perfect 10-0 after winning the DVAL. De La is on pace to return to the state championships for a third year in a row. If Pittsburg can win the NCS Championship they would make a pretty good case to go themselves. They would most likely have to beat De La in the championship game. Just to get there, Pittsburg will have a steep hill to climb starting with Cal High at home this Friday night. If they can get past them either San Ramon valley or Monte Vista will be waiting for them in the semi's. Clayton Valley is 10-0 and they beat three teams that made the playoffs, but only one of those teams, Ygnacio Valley, won last weekend. The book is still out on Clayton Valley who host Casa Grande Friday night. Down in San Jose, Bellermine will get a chance to get back into the state championship picture when they take on a Serra team that beat them out for the WCAL title. Serra shocked the Bells Oct. 24th when they beat them 31-23. that loss knocked the Bells out of the top spot in the Bay Area and it might have opened the door for Grant (sacramento) to make the D1 state final game. A win against Serra and a CCS Open Division title could put Bellermine back in the picture. Who ever wins the CCS Open Division could be in line for a state title shot. Oak Grove is 10-0 and they could make the trip down to LA next month if they can run the table. They play D2 favorite Valley Christian at San Jose City Friday night as the state playoffs will see another team fall by the way side in this one. Encinal will put their 10-0 record one the line when they play a Kennedy team the Jets pounded 42-6 two weeks ago. Kennedy, a 34-6 winner over El Cerrito in the first round of the playoffs might be in over their heads, but that is what people thought before they took on El Cerrito. The winner of that one will get the winner of Bishop O'Dowd and Marin Catholic in the D3 semi's.
Encinal doing just fine in the BSAL The Jets turned their league showdown with St. Pat's St. Vincent into a second half rout to take control of the BSAL football race.
The Jets were too much for St. Pat's. who lost a league game for the first time since 2005. A 14-6 half time lead turned into a 48-6 Jets victory. Encinal had too many play maker's for the over matched Bruins. Xavier Milton turned a seven yard pitch and catch into a 27-yard touchdown to put Encinal up 7-0 midway through the first quarter. SPSV's Daniel Wallace answered right back with a 26-yard TD run. After Jet's QB Jonathan Brown scored from 14-yards out Encinal's defense came up big. SPSV had been gashing the Jets with their Veer running game and they were on the move again just before the half. The Bruin's had first and goal with a minute left in the half, but could not score. After a penalty on fourth and goal gave them an extra play at the two, tailback Michael Meekins was stopped on the next and the Bruin's chances to make it a game ended with the half a few seconds later. De La takes control of the EBAL It was not easy, but it looks like De La Salle will have what it takes to make it through the EBAL after knocking of Monte Vista 45-35. Monte Vista jumped out to a 7-0 lead before De La scored 23pts in a row. The game went back and forth with teams trading touchdown's the rest of the game. Castlemont and Fremont continued on their path towards a showdown for the OAL championship with shutout wins Friday. Castlemont used defense to blank Skyline 21-0 while Fremont got it done on both sides of the ball in their 40-0 blitz of Oakland Tech. They are the last two remaining teams not to have lost in OAL play. Castlemont only score of a defensively dominated first half came by way of a Tyrone Radford 14-yard interception return with a minute to play in the first quarter. Castlemont opened things up in the second half behind he running of Juvonte Owens and play making of Aaron Horne. Horne scored his bay area leading 18th touchdown of the season on a 28-yard TD in the third quarter. Fremont improved to 7-1, 4-0 in the OAL before a large crowd at Curt Flood Field in Oakland. Bradley McDonald rushed for 130-yards and two touchdowns in the win. Fremont as a team ran for 392-yards and six TD's. Roy Beltz rushed for 56 of his 143-yards for a touchdown on the games second play. Oakland High stayed in the race with a 26-12 win over McClymonds. Mack struck first when their QB Robert Brigham hit Mikal Hastings on a 86-yards touchdown on the opening drive of the contest. O-High's Damante Horton answered right back when took it in from 44-yards out to tie the score. Horton would later add a touchdown receiving. Up next for Oakland is a date with Castlemont before playing their rival in the OAl, Skyline. Pittsburg High might have past their last league test with a 42-14 pounding of Freedom. The biggest loss of the weekend could have belonged to James Logan High. They fell 14-7 to Washington (Fremont) Friday night. It has been a long time since Logan did not win the MVAL in football, but they now find themselves in battle this year. If they do not win their league the Colts could find themselves on the outside looking in at playoff time.
De La settles into the EBAL De La Salle has gone back to their old ways after dispatching Amador Valley 34-14. That win improved them to 4-0 in League play, but the toughest games remain with Monta Vista, San Ramon Valley and Cal High still left on their schedule. San Leandro showed how tough it got from the losses they took at the beginning of the year with a 40-13 pounding of now 6-1 Bishop 'O Dowd Friday night. The win has San Leandro looking pretty in the HAAL (4-0, 4-3 overall). Bishop O' Dowd took a bigger hit then the game when their starting quarterback, Matt Balich, went out of the game with a hurt knee. Fremont High (Oakland) continued to kick up some dust with a 34-20 win over Skyline to improve to 2-0 in league play. Fremont's Roy Beltz Jr. had himself quite a game. He rushed for 171-yards and two TD's on just 11-carries. Beltz also found time to return an interception for a touchdown. Fremont kept pace with Castlemont, a 39-7 winner over McClymonds. This was a feel good win after Mack escaped with a hard fought Silver Bowl win over Castlemont last season. Denied their first Silver Bowl title, Castlemont has come back with a vengeance in 2008. They have one of the best defense's in the bay and one of the best players, Aaron Horne. Horne already has 17-TD's after scoring four against Mack. He can beat any which kind if way. Horne's TD's came on an eighty yard pass on the first play of the game. Aaron added a 35-yard interception return for a score in the second quarter before two more TD catches in the 4th quarter. Castlemont D showed up in a big way Friday holding Mack to -50, yes that's right, -50. yard of offense in the game. Castlemont had six sacks and three interceptions in the win. Oakland High pulled a rabbit out of a hat, coming back to beat Oakland Tech 19-16 Friday to stay in the race for an OAL title. How big was Serra's win over Bellermine Friday night. The Bells were in line for a berth in the division 1 state championship game in December. They fell out of the top spot in the Bay to De La Salle who will once again be back on top if they can get past Monta Vista Friday night. That is big with Grant up in Sacramento pounding on everybody they should get a berth to the state championships in either the open or division 1 bracket.
Regular season gets underway for most across the bay Teams got done to the serious business of trying to win their league championships this week. Encinal got off to a good start in the BSAL with a 38-18 win over Piedmont Friday night. The Jets ran and passed their way to a win without the services of Dominique Sashington who was suspended one week for being ejected from last weeks game. They did not need him. Encinal racked up 247-yards rushing against Piedmont. Quarterback Jonathan Brown passed for 123-yards and two TD's. Piedmont did not roll over in this one. The Highlanders took the lead with two minutes left in the third, finishing off a 91-yard drive with a Jeremy Brown to Joey Andrada 19-yard TD pass. That score made it 18-17 Piedmont. Encinal responded right back. Xavier Milton took the ensuing kickoff 92-yards the other way for a touchdown and just like that the Jets were back on top 25-18. Tyrone Duckett scored twice in the 4th to blow it open for Encinal. The Jets main rival for a BSAL title could be St. Patrick's/St. Vincent. They had a rough time of it with a pesky St. Mary's team. St. Pat's fell behind 14-7 after St. Mary's scored on their first drive of the second half. It was all St. Pat's after that. They rolled up 35pts in a row to win 42-14 and avoiding a major upset.
High school football gets set for Regular season This could be one of the most competitive season's in bay area high school football in a long time. While some things have remained the same, realignment has spiced things up a bit. Encinal (BSAL) and De La Salle (EBAL) are about to see what life is like in the the new leagues. De la Salle will be licking their wounds after failing to hold another lead, falling to Don Bosco (New Jersey) at home Saturday 23-21. De La, up 21-7 at the half, looked like they had in their last three games. Jumping out to big leads before watching teams come back to take a lead. The Spartans were shut out in a half for the first time in who knows how long. Don Bosco over came missing an extra point try that would have tied the game at 21. The kick hit the post and the home crowd went crazy. That happened with just over four minutes left in the game and it looked like De La Salle would stake to another win. Not so. Bosco's defense held and the offense drove into field goal position for .... who made a ...... with under a minute to play for the win.
CIF ESTABLISHES FORMAT AND SCHEDULE FOR 2008 STATE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BOWL GAMES PRESENTED BY FARMERS The California Interscholastic Federation, which recently approved increasing its state football games to five divisions, has determined the format for the five games as well as the 2008 game schedule, Executive Director Marie M. Ishida announced today. The five games will take place over two consecutive days at The Home Depot Center in Carson. The championship event will feature an "Open Division" in which the Selection Committee, made up of the 10 Section Commissioners, will select the top state qualifying team from Northern California to compete against the top qualifying team from Southern California. The other four games will be enrollment based according to the parameters outlined below: Open Division The top team from the north part of the state will play the top team from the south, regardless of school enrollment. NORTH SOUTH Division I 1,701+ 2,400+ Division II 1,001-1,700 1,101-2,399 Division III 1,000 and below, 1,100 and below, Small School Division 400 and below, 500 and below, All schools, including those that fall within the Small School Division enrollment parameters, will be eligible to be selected to play in the Division III game. Only schools that fall on or below the enrollment parameters will be eligible to be selected to play in the Small School Division. NOTE: If there are fewer than three qualified schools that fall within the enrollment parameters set for the Small School Division in either the north or the south, the Selection Committee has the flexibility to consider another team within the Division III enrollment parameters. "One of the reasons we increased the championships to five divisions was to ensure that small schools would have an opportunity to be selected to participate, and we believe that will occur with the enrollment parameters that have been set," said Ishida. "In addition, with the creation of the 'Open Division,' fans across the state and the nation will be able to see a game between two of the top high school teams California has to offer, regardless of the enrollment of each school. " The 2008 state championship bowl games will be played according to the following schedule. The exact game times are subject to change due to potential television commitments. The championship event will continue to feature ancillary events including The UCA/Macy's California State Cheerleading Championships and a Coaches Clinic sponsored by NIKE. After a successful two-year run through its pilot phase, the state football championship bowl games were approved as an on-going championship event by the Federated Council at its January 2008 meeting. The Home Depot Center, which seats 27,000, recently was selected as this event's host site for at least the next two years (2008 and 2009). Teams must win their Section championship to be eligible for consideration to be selected to compete in the state football championship bowl games. The Selection Committee will meet and determine the competing teams Sunday, December 14, 2008.
De La gets Northern Cali on the board The biggest crowd yet showed up for the D1 final and they got their monies worth. De La Salle handled their business in the first half, jumping out to a 24-7 half time lead. The Spartans would extend that lead to 31-7 in the third quarter and it looked like the Spartans would run away from the talented bunch from Corona. The Spartans were used to this. Being up 31-7 that is. They are not used to what happened over the last seven minutes of the third quarter and the first five minutes of the fourth.. Centennial responded with a 24pt run of their own to tie things up at 31 with 8.17 left in the fourth quarter. Just when it looked like De La Salle would roll over They answered with one of their patent drives, going 80-yards in nine plays to retake the lead. QB Mike MacGillivray finished off his high school career on a high note. MacGillivray was the starting QB when De La's national record 151-game winning streak was snapped back in 2004. Mike hit wide receiver Noah Perio on a crossing route with five minutes left in the game for the winning score. It was his second TD pass of the game and De La had three in the game. Perio took it in for a 25-yard touchdown and a six point De La lead. The official's decide to become a part of the game and they called an un sportsmanlike conduct penalty on Perio for doing a chest bump with another player after catching the TD. A 15-yard penalty forced a missed extra point and Centennial had life. They promptly moved the ball down to the De La 30 before the Spartan D stiffened up. Blair Wishom used this time to make his presence felt. First he burst through the line to tackle Bass for a five yard loss on fourth and two. De La did nothing with the ball after getting it back and they were forced to punt the ball back to Centennial. Centennial's last chance was ended by Wishom again. This time Blair intercepted the ball at mid field and the Spartans ran out the clock. Turnovers cost Centennial all game. Centennial put the ball on the ground the first time they had it and De La did what De La does. They put seven points on the board. Quarterback Blake Wayne punched it in from a yard out a couple of plays later. Centennial would answer right back, driving 80-yards and cashing in when tailback Ryan Bass scored from a yard out. It looked like De La Salle would run away and hide from Centennial over the next quarter and a half. Jr. cornerback Travis Carrie was every where during this stretch. He got the ball rolling with an interception and return that set up a De La field goal. Carrie slipped out of the backfield the next time De LA had the ball and scored on a pitch and catch from 28-yards out to make it a 17-7. After watching Tito Pica and Kylan Butler combine for over 2,000-yards and 37-touchdowns rushing during the 2007 season, Travis picked a great time for a coming out party. Central Catholic runs out of gas against St. Bonaventure The gave it a go, but with seven players playing on offense and defense Central could not get much going on offense in the second half of their 35-21 loss. This was a 14-all tie at the half. The score stayed that way until KC Serna threw a 70-yard touchdown pass on third and 21 midway into the 4th quarter.. It was the first of three TD's scored by St. Bonaventure on either third or fourth down in the 4th quarter. The last touchdown came when tailback Darrell Scott took a pitch from Serna and threw it back to KC on 4th and 8 from Central's 16. Scott ended his career in style. The number one ranked tailback in California rushed for a game high 150-yards and two TD's on just 17-carries, plus he had that game clinching touchdown pass. Central got a great game from tailback Louis Bland (196-yards rushing) who ran hard all day while doing double duty as a DB. Central had their chances, but two second half drives deep into St. Bonaventure's territory stalled on fourth down.
De La gets a wake up call The Spartans got just what they needed. a team driving on them and scoring a go ahead touchdown. It had happened just once this season until Monte Vista's Drew McAllister went in from a yard out in the second quarter of the teams NCS semi final round playoff game. De La has been blasting teams all year. Mission Viejo was the only other team to lead against De La this year. The Spartans continued to blast teams, ending the USC bound McAllister's career with a 50-15 win. What Monte Vista did for De La was give them food for thought. You need good competition in order to best your best. Oak Grove kept their season alive with a 35-21 win over Bellermine. Nevin Gardner was the man for Oak Grove. The tailback rushed for 275-yards and two touchdowns. Usua Amanam did his best to keep pace, but could only get 150-yards with two TD's for the Bells. Oak Grove wore down Bellermine, who could get only as close as 28-21 in the second half.
Second season about to start as playoff schedule is set Berkeley High's wild finish and ACCAL championship won them a date with the top ranked team in the state. De La Salle. The Spartans are a perfect 9-0 and they have been blowing teams out all year. De La was held scoreless in the first quarter of just one game all year, a 49-14 pasting of BVAL champion Pittsburg High. James Logan grabbed the #2 seed in the 4A playoffs and they will open up with a home game against 6-4 Foothill. Monta Vista plays at HAAL champion San Leandro while EBAL champion Cal HIgh travels to play at Pittsburg. In their 3A playoffs San Ramon Valley got the #1 seed while 9-1 Newark Memorial is seeded second. Newark will host Washington (4-5-1) while San Ramon gets American. The Mission Valley got a lot of love from the selection committee. Washington finished under .500, but a 35 all tie with San Ramon Valley early in the year must have carried a lot of weight. Ygnacio Valley ended the season on a four game losing streak, but they got in to the playoffs and they will open with a game at #4 seed Bishop O'Dowd. Las Lomas grabbed the top seed in the 2A playoffs and they will host Piedmont and their A-11 offense. Campolindo will play at first year program Heritage who grabbed a two seed. In the West bay Bellermine Prep will get a chance to avenge their only loss of the season, a 24-20 defeat to their first round playoff opponent, Serra. The Bells were riding high before Serra knocked them down a notch in both teams last regular season game of the year. For a complete run down of all the bay's playoff match ups click here
Say it ain't so Is it really the last weekend of regular season high school football. All of the hard work, anticipation leading up to the start of the season seems like it was just yesterday. If you are a senior, then it is magnified ten fold. Your last game, unless you play for a team headed for the playoffs it can be a day many of the players will never forget. It is also rivalry week. Schools all across the bay are gearing up for the one team they have to beat. Pittsburg v. Antioch, Alameda v. Encinal, Foothill v Amador Valley, all big games and there are too many to list in this article. A few teams face their moment of truth this weekend. Newark Memorial is 9-0, but they have not seen anything like James Logan, who they play at Logan next. Logan is 9-0 and they have been blowing out teams ever since they got past Monta Vista in their season opener 37-21 in their season opener. Logan has only been held to under 30 twice in 2007. They shut out Berkeley High 27-0 and the next week they beat Pittsburg 28-7. A win seems too be all standing in the way of Logan getting a second seed in the D1 playoffs behind De La Salle. San Ramon Valley plays rival Monte Vista and if San Ramon wins they could sneak into the second seed, but look for them to be ranked third heading into the playoffs. Berkeley High is in because they won their league, but what kind of seed awaits the yellowjackets. They did not win a game outside of the ACCAL. Newark is 9-0, but they could get their feeling hurt if they lose to James Logan. At 9-1 and one you would think Newark would get in. A blowout lose to Logan will not help their chances. With half the EBAL looking to get in to the D1 playoffs and San Leandro and Deer Valley ranked ahead of them a win against Logan will be what the doctor ordered. The BSAL will come down to the last week when St. Patrick, St. Vincent takes their 9-0 record to Piedmont to face the 7-2, 5-0 BSAL Highlanders. Piedmont uses a line up on offense that makes every player on the field an eligible player to catch a pass. That's right, you have a true spread offense with tackles and guards lining up all over the place. A 7-2 record shows that something is working right. Piedmont scores 22pts a game with their offense. St. Pat's have been scoring 42pts a game so Piedmont's O will have to be in high gear to keep up. Alameda will down the street to play against their good friends over at Encinal Nov. 9th at 7pm. Encinal has emerged from under the showdown cast by Pinole Valley in the ACCAL. The Jets sit in second place behind Berkeley with one game to go. Alameda in a game behind Encinal (4-2, ACCAL). Both teams are 7-2 and the winner will make the playoffs. The loser will have to hope and pray the selection committee see's things their way.
Squads set their sights on league titles You can call it separation Friday. All over the bay area high school football teams took a big step toward locking down a regular season title in football. The Bells for Bellermine assured themselves a share of the WCAL title with a commanding 43-21 win over Riordan in San Francisco Saturday. The Bells went up 16-0 before Riordan tried to make a game of it. 16-14 was as close as Riordan would get. Ygnacio Valley was rolling right along at 6-0 before being brought back to earth by Deer Valley. YV lost 12-0 to Deer Valley and they are now mired in a 2-game losing streak after falling 38-35 to upstart Heritage last week. Now they host Pittsburgh High Saturday. YV has fallen to fourth place in the BVAL. Pitt leads the league with a 4-1 record and the can clinch at least a tie for the regular season title with a win over YV Saturday. Salesian (Richmond) and Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) square off for the Bay Football title Nov 3rd at 3pm in Richmond. Salesian has not missed a beat with the graduation of running back Javid Best and they are 8-0, 3-0 in the BFL after getting past St. Elizabeth 27-22 Friday. SHP 7-1, 3-1 BFL, slipped past Berean Christian 26-21 to set up the match up that will decide things in the BFL. Both teams sport the leagues best defenses. Mt. Eden is making a run for a HAAL title. To get to the top of the heap, Mt. Eden will have to earn it. They face San Leandro and Bishop O'Dowd the last two weeks of the regular season. San Leandro improved to 6-2, 5-0 in the HAAL with a 15-14 overtime win against a pesky Castro Valley. A win by San Leandro and they win the league. If Mt. Eden can pull it out then there game against Bishop O'Dowd will be for all the marbles and the automatic playoff bid that comes with a league championship. Piedmont and St. Patrick/St. Vincent seem to be headed for a title showdown next week in Piedmont. St. Pat has rolled to a 8-0 record having been tested just twice this season. The got past northern section power Frendale 27-21 and St. Mary's (Berkeley) 23-14. Every other game has been a rout. Piedmont is riding a six game winning streak after dropping the first two games of the season. Piedmont hosts St. Patrick Nov. 9th at 7pm. Things will become a lot clearer in the EBAL after this weekend. San Ramon Valley is in the driver's seat at 7-0-1, 4-0 in the EBAL. All that stands in their way of a league title is a game against 3-5 Livermore. Cal High will try to keep their titles hopes alive when they face off against Amador Valley. Monta Vista will play Foothill in another big EBAL contest Friday night. Cal High is 4-1 in league play while Monta Vista, Foothill and Amador Valley are all 2-2 and playing for their playoff lives.
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Inside Sports 1st String Magazine All Rights Reserved 2006 |
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They were perfect in the always tough DVAL in 2008.
