Play in the WCAL begins this Friday with all teams in action coming off their bye week.
Saint Francis, the No. 1 team in the Prep2Prep Central Coast Section rankings, looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season against national power De La Salle, 33-15. In that game, senior Evan Williams went off, catching five passes for 105 yards. The Lancers open at home against winless Saint Ignatius.
Sacred Heart Cathedral plays at Valley Christian in a matchup of teams that went 2-1 during non-league play. SHC's only loss came against Palma, 17-16, while Valley Christian was defeated 10-6 by Wilcox in its opener. The Irish are coming off a 58-6 win over Homestead, in which senior Anthony Heard amassed 248 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
Valley Christian enters league play coming off a 42-20 win over Clovis West, led by senior Thomas Dunham, who finished with 95 all-purpose yards. Seniors Blake Newquist, Justin Devitt and Judaea Moon led the effort on defense, combining for 30 tackles. Devitt also picked up three sacks for 30 yards. This is a big early-season matchup of teams that figure to be in the race for a spot in the top half of the WCAL.
Bellarmine (1-2) opens at home against Archbishop Riordan in a matchup of two of the three WCAL teams not currently projected to make the playoffs - SI is the other - according to the latest Prep2Prep CCS Playoff Projections. The Bells are looking for their first home win. The Crusaders' only win came at Napa, led by junior Adham Abdelghani, who threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns. Junior Jalen Camp ran for 157 yards ad a score and senior Marcus Williams had 134 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Those three figure to play a big role as Riordan looks to open league play on a positive note.
Finally, in what may turn out to be the best matchup in the opening weekend of the WCAL season, No. 2 Serra travels to No. 6 Archbishop Mitty. Despite a 1-2 mark following a loss to NCS power Pittsburg, the Padres look strong again this year led by senior Luke Bottari, who threw for 292 yards and four touchdowns against the Pirates. Junior Nate Sanchez had six catches for 102 yards and a score. Mitty, which is coming off a narrow win against Acalanes, is led by dual threat quarterback Shamir Bey.
