It is a sad time as season of Friday Night Lights is coming to an end, but at the same time we are all ecstatic. The men are separating themselves from the boys because the end of the regular season only means one thing. Playoffs.
There is a lot of important action that will be taking place this week in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League in both divisions, with a three way tie atop the El Camino league, but more importantly Wilcox (9-0, 5-0) is looking to take the De Anza League title for the first time since 2013 and cap off the season undefeated.
They will be taking on the Pioneers of Cupertino in hopes to clinch the division and a perfect 10-0 record. Coach Paul Rosa is excited about what the next few weeks should bring, but knows his team has to stay focused.
“It is very important for us to play well this week," Rosa said. "Coming off a bye week and getting that last regular season win is important for us going into the playoffs.”
The last Wilcox team to win the De Anza league title was granted a home game against the perennial power that is Bellarmine, and lost by 12. This time the Chargers look to prove history wrong as this is one of the strongest teams they have ever had. Maxpreps.com has Wilcox ranked 42nd in the entire state of California. A state which is known for some of the best football in the entire nation with teams like Mater Dei, Centennial, and St John Bosco in the south, and De La Salle and the entire West Catholic League in the north. Currently, Wilcox is ranked second in the entire Central Coast Section, only behind St Francis. Coach Rosa is well aware of the tough schedule that the team could face heading into CCS.
“The playoffs are a different beast and we have to be ready to handle some adversity," Rosa added. "We just have to focus on whatever opponent we get and be mentally ready for the game.”
Elsewhere around the De Anza League, Palo Alto (8-1, 4-1) is looking to finish the season off with only one loss at the unfriendly confines of Homestead. This game is important for the Mustangs (1-8, 1-4) because with a loss they could potentially finish last and drop down the the El Camino Division. Last but not least Milpitas will host the Firebirds of Fremont (2-7, 1-4). This game has big playoff implications for the Trojans (5-4, 3-2), who with a win will most likely end the season in third place in the De Anza league which could net them a first round home game in CCS.
Moving to the El Camino Division, there is chaos brewing at the top as three teams are tied for first in league with a 4-1 records. In fact they all share the same overall records of 5-4. Saratoga, led by Junior QB Payton Stokes, looks to finish off its season with a win at Lynbrook, a team that has yet to win its first game. Mountain View arguably has the toughest matchup out of the three as they will take on the Matadores of Monta Vista (5-4, 2-3). Lastly, Santa Clara will host a hot Gunn team that is coming off of two league wins over Los Altos, 14-13 in OT, and Lynbrook, 70-13.
If all of these teams do manage to come out with the same outcome whether it be a win or a loss, the tie breaker situation will be a little sticky since all three teams managed to win different games. For instance, Mountain View beat Santa Clara, so if they were to end 5-1, with the Falcons dropping to 4-2, Mountain View would win the El Camino Division. On the other hand if Saratoga and Mountain View were to tie, the Spartans would take a hit and drop down to second place. Likewise if the Bruins and Falcons tied the Bruins would have the tiebreaker. Needless to say there is total bedlam occurring in the El Camino League heading into week 11.
Wilcox’s Keys to Playoff Success
The Chargers have been absolute monsters in the running game and on the defensive side of the ball. The running back tandem of Paul Rosa and Gabe Herrera has led them to average almost 300 rushing yards per game. This is over 100 more than any other team in the entire De Anza League.
In order for them to beat some of the strong teams in the WCAL they will need to continue to pound the rock and put pressure on their opponents’ front seven. Moving over to the other side of the ball, the Chargers have been able to hold their opponents at or under seven points in six of their nine games. They are able to do that with ball hawk corner Aaron Ah Sing who has three interceptions on the season along with four field goal blocks.
Another force on that defense is middle linebacker Roan Poulivaati who leads the team with four sacks and 76 total tackles. If Wilcox is able to sustain this type of success throughout the entire playoffs, there is a strong possibility we will see them playing in Sacramento come mid-December.
