The lowest two enrollment divisions in the North Coast Section feature just one team outside the top eight seeds for each, but a handful of marquee rematches. Division IV features a rematch of this year’s season opener and a rematch from last year’s quarterfinals, while Division V features a quartet of North Central League vying for two of the four semifinal spots.
For an updated Division IV printable bracket, click here.
For an updated Division V printable bracket, click here.
DIVISION IV
No. 8 St. Patrick-St. Vincent at No. 1 Moreau Catholic, Friday, 7 pm
It was nearly three months ago when these teams opened the season against each other, at St. Patrick-St. Vincent. Top seed Moreau Catholic emerged with a 48-26 win in that game, kicking off Rob Gatrell’s first season as head coach for the Mariners. They have continued to win since that night, and enter this week still unbeaten after blowing past all opponents in the Mission Valley Athletic League.
St. Pat’s got a career performance from quarterback Akil Edwards last week, as the senior ran for 358 yards and six touchdowns, while throwing for 77 yards and another score in the 55-34 win over Saint Mary’s. The Bruins have been bit by the injury bug throughout the year, but the two-time defending Division V champions are used to post-season play and seem to have benefited from the competition in the TCAL-Rock.
Moreau, meanwhile, has been purely dominant, especially in its last five games, outscoring opponents 332-0 during that stretch. Junior Fresh Ison has rushed for 1,405 yards and 20 touchdowns, while junior quarterback Bowen Dickstein has thrown for 20 touchdowns compared to four interceptions.
No. 5 St. Bernard’s at No. 4 San Marin, Saturday, 1 pm
The Crusaders and host San Marin meet for the second straight year in the playoffs, with the Mustangs hoping to exact a measure of revenge after getting blown out on the road last season.
St. Bernard’s racked up close to 500 total yards in last year’s 64-21 win over San Marin in the quarterfinals, but many of the faces for the Crusaders have been replaced this year by new names, and those new ones cruised to a first-round win over Albany last week. Junior Will Omey and sophomore Bode Joyner each threw for 79 yards and two touchdowns in the easy 61-28 win last week, while Luke Fairfield threw for a touchdown, ran for another, caught a scoring pass, and returned a punt for a score.
San Marin has been paced throughout the year by running back Zak Cunningham, who has 1,167 yards and 19 touchdowns heading into the post-season. Quarterback Matt Sargent has added 1,498 yards and 12 scores through the air, with Julian Alcouffe serving as his top target. Alcouffe has 39 catches for 721 yards and six touchdowns. The Mustangs had a bye last week.
No. 10 Justin-Siena at No. 2 Del Norte, Friday, 7 pm
Justin-Siena’s reward for upsetting Piedmont in the first round of the playoffs is a weekday haul up to Crescent City to face the Warriors, who surprised many this season by finishing second in the competitive HDN-Big 4. Running back Sebastian Puente has been a big-play guy for Del Norte all season, while senior Ethan Price is the virtual swiss-army knife, able to play any skill position on the field, including quarterback, although the emergence of junior OJ Calleja has enabled Price to be productive in other positions on both sides of the ball.
The visiting Braves, meanwhile, are playing their best football of the season, evidenced by the turnaround last weekend. After falling 28-7 to Piedmont in the season opener, Justin-Siena routed the Highlanders, 53-28, behind 228 passing yards and four touchdowns from Barrett Donohoe.
These teams have met once before in the playoffs, in 2013, when Del Norte emerged with a 14-6 victory.
No. 6 Fortuna at No. 3 Kennedy-Richmond, Saturday, 7 pm
The host Eagles got a much-needed rest with a bye week to open the playoffs, after finishing the regular season a little banged up after playing in the TCAL-Rock. Meanwhile, Fortuna made use of its first-round game to regain momentum after struggling in the HDN-Big 4, having gone winless in league play. Last week, however, the defending Division IV champion Huskies rolled past El Molino, 55-14, getting 115 yards and two touchdowns on the ground from senior Joey Pontes, while senior quarterback Zac Claus threw for 167 yards and a pair of scores in limited playing time.
Kennedy will look to use the dual-threat ability of quarterback Camron Young, who rushed for 1,013 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season, while Tyrik Daniels and Freddie Butler are both threats offensively.
This will be the first-ever meeting between these programs.
DIVISION V
No. 8 Cloverdale at No. 1 Kelseyville, Friday, 7 pm
It has been just over a month since these league rivals faced each other, in a game won by the top-seeded Knights, 22-15. That game was decided with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Adam Garcia to Zack Watkins with just over three minutes remaining, mere seconds after Cloverdale had taken a one-point lead on a 17-yard touchdown run by Cesar Buenrostro.
Kelseyville, who went unbeaten in NCL play to earn the top seed, had a first-round bye last week. Cloverdale, meanwhile, started the playoffs strong with a 31-12 win over Arcata. Senior Jone Wesele ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the win, while quarterback Shayne Turner added 73 yards on the ground, including the game’s opening score.
No. 5 Middletown at No. 4 Fort Bragg, Saturday, 7 pm
Host Fort Bragg opened the playoffs with a statement, holding California School for the Deaf to just 26 rushing yards, including a mere 27 yards on the ground from standout Calel Aramboles, who entered the game with over 1,200 yards for the season. Meanwhile, dual-threat quarterback Jullian Clavelle led a Timberwolves’ offense which scored 42 points in the first three quarters.
Middletown cruised past St. Vincent in its opener last week, as the Mustangs scored on their first five possessions of the game, and Drake Harbison ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Nash Field punctuated the victory with his interception return for a touchdown, also in the first half.
The seeding for this game was decided back on Oct. 19, when Fort Bragg defeated Middletown, 18-14, during North Central League play.
No. 7 St. Helena at No. 2 Salesian, Saturday, 1 pm
While the second-seeded Pride had a first-round bye, St. Helena tuned up by working on its ground game in a comeback win over Hoopa Valley last week. The Saints ran for a whopping 423 yards, and forced four second-half turnovers, as they scored 27 unanswered points over the final two quarters for the 48-22 victory, after trailing by one point at halftime.
Freshman Ivan Robledo ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win, on 24 carries, while Cody DiTomaso added 16 carries for 137 yards and a pair of scores. Luis Robledo had a pick-six in the second half and a key fumble recovery.
Now, the Saints face a Salesian team which finished second in the TCAL-Rock, and is led by junior quarterback Ronald Robertson, who threw for 34 touchdowns during the regular season. His top target has been junior Kailan Chang, who has 35 catches, including 13 touchdowns, while senior Jaylen Williams has run for 1,050 yards and eight scores.
The last time these teams met was in the 2014 Division V championship game, won 14-7 by Salesian to cap back-to-back titles for the Pride.
No. 3 Stellar Prep at No. 6 Berean Christian, Saturday, 1 pm
The third-seeded Thunder may enter this game with a losing record, but strength of schedule and a season-opening win against Kelseyville had a lot to do with them gaining a strong seed. Two of Stellar Prep’s losses during the season jump out – an eight-point loss to Division I Deer Valley, and a two-point loss to defending Division IV champion Fortuna.
Meanwhile, the same can be said for Berean Christian, who played much larger schools during the regular season, but ended up as the six seed based on an early one-point loss to Middletown. The Eagles, however, were certainly flying last week when they scored 58 points against Ferndale. Brothers Jayden and Justice Jackson combined for five touchdowns in the win over the Wildcats.
This will be the second meeting all-time between the two programs. The first meeting was in the 2015 playoffs, in which Berean Christian managed a 6-2 victory.
