It is officially no longer too early to make judgments about Central Coast Section football teams with the 2025 season nearing the halfway point. West Catholic Athletic League play begins this weekend, while other divisions are either already into their league schedules or playing one final non-league game.
Many of the week’s best games are in the WCAL, but public schools on the Peninsula and near Monterey Bay are also playing important games. Here are five to watch from around the section.
Riordan at Saint Francis, 7 p.m. Friday
The Crusaders (3-0) have lived up to the hype bestowed upon them before the season, rolling through three quality non-league opponents. Their offense is chock-full of Division I commits, with quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. (Vanderbilt) and receivers Cynai Thomas (Oregon State) and Judge Nash (Harvard).
Mitchell has thrown for 755 yards in three games with 13 touchdowns against just one interception, with Nash (12 catches, 316 yards, seven TDs) as his favorite deep threat. Riordan also has a prolific ground game led by Adonyae Brown, who is averaging 8.4 yards per carry and more than 100 yards per game. And the Crusaders are stout defensively as well, with Skylar Tiatia and Tevita Tuifua at linebacker and Tyrone Jones III holding things down in the secondary.
The Lancers (0-3) gave themselves a gauntlet in non-league play, losing narrowly at McClymonds and decisively to Cathedral Catholic-San Diego and De La Salle. Saint Francis has just 21 points through three games and has played both Andrew Franzino and Drew Cumby at quarterback, both with mixed success. Motu Kenaanina is the Lancers’ workhorse in the backfield, averaging 15 carries per game.
Menlo-Atherton at San Mateo, 7 p.m. Friday
It’s the final non-league game for both the Bears of the Peninsula Athletic League-Bay Division and the Bearcats of the De Anza Division. Menlo-Atherton (0-4) has not been ready for its brutal non-league slate, coming off its most competitive game yet but still losing 28-13 at California in San Ramon.
Teddy Dacey is completing more than 60 percent of his passes but does not connect consistently deep downfield, with just 395 yards through four games. Monty Turner (59 carries, 196 yards) gets the lion’s share of the touches in the running game, while Jacob Roeder and Leif Weintz are the top pass-catchers.
Triple-option teams are not usually built to overcome multi-score deficits, but San Mateo (3-1) did so last week at Palo Alto, turning an early hole into a 31-14 victory. The Bearcats’ only loss came against a very good Menlo School team on the road, and they have already rushed for 1,262 yards as a team, led by quarterback Lukas Fitzgerald, his older brother Yanni Fitzgerald and fullback Jovani Hernandez Cruz. San Mateo has thrown just five passes through its first four games of the year.
Mitty at St. Ignatius, 7 p.m. Friday
The Monarchs (2-1) found their footing after a season-opening loss at Acalanes, beating Wilcox and then hammering Menlo-Atherton before their bye. Everything flows through running back Lazaro Faraj-Washington offensively, and his combination of speed and power opens up the passing game for quarterback Joseph Engin and receivers Caden Kelly, Kai Sniffen and Lucca Edwards. Edwards also returned a punt for a touchdown in the win over the Bears.
Mitty heads to San Francisco to open WCAL play against the Wildcats (1-2), who are also coming off a loss to Acalanes — a game in which they squandered a 21-point lead. Luke Tribolet leads a deep running backs’ room that also includes Steve Malone and Caedon Afsharipour, who has also played some quarterback in place of Bobby Gomez. Zui Shelton gives SI big-play ability in the passing game, and the Wildcats may need it to get off on the right foot in league play on their home field.
Salinas at Soquel, 7:30 p.m. Friday
As usual, the Cowboys (2-1, 1-0 Pacific Coast Athletic League-Gabilan) are one of the top public schools in the CCS, knocking off Valley Christian at home and then winning the league opener at North Salinas prior to their bye. But the Knights (4-0, 2-0) have been one of the biggest stories in the section so far. They opened the year with a huge win in a shootout against Los Gatos and have since put up 49 points in blowout wins over Carmel and Aptos in league play — all on the road.
This game will be Soquel’s biggest test since that opener in Los Gatos. Quarterback Sam Whelan has been on point for the Knights, completing 55 of 77 passes for 905 yards and nine touchdowns against just two interceptions. He is a threat in the running game, complementing Kelton Forbus, Jayden Keller and Keyandre Bailey in the Knights’ backfield. Out wide, Soquel is blessed with Hudson Summerrill, Ethan Mopress and Cash Moran, an embarrassment of riches for just a 36-player roster. Combine that with a defense that has already intercepted nine passes, and the Knights are a threat to any team that lines up across from them.
Serra at Valley Christian, 6 p.m. Saturday
Like Saint Francis, the Padres (0-3) head into WCAL play winless against one of the toughest schedules in California. After dropping a Week 1 shootout to Folsom, Serra was shut out by De La Salle and St. John Bosco. Six different players have thrown a pass for the Padres, but Caleb Bandel is the clear starter, with Iziah Singleton the primary running back. Charles Walsh is Serra’s most consistent wide receiver, while Jace Cannon is their top deep threat with 21.5 yards per catch.
The Warriors (2-1) have a quality blowout win over Wilcox on their resume, and rebounded from the loss at Salinas to rout Patterson in Week 3. It’s been all about Ekiah McLemore at running back with his seven touchdowns, but Valley Christian also puts the ball in the air a lot with Rome Leota-Pritchard. His top receivers are Riley McElvane, Lasavion Carr and Jesse D’Anna, who have a combined 543 yards through three games.
