The North Coast Section Division V playoff bracket features 11 schools this season, meaning that the top five seeds are all granted byes in the first round. That starts with the No. 1 seed, Berean Christian, which will host the winner of Cloverdale and Stellar Prep on November 21 in a quarterfinal game.
Division V history . . . Known as Class A and/or Class B prior to the 2008 season, this division features six past section champions among the field of 11 teams. Salesian has won the past two Division V titles, with Ferndale serving as champion in 2012. The 2010 and 2011 champion, Hoopa Valley, failed to qualify for the post-season this year.
Salesian defeated St. Helena, 14-7, in last year’s championship game. The Saints are now in Division IV. Salesian defeated Valley Christian, 19-13, in the 2013 title game, which is the only time the Vikings have made it to the finals.
Games to watch . . . Stellar Prep traveling to Cloverdale is likely to be the top game of the first round, as the eight and nine seeds meet. Valley Christian and Salesian has the promise to be an entertaining quarterfinal game, which will take place at Dougherty Valley High School on November 21.
Berean Christian has wins over Valley Christian, Salesian, and Swett this season, but could face a familiar foe in the quarterfinals if Cloverdale wins its opening game. Cloverdale handed Berean its only loss of the season, 28-24, back in the opening game of the year for both teams.
A semifinal game between St. Bernard’s and Swett could have the promise of an offensive bonanza, with each team averaging over 30 points per game.
Potential sleeper team . . . With non-league losses to Valley Christian and Fortuna, plus two losses by a combined seven points against St. Bernard’s, Ferndale is battle-tested. They won’t go down easy. And after winning three straight, and five of its last seven, Middletown has momentum and would be hands-down the feel-good of the story of the playoffs if the Mustangs can pick up a couple wins. Middletown, however, will be playing without quarterback Connor Armstrong, who was injured in the win over Cloverdale, an injury that required his spleen to be removed.
Fun facts . . . Ferndale was the first-ever section champion in this classification, winning the 1975 championship, 7-6, over St. Helena. Also, four of the past section champions in this division no longer play 11-man football, with Tomales, Point Arena, Calistoga, and Upper Lake now in an eight-man league. Finally, 2007 and 2009 champion St. Elizabeth no longer fields a football team.
What the coaches say . . . “There are some really talented teams in our division,” said Berean Christian coach James Hodgins. “One of the hardest things to do in football is beat a team twice, and we’ve already played five of the 11 teams, which means we will have to do that. That will take every bit of courage, tenacity, and discipline that we can muster.”
“From our standpoint, this is going to be an uphill battle,” said John Swett coach Bob Quesada. “We’ve got to really focus on the team at hand each game, and not get caught up in the hype of potentially playing Berean again.”
#1 BEREAN CHRISTIAN – 9-1, 6-0 TCAL-Stone division
How they got here . . . The Eagles are the unbeaten champions of the Tri-County Athletic League, Stone division. They have wins over Swett, Salesian, Valley Christian, and Middletown.
Players to watch . . . WR/DB Isaiah Hodgins, RB Joey Esco, QB Chandler Davis, FB/LB Josh Smith, OL/DE Isaac Hodgins, WR/DB Michael Fulton, WR/DB Tyrone Taylor, OL/DE Hayden Breilein, WR/SS Scott Lewis, LB Michael Foley
Playoff history . . . Berean Christian has never won a section title. The Eagles downed California School for the Deaf in the first round last season before losing to St. Bernard’s in the quarterfinals.
#2 ST. BERNARD ACADEMY – 9-1, 6-0 HDN-Little 4 division
How they got here . . . The Crusaders are the unbeaten champions of the Humboldt-Del Norte League, Little 4 division. They have wins over Ferndale (twice) and Brook Hill-Texas, and the lone loss is to Division IV Justin-Siena.
Players to watch . . . QB Jack Rice, WR/DB Lucas Triplett, RB/DB Raequan Washington, WR/DB Micha Fontenot-Cornely, WR/SS Isaac Drake, OL/LB Lane Gomes, OL/DE Sean Gardner, OL/DE Warren Freeman
Playoff history . . . The Crusaders have three section titles in their history – 1976, 2000, and 2003. They lost in the section semifinals last season, to St. Helena.
#3 JOHN SWETT – 9-1, 5-1 TCAL-Stone division
How they got here . . . Swett finished runner-up in the Stone division, losing only to Berean Christian, and has gone 10-1 in league play over the last two years. It has wins over Valley Christian, Salesian, and DeAnza.
Players to watch . . . WR/DB Devan Quesada, QB Matt Thompkins, RB/DB Dytanya Benton, FB/LB Derrick Quesada, OL/DL Joe Ilaoa, RB/LB Te’vonta Johnson, WR/DB BJ Byrd, OT/DE Phillip Huff Jr, FB/LB Andrew Ramirez
Playoff history . . . Swett has never won a section title. They lost in the first round last season, to St. Patrick-St. Vincent.
#4 VALLEY CHRISTIAN – 8-2, 4-2 TCAL-Stone division
How they got here . . . The Vikings finished third in the Stone division, losing to Berean Christian and Swett. Valley Christian opened the season with a win over Ferndale.
Players to watch . . . WR/DB Jairus Woodson, RB/DB Kyle Hanks, QB Chris Jackson, RB/LB Blake Phillips, RB/DB Connor Russo, RB/DB David Summers
Playoff history . . . The Vikings have never won a section title, losing to Salesian in the 2013 title game. They lost in the first round last season, to Stellar Prep.
#5 SALESIAN – 4-6, 2-3 TCAL-Rock division
How they got here . . . The Pride picked up league wins over St. Patrick-St. Vincent and Hercules. They went 2-2 against Division V opponents, beating Middletown to go with SPSV.
Players to watch . . . QB Jaylyn Tregle, WR/DB Dewayne Dixon, RB/DL Galuega Toailoa, RB/DB Alex Hutchinson, OL/DL Nate Bryant, WR/DB Nakota Shepard-Creer, OL/DL Nick Mangle
Playoff history . . . Salesian is the two-time defending Division V champion, and has won section titles in four of the last five years. The Pride own a total of five section titles.
#6 FERNDALE – 6-4, 4-2 HDN-Little 4 division
How they got here . . . The Wildcats finished second in the Humboldt-Del Norte Little 4 division, losing twice to St. Bernard’s by a combined total of seven points. They shutout Stellar Prep earlier in the season, 36-0, the Thunder’s only loss on the field.
Players to watch . . . QB/DB Nathan Hansen, WR/DB Brad Martin, WR/DB Grant Van Emmerik, RB/LB Cody Allen, RB/LB Clayton Wiseman
Playoff history . . . Ferndale is a 12-time section champion, with its most recent title coming in 2012, when the Wildcats beat St. Vincent for the championship. Ferndale lost to St. Bernard’s in the first round last season.
#7 – MIDDLETOWN – 5-4, 5-2 NCL-I
How they got here . . . The Mustangs finished third in the North Central League, winning their last three and five of their last seven games, following the devastating fire that destroyed much of the community. They have wins over Willits and Cloverdale.
Players to watch . . . RB Coleman Drew, RB Tyler Chorjel, WR/DB Gabe Guzman, QB Rob Carey
Playoff history . . . Middletown is a three-time section champion, winning the title in 1997, 1999, and 2001. The Mustangs beat Tomales in last year’s first round before falling to Stellar Prep in the quarterfinals.
#8 – CLOVERDALE – 7-3, 4-3 NCL-I
How they got here . . . The Eagles finished fourth in the North Central League, losing to Middletown and Fort Bragg by shutout in their final two games. They have wins over Berean Christian and Division IV Healdsburg.
Players to watch . . . QB Chris Harms, RB/LB Luke Bernardi, WR/DE Marcus Poe, RB/SS Mason Meier, TE/LB Adrian Bernardi, FB/LB Tristin Rege, WR/CB Jayden Mrkvicka
Playoff history . . . Cloverdale won the 1985 section title, defeating Menlo in the championship game, 37-20. The Eagles lost to St. Vincent in the first round last season.
#9 – STELLAR PREP – 6-3, 4-0 BFL
How they got here . . . The Thunder have just one loss on the field this season, and that was to Ferndale. They have wins over Harker, Division IV St. Patrick-St. Vincent, and Orcas Island-Washington.
Players to watch . . . RB/LB Eric Cato, QB Brian Mafi, RB/DB Tavita Mailou, RB Donte Attaway, LB Addison Gumbs
Playoff history . . . The Thunder are making their second appearance in the playoffs. They lost to Salesian in last year’s semifinals.
#10 – WILLITS – 5-5, 2-5 NCL-I
How they got here . . . The Wolverines finished fifth in the North Central League, after starting 4-0 this season. Their league wins were over Lower Lake and Kelseyville.
Players to watch . . . QB/S Blake Leslie, RB/LB Kyle Martinez, RB Will Smith, WR/DB Justin Thom, FB/LB Konner Reed, OL/LB Victor Montoya, DB Lane Wright
Playoff history . . . Willits won the 1991 section title, defeating Middletown in the Class A championship, 22-14. The Wolverines are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2011, when they lost to Ferndale in the Division IV quarterfinals after beating Justin-Siena in the first round.
#11 – LIVERMORE VALLEY CHARTER PREP – 5-4
How they got here . . . The Hawks finished with a winning record for the first time in school history, under coach Fred Biletnikoff, Jr. They have wins over Valley Christian-Roseville and Encina Prep-Sacramento.
Players to watch . . . QB Alex Schicke, RB/SS Austin Brown, RB/DB Ndem Okoro, WR/DB Garrett Augustis, LB Jonathan Sloboda, TE/LB Mason Koransky, LB Chase Voller
Playoff history . . . This is the Hawks’ first-ever appearance in the post-season.
