The fifth week of action is in the books, so it’s time for us to take a quick look back at the weekend that was, a weekend where one league flexed additional muscle in the final week of non-league play, and the NCS playoff seeding committee can take a deep breath, and likely no longer worry about the ramifications of a participant from outside of Division I.
- About the playoff seeding impact: Freedom’s 42-21 win over Bishop O’Dowd all but guarantees that no teams outside of Division I will get selected for the Open Division, and that is probably a good thing in a year where Division III is extremely deep with teams who hold strong title aspirations. It would have been a shame for the representative from that division for the CIF bowl games to have been pre-determined by a committee.
- We have already talked a bit about the strength of the Bay Valley Athletic League this season – for the second year in a row – but it continues to impress. Pittsburg’s 35-13 statement win over Vacaville on Friday night is especially impressive for the league, after Vacaville lost by one point each to Oak Ridge and Granite Bay, a Granite Bay team which opened SFL play on Friday with a big win over Del Oro. Liberty’s win over Tracy is another boon for the strength of the league, while Heritage enters league play at 5-0 and Antioch enters league play at 4-1.
- Another point made earlier in the week was that we fully expected the teams in the Mission Valley Athletic League who played the toughest non-league schedules to contend for the league title, despite both being winless heading into Friday night. That thought came to fruition this week, as Kennedy-Fremont and Moreau Catholic each won their league openers, with Moreau completely dominating Washington and Kennedy knocking off an Irvington team which had posted the league’s best non-league record.
- In the case of many people who doubted Analy heading into its Sonoma County League opener against Petaluma on Friday night, the Tigers quickly reminded everyone that they are the class of the SCL once again. Analy has now won 33 straight games in league play, despite having suffered blowout losses to Rancho Cotate and Cardinal Newman in its two previous contests. Petaluma was unbeaten entering the game, which had prompted a lot of talk about this maybe being the game that ended the streak, but instead Analy sent a message to the rest of the league with its 48-32 victory, a game that the Tigers led 34-8 at one point.
- Speaking of Cardinal Newman and Rancho Cotate, it is clear that these programs are simply preparing for the regular season finale right now. They meet on November 3, and it is hard to imagine anyone else in the North Bay League spoiling that game as one that will be for all the marbles. On Friday night, they beat Montgomery and Casa Grande by a combined score of 127-14. The biggest challenge for both teams will be staying sharp until that final game.
- Another team which will have to focus on staying sharp is San Ramon Valley. With Friday’s 37-6 win over California, the Wolves have now taken down both Foothill and the Grizzlies, presumably the two biggest contenders to SRV for the EBAL title. Neither game was close. Sure, there are potential trap games, including an emotionally-driven rivalry against Monte Vista, but it’s hard to imagine San Ramon Valley not entering the regular season finale against De La Salle with a 9-0 record.
- Miramonte and Acalanes both wrapped up non-league play with perfect 5-0 records, but Clayton Valley is still the clear favorite headed towards the start of DAL-Foothill play. The Ugly Eagles have won three straight after dispatching Deer Valley on Friday night, and have scored 103 points in the last two games. And don’t forget about Campolindo, which finally got a break from its loaded non-league schedule by taking down Hayward, 42-20, in a game they once led by 36 points before the sideline was emptied.
- Encinal is a heavy favorite for the WACC-Shoreline title this season, and they reinforced that notion with a nice 28-21 win over Foothill Division opponent Piedmont on Friday night. The Jets could easily go 10-0 in the regular season, however, and barely be in the discussion for a top six seed in the playoffs. Such is life in the rugged Division III bracket.
- If you are following the TCAL-Stone, circle on October 13 on your calendar. That is when Hercules and Kennedy-Richmond meet on the field. Hercules wrapped up a 5-0 start to the season with a blowout win over Arroyo on Friday, while Kennedy blanked Castlemont to improve to 4-1. Meanwhile, Richmond is turning some heads with its 3-1 start, including 104 points scored in the last two games.
- Middletown is now the favorite to win the North Central League after its dominating 28-0 win over previously unbeaten Lower Lake on Friday. Clear Lake is also unbeaten in league play, and overall, but the Cardinals have yet to play any of the top programs in the league. That stretch for Clear Lake starts this Friday with Kelseyville, in the annual Bass Bowl.
- McKinleyville was forced to forfeit its game against Del Norte this week, but the Panthers hope to have enough healthy players to get back on the field this week against Arcata, who remained unbeaten for first-year head coach Jamal Jones with its win over Ferndale.
