This week’s top games feature for games involving only teams from the North Coast Section features the third straight big test for both Monte Vista and Liberty, in another top-five battle involving the Lions, while league mate Pittsburg looks to put on a show as the Pirates return to their home stadium.
Meanwhile, a team that has gone from winless last season to unbeaten through two games this year faces its first big test of the year.
All rankings displayed are this week’s Prep2Prep NCS rankings.
No. 4 Monte Vista (2-0) vs No. 2 Liberty (3-0) at Heritage, Friday, 7 pm
For the second straight week, Liberty will face one of the top four teams in the section, after barely escaping with a win last Saturday against Clayton Valley. Monte Vista enters with one additional day of rest, having beaten San Leandro last Friday, but that game was a physical battle in its own right, one in which the Mustangs not only kept the Pirates off the scoreboard but also scored on defense when Jacob Oliphant returned an interception 100 yards for a score.
Senior running back Darrion Bartley has been the go-to force offensively for Liberty so far this season, and had 113 yards on the ground to go with a punt return for a touchdown last week. He has also been one of Jay Butterfield’s top targets in the passing game.
Meanwhile, Monte Vista has been limited in the run game, especially last week, which means more has fallen on the shoulders of quarterback Jack Stewardson. Stewardson has completed 65 percent of his passes this season, but will need to avoid turnovers against Liberty, having thrown two interceptions in each start. Nate Rutchena is the top receiving threat on the field.
These programs will meet for the first time in five years, since a 34-7 Liberty victory back in 2014, a game in which the Lions registered eight sacks of current Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener, who was then a sophomore in high school.
No. 21 Bishop O’Dowd (0-2) at No. 5 Pittsburg (2-1), Friday, 7 pm
Circled as a marquee match-up between a pair of regional powers before the season, all of a sudden there is a different sense of urgency for visiting O’Dowd, which has suffered back-to-back defeats to Las Lomas and Seaside to open the year. The Dragons have struggled offensively in each loss, scoring 14 points in each game, and now stare at a gauntlet of games to conclude the non-league slate, going from Pittsburg to Monte Vista and Placer before the WACC-Foothill schedule looms.
Pittsburg, meanwhile, regained its footing in Reno this past Saturday, cruising past Wooster to start erasing the sting of a one-sided loss to Serra the previous week. And after three straight road games to open the year, the Pirates get to feel the comforts of home this week and next before starting BVAL play.
Senior quarterback Jerry Johnson shook off a tough performance against Serra by efficiently completing 11-of-14 passes against Wooster, including three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Avant Muldrow has developed into the Pirates’ marquee back, and ran for 199 yards in the first two games before only needing to be used sparingly against Wooster.
This will be the first meeting between these programs.
Berkeley (2-0) at No. 15 Acalanes (2-1), Friday, 7 pm
After going winless in 2018, Berkeley has not tasted defeat so far under new coach James Hodgins, and enters this showdown with Acalanes coming off a bye week. Even so, this game with the Dons represents the biggest test so far this season for a young Yellowjackets’ team.
“Acalanes is a tremendous opponent. They don’t make a lot of mistakes, they are physical and Floyd (Burnsed) has done another great job putting together a great varsity team,” Hodgins said. “This is a big game for us, as it’s not only that mentality of the fact that the next game is your most important one, but also an opportunity to test ourselves against a very talented DAL opponent.”
Of course, Berkeley is establishing itself at the same time. A season-opening come-from-behind win over Redwood looks even better after Redwood routed Maria Carrillo in its next game, and the Yellowjackets cruised past Hercules in game two. Hodgins has been excited to see the growth in a short span of time, along with a rising confidence level.
“We are thrilled with the start, but are still in the process of building a championship culture and program. Our coaches and players are committed to doing things the right way and that has been the key to our early success,” Hodgins added. “Our guys are starting to believe and it is exciting to watch and be a part of. This group of guys has had a rough high school football experience so far and we are looking to change that this season.”
Acalanes, meanwhile, enters this game after suffering its first loss of the season, a 28-20 defeat to unbeaten Vintage, after routing Armijo-Fairfield and cruising past Sacred Heart Cathedral in the first two weeks of the year. Even in defeat, new quarterback Brady Huchingson was impressive for the Dons, especially when he targeted senior receiver Lucas Eppinger, who had nine catches for 142 yards in the loss. And Jake Delaney has emerged as a threat running the ball, something Acalanes has lacked at times in the past few years. It adds up to a well-rounded offensive team which intends on leading the charge for a DAL title this season.
This is the first meeting between these programs.
No. 17 Antioch (0-3) at No. 13 San Ramon Valley (1-1), Friday, 7 pm
Antioch can easily lay claim to being one of the top winless programs in the section, if not the region. The Panthers had a pair of games which could have gone either way against Amador Valley and California before running into the Lincoln-Stockton buzzsaw last Friday night. With both Jaysn Wade and Dwight Turner at running back, the Panthers have an explosive make-up offensively, and could still be a threat over the rest of the season.
San Ramon Valley, meanwhile, is still trying to figure out exactly where it stands after cruising past Heritage in its opener, taking a week off, and then struggling to keep up with a loaded Monterey Trail squad last week.
“We need to move on from last week and realize we need to be ready to play from the opening kickoff. That being said, Monterey Trail is a fantastic team and would do very well in the NCS,” said San Ramon Valley coach Aaron Becker. “This week, Antioch’s overall size and team speed will definitely play a factor, along with how we respond to that.”
These programs have met three times in the past decade, with the last two coming in the post-season. The last meeting happened in 2016, a 29-17 Antioch victory in which current Alabama running back Najee Harris ran for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 25 De Anza (2-1) at St. Patrick-St. Vincent (1-2), Friday, 7 pm
An explosive run-based offense has visiting De Anza off to a strong start, with the only loss coming to a solid Christian-El Cajon squad. John Swett transfer Darrion Davis has been the trigger at the quarterback position, throwing for 385 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 174 yards and three scores on just 17 carries. Senior JoJo Vaughn has been the team’s leading rusher, with 335 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dons are averaging 357 yards per game on the ground. Jalen Henderson has also been a two-way standout for De Anza, leading the team in tackles and tackles for a loss, while also racking up 265 yards and four scores through the air.
After losing its first two games of the season with a young team, St. Pat’s was written off by a number of people, but veteran coach Lane Hawkins showed that is a bad idea last week, as the Bruins turned up the defensive pressure and handed Alhambra its first loss of the season. Ja’vione Shepherd now has hit feet wet at quarterback for the Bruins, which could be a scary thing for their opponents as the season progresses.
These programs ended a 14-year drought in their series when they played last year, which resulted in a 28-7 victory for St. Pat’s. They reside in different divisions of the Tri-County Athletic League.
Best of the Rest
It is the annual Milk Can Game up in Fortuna, as Eel River Valley rivals Ferndale (1-1) and Fortuna (1-2) hook up for the 54th edition of the rivalry. The programs are in different divisions of the Humboldt-Del Norte League, and Fortuna’s recent success at the section level has coincided with a recent dominance in this rivalry, having won six straight. Ferndale, however, won nine of 10 match-ups from 2004-2012, and enters this game with some momentum, having beaten Fall River 36-14 last week.
On paper, this year’s Island Bowl in Alameda appears to be a mismatch. Visiting Encinal (2-1) enters after a strong showing against McClymonds, and with dominating victories over Washington and Analy. Alameda (1-2), meanwhile, has struggled since a season-opening win over Oakland Military, losing to both Washington and Oakland. But that’s why they play the game, especially in a cross-town rivalry. NCS No. 16 Encinal has won three straight in the series, and 10 of the past 11.
The EBAL starts its cross-over games between divisions as league play approaches, and this week’s Foothill (2-1) at Granada (1-2) game could be a solid barometer for both schools. Many felt as if NCS No. 24 Foothill should have been moved down to the Valley Division this year, where Granada resides, but so far this season the Falcons have made a case that their Mountain Division placement is appropriate, routing Petaluma 59-0 last week. Granada had tremendous success last year, including a 38-14 win over Foothill which snapped an eight-game Falcons’ winning streak in the series, but the Matadors have struggled in losses to two elite opponents so far this year, falling to Lincoln-Stockton and Manteca.
It's the Battle of 880 as James Logan (2-1) heads to nearby Burrell Field in San Leandro to take on the rival Pirates (2-1). Logan has some momentum after beating Dublin and Heritage, but this will be the Colts’ biggest challenge yet, facing a San Leandro team which has wins over Foothill and Freedom. NCS No. 19 San Leandro posted one-sided wins over Logan in 2016 and 2017, leading to a one-year hiatus for the rivalry last year, though Logan won four straight from 2010-2013.
