As expected, Archbishop Riordan and Junipero Serra, the top two-ranked teams in CCS all season and the 1-2 finishers in the West Catholic Athletic League, the strongest league in the section, were named the top two seeds in the CCS playoffs. As a result, Riordan and Serra are on a collision course to meet again for the CCS Open title, which would take place just two weeks after their epic matchup this past Friday night, won 42-35 by the Crusaders.
Here are the full CCS playoff brackets:
Open/Division 1
No. 1 Archbishop Riordan vs No. 8 Salinas
No. 2 Junipero Serra vs No. 7 Archbishop Mitty
Note: winners advance to CCS Open final, loser of CCS Open championship plays in CCS Division 1 final.
No. 3 Los Gatos vs No. 6 Saint Francis
No. 4 Palma vs No. 5 Soquel
Comment: Riordan and Serra have been head and shoulders above the rest of the CCS and are strong favorites to meet again for the CCS Open title. We would expect the loser of that matchup to take on the winner of the Los Gatos/Saint Francis matchup for the CCS Division 1 championship. The brackets are a gift to Soquel, which gets another shot at Palma after falling to the Chieftains for the PCAL-Gabilan championship following the loss of QB Sam Whelan to a season-ending injury in the first quarter. We like the Knights in the rematch, but it will be a tall order to knock off Los Gatos or Saint Francis without their star quarterback.
Division 2
No. 1 St. Ignatius vs No. 8 Alisal
No. 4 Menlo vs No. 5 The King’s Academy
No. 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral vs No. 7 Wilcox
No. 3 Santa Teresa vs No. 6 North Salinas
Comment: SI is well situated to make a run after finishing the regular season with an impressive 23-14 win over rival Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Bruce-Mahoney game to finish fifth in the WCAL. There could be rematch in the Division 2 final if seeds hold. Menlo will be favored in the 4-5 matchup; both teams met Sacred Heart Prep with Menlo winning and TKA falling to the Gators early for its only loss of the regular season.
Division 3
No. 1 Woodside vs No. 8 San Mateo
No. 4 Live Oak vs No. 5 King City
No. 2 Carmel vs No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep
No. 3 Menlo-Atherton vs No. 6 Stevenson
Comment: Woodside receives a well-deserved No. 1 seed after a perfect 10-0 run through the regular season. However, the Wildcats received no favors with a difficult first-round matchup against a San Mateo team that played top-level teams Menlo, Menlo-Atherton and The King’s Academy tough in two-touchdown losses. King City climbs over Stevenson in the seedings after defeating the Pirates in the regular-season finale to capture the PCAL-Mission South title. Menlo-Atherton could be poised for a run after upsetting Wilcox in its season finale to finish 3-2 in the rugged PAL-Bay.
Division 4
No. 1 Branham vs No. 8 Christopher
No. 4 Burlingame vs No. 5 Half Moon Bay
No. 2 Willow Glen vs No. 7 San Lorenzo Valley
No. 3 Lincoln vs No. 6 Scotts Valley
Comment: Despite a last-place finish and loss to rival Leigh in the regular-season finale, Branham gets the No. 1 seed and a rematch with Christopher, the only league opponent the Bruins defeated during the regular season. Lincoln earned the No. 3 seed despite losses in its final two games to Christopher and Santa Teresa, while Willow Glen, which started the season with losses to Lincoln and Branham, ran the table after that to earn the No. 2 seed.
Division 5
No. 1 Piedmont Hills vs No. 8 San Jose
No. 4 Jefferson vs No. 5 Pioneer
No. 2 Ann Sobrato vs No. 7 Santa Cruz
No. 3 Terra Nova vs No. 6 South San Francisco
Comment: Playoffs weren’t looking great for San Jose after a 41-16 loss to Independence on October 9, but the Bulldogs won their final four games to capture the automatic bid from the BVAL-West Valley. Considering that Piedmont Hills beat Independence 45-7, San Jose’s prospects don’t look great, but a playoff berth is a huge accomplishment nonetheless. Ann Sobrato finished second in the BVAL-ST Valley, but has a win over Piedmont Hills in case seeding holds and the two teams meet again for the title.
