It’s finally playoff time in the Central Coast Section, and all 20 games on Friday night and Saturday afternoon have some form of intrigue.
From San Jose making its first postseason appearance in school history to rematches of exciting regular-season games to teams like Palma, Santa Teresa and Woodside trying to remain undefeated, there are no shortage of storylines in all five divisions.
Open/Division I
No. 1 Riordan (10-0) and No. 2 Serra (6-4) are both heavy favorites to reach the Open Division championship game and add another chapter to their rivalry after the Crusaders’ 42-35 win last week in San Mateo gave them the West Catholic Athletic League title. Riordan hosts No. 8 Salinas (7-3) on Saturday, while the Padres host WCAL foe and No. 7 Mitty at the same time. The Monarchs (6-4) did play Serra tight until the fourth quarter back on October 24, but the Padres will certainly be expected to win this one at home.
The Division I side of the bracket gives us perhaps the best game of the weekend with No. 3 Los Gatos (7-3) hosting No. 6 Saint Francis (5-5). The Wildcats, the top public school in the section, lost three non-league games by a combined six points before rolling through the Peninsula Athletic League-Bay Division schedule. The Lancers are as battle-tested as anyone, having faced Cathedral Catholic-San Diego and De La Salle in non-league play and then going 5-2 in the WCAL, losing only to Riordan and Serra.
Down in Salinas, No. 4 Palma (10-0) hosts No. 5 Soquel (9-1) for the second time in three weeks. The Chieftains edged the Knights 28-21 on Halloween night, with Soquel losing star quarterback Sam Whelan to a season-ending broken fibula in that game. Rowen Gonsiewski performed well in Whelan’s absence, going 11-of-13 for 189 yards and two touchdowns, but slowing down Palma running back Eli Dukes, who cracked 2,000 rushing yards for the regular season, will be a tall task for Soquel.
Division II
St. Ignatius’ Bruce-Mahoney win over Sacred Heart Cathedral last week gave the Wildcats (4-6) the top seed, with the Fightin’ Irish (4-6) right behind them at No. 2. If the chalk holds, these longtime San Francisco rivals could see each other again with a section title at stake. But SI first has to deal with No. 8 Alisal (5-5) and star running back Jayden Duarte, while SHC has a tough quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 Wilcox (6-4).
Unbeaten Santa Teresa (10-0) is the No. 3 seed, and the Saints will host No. 6 North Salinas (5-5) on Friday night. Santa Teresa rolled through the BVAL-Mount Hamilton Division, with the Vikings finishing in the crowded middle of the PCAL-Gabilan.
The best game in this division could well be No. 4 Menlo (8-2) hosting No. 5 The King’s Academy (9-1) on Saturday afternoon in a battle of Knights. TKA’s only loss was a three-point defeat at Sacred Heart Prep — a game that easily could have gone the other way — and Dante Perez’s team cruised to the PAL-De Anza title. Menlo, like TKA, has a small roster and has been banged up, but Todd Smith’s crew beat rival SHP without starting quarterback Jack Freehill to earn at least one more home game at Cartan Field.
Division III
Woodside (10-0) is rightfully the top seed after winning eight games by at least four touchdowns and claiming the PAL-Ocean crown. But with the possible exception of Half Moon Bay, the Wildcats have not faced a team anywhere near as strong as No. 8 San Mateo (7-3), which finished 4-1 in the De Anza Division and runs a well-executed triple-option offense, led by quarterback Lukas Fitzgerald.
No. 5 King City (9-1) won its first league title since 1983 and is in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Mustangs’ reward is an 85-mile trip north to face No. 4 Live Oak (8-2). Granted, it’s always going to be a long trip for the southernmost team in the section, but this will be a fun duel between King City running back Carson Tidwell and his counterpart, the Acorns’ Gage Jones, who has rushed for 2,207 yards and 24 touchdowns in 10 games.
The Mustangs won the PCAL-Mission South by beating Stevenson, which fell to the No. 6 seed at 9-1 and makes the long trek to face No. 3 Menlo-Atherton (4-6). The Bears got off to a slow start against a stacked non-league schedule and were blown out by Menlo and Los Gatos in the PAL-Bay, but they are coming off an eyebrow-raising 14-7 win over Wilcox.
No. 2 Carmel (6-4) hosts No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep (5-5) at Monterey Peninsula College in a battle of two teams that struggled to stay afloat in tough divisions. The Padres deserve credit for a late-season surge as they adjusted to a move up to the PCAL-Gabilan, while the Gators’ lone PAL-Bay victory came against a Palo Alto team that finished 0-10.
Division IV
This is probably the most wide-open of the five brackets. Branham (5-5) is the top seed despite finishing last in the BVAL-Mount Hamilton, and the Bruins’ lone league win came against No. 8 Christopher (5-5) behind 160 rushing yards from Michael Murphy. The Bruins also have a win against No. 2 Willow Glen (8-2), which won the BVAL-Santa Teresa Valley and is riding an eight-game winning streak. The Rams host No. 7 San Lorenzo Valley (8-2), champs of the PCAL-Mission North, on Friday night.
No. 4 Burlingame (6-4) will get another crack at No. 5 Half Moon Bay (7-3) in the first round after the Cougars knocked off the Panthers in overtime to start the season. Half Moon Bay put up 59 points last week on rival Terra Nova behind dual-threat sophomore quarterback Paxton Holden, amassing 618 yards of total offense including 470 on the ground. The Cougars also have two extra days of rest, having played three straight Thursday night games to close the regular season while Burlingame is coming off a loss to San Mateo in the Little Big Game last Saturday.
No. 3 Lincoln (7-3), another entrant from the BVAL-Mount Hamilton, played its last four league games within seven points. The Lions, led by running back Kyan Phillips, host No. 6 Scotts Valley (8-2) on Friday night in San Jose.
Division V
After rolling through the BVAL-Santa Teresa Foothill, Piedmont Hills (7-3) earned the No. 1 seed and a date with No. 8 San Jose (7-3) in the Bulldogs’ first-ever CCS playoff game after San Jose won the BVAL-West Valley title. San Jose and Lincoln did not participate in the playoffs for many years, instead facing each other in the Big Bone Game on Thanksgiving, but that rivalry game was moved to early in the season to allow both teams to compete for a section title. The Bulldogs are led by Omar Gomez and his 1,129 rushing yards, while the Pirates have junior quarterback John Palomo captaining their ship.
No. 4 Jefferson (8-2) completed a perfect run through the PAL-Lake Division to earn a home playoff game, though two of the Grizzlies’ wins came via forfeit. Jefferson hosts No. 5 Pioneer (6-4), which could set up a chance at revenge for a loss to Piedmont Hills if it wins Friday night in Daly City.
PAL-El Camino foes No. 3 Terra Nova (7-3) and No. 6 South San Francisco (5-5) will do battle for the second time after the Tigers’ 14-9 win over the Warriors on October 10 gave them the outright division title. Joey Donati does it all for Terra Nova as a dual-threat quarterback, defensive end, punter and kicker.
No. 2 Sobrato (6-4) lost out to Willow Glen on a division title but has a balanced offense with Brayden Hughes at quarterback and 1,000-yard rusher Brady Lennon in the backfield. The Bulldogs host No. 7 Santa Cruz (7-3), champs of the PCAL-Santa Lucia, on Saturday afternoon.
