It’s championship weekend in the Central Coast Section, and after a hearty Thanksgiving meal, 10 teams will head to San Jose to try and claim not just a trophy, but a trip to a NorCal regional game and a chance to compete for a state title.
Riordan has already punched its ticket to NorCals by winning the Open Division crown with last week’s 33-13 victory over Serra, the Crusaders’ second win over the Padres in three weeks. Serra’s season is hardly finished, though — the No. 2 seed in the Open/Division I bracket now falls to the Division I side for a date with No. 3 seed Los Gatos on Friday night at San José City College.
The Padres (7-5) have been tripped up in the playoffs before by the Wildcats (9-3), the clear best public school team in the section this year. Los Gatos has already beaten one West Catholic Athletic League team this postseason, knocking off Saint Francis in the quarterfinals with a late goal-line stand. The Wildcats then routed Palma 45-21 in the semifinals, dominating on both sides of the ball.
Led by senior quarterback Callum Schweitzer and senior running back Grayson Doslak, Los Gatos has weapons all over the place offensively, with a deep backfield and a deep receivers’ room that includes Max Thomas and Beau Musser. That duo has combined for 20 of the Wildcats’ 25 touchdown receptions through 12 games.
Serra was held in check offensively last week in a way only De La Salle and St. John Bosco had done previously, but the Padres can still move the ball in a variety of ways. They had the most success in their double-wing formation with Malakai Taufoou under center and Iziah Singleton, Jeovanni Henley and Andrew Takapautolo taking turns in the backfield.
The Serra-Los Gatos showdown kicks off the weekend, with the remaining four games scheduled for Saturday at SJCC and MacDonald High School.
Division II: Bruce-Mahoney rivals to do battle again
Three weeks after St. Ignatius raced out to a 17-0 halftime lead for a win over Sacred Heart Cathedral that many considered an upset, the Wildcats and Fightin’ Irish are set to meet again for the CCS Division II championship.
No. 1 seed SI (6-6) won its first two playoff games by a combined 91-13 over Alisal and Menlo. The Wildcats’ offense is rolling with Caedon Afsharipour back behind center, and their defense has not given an inch until garbage time. But No. 2 seed SHC (6-6) just put up 63 points in a semifinal win over Santa Teresa, with quarterback Michael Sargent accounting for six total touchdowns and Legend Williams rushing for 117 yards.
Despite pressure from public officials in San Francisco to play at Kezar Stadium, the game will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at SJCC.
Division III (7 p.m. Saturday, MacDonald HS): Can San Mateo complete unlikely title run?
The No. 8 seed Bearcats have played their best football of the season over the last four weeks, and it’s landed them in their first section title game since 2003. San Mateo (9-3) earned an overtime win over top-seeded Woodside, then emerged victorious in a 40-36 shootout last week at Live Oak by averaging 10.4 yards per rushing attempt.
Anyone can get the ball at any time in the Bearcats’ triple option. Quarterback Lukas Fitzgerald keeps it himself more than 18 times per game, but fullbacks Yianni Fitzgerald and Jovani Hernandez Cruz are dangerous, and Cameron Barry, Tyce Copus and TJ Johnson have a lot of speed on the outside.
Waiting for San Mateo on Saturday night is No. 3 seed Menlo-Atherton (6-6), which is also playing its best football of the year after an 0-4 start. The Bears beat the Bearcats 42-28 in San Mateo on September 26, and they reached this game by edging Stevenson and then cruising past Sacred Heart Prep.
Quarterback Teddy Dacey has been on point lately, throwing for a season-high 312 yards in the previous meeting with San Mateo and going 13-of-18 last week for 231 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Division IV (7 p.m. Saturday, SJCC): BVAL-Mount Hamilton rematch in store
Lincoln earned a 35-25 win at Branham on October 9 and finished above the Bruins in the BVAL-Mount Hamilton standings. Yet it was Branham, thanks to its non-league strength of schedule, that earned the top seed in the Division IV bracket.
The Bruins (7-5) have won a pair of close, high-scoring games over Christopher and Half Moon Bay to reach the championship game. Michael Murphy rushed for 179 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries against the Cougars in the semifinals, while four of Andrew Ho’s seven completed passes went for touchdowns.
The No. 3 seed Lions (9-3) used a huge second half to rout Willow Glen 49-14 behind Kyan Phillips, who had 20 carries for 220 yards and three touchdowns. That brought his season totals to 24 touchdowns and 1,348 rushing yards, giving him his second straight 1,000-plus yard season.
Division V (1 p.m. Saturday, MacDonald HS): Sobrato to play for first-ever section championship
A full century younger than Live Oak, its crosstown rival in Morgan Hill, Sobrato has reached a CCS title game for the first time in program history — and will face a team it has already beaten.
The No. 2 seed Bulldogs (8-4) beat Piedmont Hills 40-30 on October 4 as Brady Lennon rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Sobrato has kept things rolling in the playoffs, defeating Santa Cruz and Terra Nova to play itself into a rematch with the top-seeded Pirates (9-3).
Piedmont Hills has won seven straight games since that loss to the Bulldogs, and only one — a 21-13 victory at Silver Creek to end the regular season — was even close. The Pirates did have to overcome a 17-0 halftime deficit against Pioneer, but scored 35 unanswered points in the second half. In the playoffs, they’ve blown out San Jose and Jefferson by a combined 72-20.
Quarterback John Palomo loves to sling the ball, eclipsing 2,000 passing yards for the season last week, with Diego Arias (49 catches, 885 yards, 10 touchdowns) as his top target.
