Bay Area high school football 2023: Week 12 preview, schedule
This week’s top playoff matchups include Campolindo at SRV, Riordan at Los Gatos, Clayton Valley at California and Wilcox at St. Francis
The Bay Area’s high school football playoffs begin this weekend.
Hundreds of teams will compete for championships in the Central Coast Section and North Coast Section over the next three weeks.
The champions will then advance to the California Interscholastic Federation regionals on the weekend of December 1-2, with the winners advancing to the state championship games in Southern California on the weekend of December 8-9.
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Here are the top matchups and schedule for this weekend:
Campolindo (7-2-1) vs. San Ramon Valley (9-1) in the NCS Open/Division I playoffs, Friday, 7 p.m.: This is the third year in a row that these two teams have met in the playoffs. Two previous appearances in Division II. Campo defeated SRV 17-14 in a 2021 semifinal to win the championship. Last season, SRV defeated then-unbeaten Campo 35-21 in the final. Campo graduated a large number of players from last year’s squad. Many key players returned for SRV, including quarterback Luke Baker, the reigning Bay Area News Group player of the year, and four-star linebacker/receiver/running back Marco Jones. In this matchup, SRV is a huge favorite. De La Salle, which hasn’t lost to an NCS team in 32 years, was the Wolves’ only loss this season, which came in overtime. SRV breezed through a non-league slate that included St. Ignatius, Acalanes, and McClymonds, followed by the majority of its league opponents. On the final Friday of the regular season, Campo came back from a two-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat Acalanes 25-24 and win a share of the league championship. Micah Parker, a sophomore running back, was the hero late in the game, scoring on a 23-yard run on Campo’s winning drive. Campo players to watch include WR/FS Scott Lyon, QB Isiah Ortiz, and WR/DB Tim Daugherty. Calpreps.com‘s computer predicts SRV will win 38-13, rematching DLS for the Open title next week. Darren Sabedra’s
Friday, 7 p.m., No. 7 Wilcox (7-3) vs. No. 2 St. Francis (7-3) in the CCS Open Division/I playoffs: The teams met for the third time in the MaxPreps era (2004-present). St. Francis had won the previous two playoff games by a wide margin (2015 and 2017). In this one, St. Francis is the favorite, but Wilcox should not be overwhelmed. Every August, the teams scrimmage, and Wilcox has played Valley Christian, a St. Francis West Catholic Athletic League rival, for several years in a row. Valley defeated Wilcox by one point to begin the season. Wilcox has won five of its last six games, with the lone loss coming in a heartbreaker at home to Los Gatos, which the Wildcats won 24-21 with a touchdown in the final minute. Wilcox’s veer-option offense is led by QB Tyson Bonilla, who has rushed for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has also passed for 618 yards and five touchdowns. Elijah Walker and Jamontay Amataga have each scored eight touchdowns on the ground. St. Francis, the WCAL runner-up to Serra, is heavily reliant on junior RB Kingston Keanaaina, who has rushed for 1,000 yards this season. QB Aaron Knapp, a junior, has thrown for over 1,000 yards to help balance the offense. The computer at Calpreps.com predicts St. Francis to win 31-17. Darren Sabedra’s
Friday, 7 p.m., No. 6 Amador Valley (7-2) vs. No. 3 Pittsburg (10-0) in the NCS Open/Division I playoffs: When these teams met in the first round of the NCS playoffs two years ago, it was a mismatch. During the regular season, Pittsburg only lost one game. Amador Valley came into the playoffs on a six-game losing streak. Pittsburg defeated Amador Valley by a score of 69 to 7. The teams will meet again on Friday for only the second time in the MaxPreps era, dating back to 2004. Pitt, ranked fourth in the Bay Area News Group Top 25, will be a heavy favorite. The calpreps.com computer has the Pirates winning by two touchdowns, but the 13th-ranked Dons are much better than they were two years ago. The Dons are 4-0 and have outscored their opponents 208-7 since junior Tristan Tia took over at quarterback on Oct. 6. In four starts, the Granada transfer threw for 1,158 yards and 18 touchdowns. He completed all 17 pass attempts for 329 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-0 rout of Dublin two weeks ago. All year, Amador Valley’s defense has been outstanding. It has given up 79 points. The offense, on the other hand, scored only 75 points in the five games preceding Tia’s eligibility after transferring. Pittsburg will be Amador Valley’s most difficult opponent. The Dons started off strong, winning 2-1 against El Cerrito, Campolindo, and Acalanes. Since then, they’ve only faced one team that finished above.500. The Pirates, who went 10-0 for the first time since Lyndon Johnson was president, have sought-after recruits all over the place. They also have a significant transfer from Liberty in RB Jamar Searcy. He runs alongside Elijah Bow, a 1,000-yard runner. Pittsburg had a couple of close calls early in the season, with three-point wins over Monterey Trail and California, but in their final three games, the Pirates outscored league opponents Heritage, Liberty, and Antioch 145-47. – Michael Lefkow
Valley Christian (6-4) vs. St. Ignatius (6-4) in CCS Open/Division I playoffs, Friday, 5:30 p.m.: The CCS uses a points system to seed the postseason, which can produce a surprise now and then. When the Division I bracket was announced, every metric pointed to Riordan winning over St. Ignatius. During the regular season, Riordan defeated the Wildcats, finished ahead of SI in the WCAL standings, and had a better overall record. However, when the brackets were revealed, St. Ignatius was ranked third. Riordan was the fifth seed. The calpreps.com computer said SI had a more difficult schedule, but the difference wasn’t that significant. However, the seeding could have a significant impact on the field. Riordan has a long bus ride to Los Gatos while the Wildcats host Valley Christian. The game at SI will begin at 5:30 p.m. due to noise complaints from area residents, Wildcats coach Lenny Vandermade wrote in a text. During the regular season, SI defeated Valley Christian 15-14, and this game could be just as close. The Wildcats appear to have the advantage at quarterback with junior Soren Hummel, but Valley Christian has two outstanding receivers in Kai Hamilton and Uchenna Eke. Both teams have strong running games. Valley Christian’s defense is strong. Opponents are scoring about 15 points per game against the Warriors, which is slightly more than half of the 28 points allowed by SI. The offense of the Wildcats is superior by about four points per game. Which team is coming in hotter? SI has won three of its last four games, including a one-point win over Valley Christian. The Warriors finished 1-3, but they only lost by ten points to St. Francis, gave Serra a scare before losing 24-13, and thrashed Mitty 35-0 last week. The game between Valley Christian and St. Ignatius has all the makings of a nail-biter. Just don’t bother your neighbors. – Michael Lefkow
Friday, 7 p.m., No. 5 Archbishop Riordan (7-3) vs. No. 4 Los Gatos (8-2) in CCS Open/Division I playoffs: Los Gatos will face a WCAL opponent in the first round of the CCS playoffs for the third year in a row. Bellarmine defeated the Wildcats in 2021 with a last-second pick-six, and Archbishop Mitty defeated Los Gatos last season with a walk-off two-point conversion in overtime. Those games, like the one on Friday, were held in Los Gatos. Archbishop Riordan will bring a high-octane passing game to the South Bay in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. This season, Mike Mitchell Jr. has passed for 2,610 yards while distributing the ball to major college prospects Chris Lawson, Cynai Thomas, and Tyrone Jackson. The Crusaders started the season 6-1 before falling to Serra and St. Francis late in the season. Los Gatos has the firepower to keep up, led by running back Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung (18 rushing touchdowns) and quarterback A.J Minyard (13 passing touchdowns). Los Gatos finished the regular season with a five-game winning streak, with the only close game being a 24-21 last-second win over Wilcox. Calpreps’ computer predicts Los Gatos to win 35-31 on Friday. – Dycus, Joseph
Clayton Valley Charter (5-5) vs. California (6-4) in the NCS Open/Division I playoffs, Friday, 7 p.m.: Despite being the lower seed, California is hosting this first-round game because CVC overflowed on the field after defeating the Grizzlies 33-24 on the road on Oct. 27. Eight CVC players were suspended for last week’s game against De La Salle as a result of the incident, and the Ugly Eagles lost a home game Friday. The suspended players have returned this week. The Ugly Eagles had a three-game winning streak that included the Cal High victory until De La Salle routed CVC 48-0 last week. Tyler Lovett has performed admirably since taking over the quarterback job in the middle of the season, throwing eight touchdowns and only two interceptions. Tony Keck, his leading target, has 574 yards and five touchdown receptions. California quarterback Jayden Macedo has had some big moments, and the offense is balanced with 925-yard rusher Devan Love. Jack Schlicher leads the Grizzlies with 8.5 sacks on the season. CVC has won the last four meetings between the teams, but CalPreps’ computer predicts a Cal High victory on Friday, 28-20. — Dycus, Joseph
Central Coast Section
Open/Division I
No. 8 Salinas (7-3) at No. 1 Serra (10-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 7 Wilcox (7-3) at No. 2 St. Francis (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Valley Christian (6-4) at No. 3 St. Ignatius (6-4), Friday, 5:30 p.m.
No. 5 Archbishop Riordan (7-3) at No. 4 Los Gatos (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Note: The first-round winners in the top half of the bracket will play for the Open Division championship in Week 2 of the playoffs. The loser of the Open Division championship will play the winner of the bottom half of the bracket for the Division I championship in Week 3 of the playoffs.
Division II
No. 6 Monterey (7-3) at No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep (6-4), Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 7 Carmel (10-0) at No. 2 Soquel (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Menlo (9-1) at No. 4 Live Oak (9-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Christopher (9-1) vs. No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (5-5) at Foothill College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Division III
No. 6 Scotts Valley (9-1) at No. 3 Aragon (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Alisal (9-1) at No. 2 Capuchino (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Hollister (4-6) vs. No. 4 Palma (3-7) at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Hillsdale (7-3) at No. 1 Menlo-Atherton (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.
Division IV
No. 6 Greenfield (9-1) at No. 3 Branham (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Burlingame (3-7) at No. 2 Mountain View (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Leigh (7-3) vs. No. 4 North Salinas (7-3) at Rabobank Stadium, Friday, 4 p.m.
No. 8 Seaside (7-3) at No. 1 Palo Alto (5-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
Division V
No. 6 Silver Creek (7-3) at No. 3 South San Francisco (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Leland (3-7) at No. 2 Overfelt (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Los Altos (5-5) at No. 4 Santa Teresa (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Del Mar (8-2) at No. 1 Woodside (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
North Coast Section
Open/Division I
No. 8 James Logan (6-4) at No. 1 De La Salle (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Campolindo (7-2-1) at No. 2 San Ramon Valley (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 4 Clayton Valley (5-5) at No. 5 California (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Amador Valley (7-2) at No. 3 Pittsburg (10-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Note: The first-round winners in the top half of the bracket will play for the Open Division championship in Week 2 of the playoffs. The loser of the Open Division championship will play the winner of the bottom half of the bracket for the Division I championship in Week 3 of the playoffs.
Division II
No. 8 Berkeley (7-3) at No. 1 El Cerrito (8-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Heritage (4-6) at No. 4 Redwood (7-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 7 Vintage (5-5) at No. 2 Windsor (8-1-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Rancho Cotate (6-4) at No. 3 Granada (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Division III
No. 8 Bishop O’Dowd (6-4) at No. 1 Marin Catholic (9-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 5 Tamalpais (7-3) at No. 4 Casa Grande (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Ukiah (7-3) at No. 2 Las Lomas (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 6 American Canyon (6-4) at No. 3 Cardinal Newman (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Division IV
No. 8 Kennedy-Fremont (7-2) at No. 1 San Marin (10-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Petaluma (6-4) at No. 4 Maria Carrillo (5-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Mt. Diablo (7-3) at No. 2 Acalanes (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Del Norte (6-3) at No. 3 Vallejo (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Division V
No. 8 San Rafael (5-5) at No. 1 Miramonte (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Piedmont (7-3) at No. 4 Alhambra (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Terra Linda (5-5) at No. 2 St. Bernard’s (7-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 6 Justin-Siena (5-5) at No. 3 Analy (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
Division VI
No. 8 Kennedy-Richmond (7-3) at No. 1 St. Vincent de Paul (8-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.
No. 5 Middletown (8-2) at No. 4 Fortuna (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Arcata (8-2) vs. No. 2 Moreau Catholic (5-5) at McKinleyville HS, Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 6 St. Mary’s-Berkeley (6-4) at No. 3 Salesian (8-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Division VII
No. 1 Clear Lake (9-1), bye
No. 5 Ferndale (6-4) at No. 4 St. Helena (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 7 Berean Christian (3-6-1) at No. 2 Willits (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
No. 6 St. Patrick-St. Vincent (5-5) at No. 3 Kelseyville (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Oakland Athletic League
Oakland Tech (5-4) at McClymonds (6-2), 7 p.m.
Oakland (5-4) at Skyline (1-7), 7 p.m.
