FRIDAY/SAT. PREDICTIONS FOR ROUND 4

[Bluedog2]

In the North Bay League, there is shaping up to be several show downs as Santa Rosa 3-0. Ukiah 3-0,Montygomery 2-0 and Windsor 2-0 have been making statements...Of the four, it appears that Windsor has the best creditable wins, with victories over Petaluma 42-7 and shutting out NorthGate of Walnut Creek 7-0. Down the road, Windsor may be the biggest threat to Cardinal Newman.
In the Sonoma County League, Analy 2-1 has one more hurtle to cross, when they host Acalanes 2-1 of Lafayette
GAME OFTHE WEEK
Liberty 2-1 at Concord 2-1.....Liberty 35 Concord 32....This looks like another shootout that Liberty had with Wood and taking into account, Concord lost to Wood 27-26...Both teams will be out to win, so there is no telling how high the score may be as it could be any bodies win...
Oakdale 1-1 at Campolindo 2-1.....Oakdale 21 Campolindo 20..It appears that the Mustangs are not as strong as the 2015 team, but Oakdale has a bad habit of reloading, but they face a nasty passing attack by the cougars, so we have two different styles of offense facing each other, so defense will tell the story...
GAMES OF INTEREST
Kennedy 3-0 at Madison Park 0-2...Kennedy of Richmond 39 Madison Park 12.....The only reason we mention this game is to put Madison Park on the map...they enter the season with only 14 players and can't afford to loose any to injury, plus thia will be the Trojans first real test...
Sat. 9-17
Redwood 3-0 at Marin Catholic 1-2.....Marin Catholic 33 Redwood 24....this is one of the giants best teams in a while, so the question is, can they challenge the wildcats..Plus MC fell apart last weekend, so they have to clean up their program..
Piedmont 2-1 at Salasian 2-0.....Piedmont 27 Salasian 21...the Highlanders got a big surprise last week against MC and may be one more this coming Sat....
Bishop O'Dowdf 2-0 at St. Mary's of Albany0-3......The Dragons won't slow down for St. Mary's, but they can't let the win over Tam get to their heads.....
BVAL
Pittsburg 3-0 at Berkeley 2-1.....Pittsburg 44 Berkeley 20...the Pirate express led by Thompson and co. won't slow down for the Yellow Jackets....
Liberty 2-1 at Concord 2-1.....Liberty 35 Concord 32
Heritage 3-0 at Edison of Stockton 0-2.....The Patriots ground and air game are a good combination, but Heritage must look out for Edison's speed..
San Leandro 1-2 at Freedom 3-0.....Freedom 37 San Leandro 24.....The game against Antioch last week saw a lot of possible breakout scores that never happened....The Antioch win showed a stand up defense with speed can put the breaks to a fast running back field, so this game could turn wild...
Antioch 2-1 at Rancho Cotate 1-1.....Antioch 48 Rancho Cotate 20...Stopping Harris from turning the corners and keeping him from breaking out thru the line is a must, or RC will face the same thing that San Leandro did last week....The RC passing attack is potent and could change the appearance of the whole game...
Pittman of Turlock 3-0 at Deer Valley 1-2..Pittman 28 Deer Valley 19.....Pittman knows how to score and if the Pittman defense can put the breaks to the wolverines, then it will be a long night for Deer Valley...
FREE LANCE
East of Salt LAKE CITY 4-0 11-2 LAST Season at DLS 3-0.....DLS 37 East 14...Its hard to gauge East, but I don't think they have faced a team like the Spartans...
Clayton Valley charter 2-1 at Logan 0-3.....CVC 47 Logan 13.....The Colts face a meat grinding ground game and it looks like loss #4 is coming up....
EBAL
Its league play and its for blood and it looks like California and Monte Vista are on a Collision course, but Granada may change things.
Amador Valley1-2 at California 3-0.....California 28 Amador Valley 14....The Don's came alive last week with a convincing 42-0 win over Dougherty Valley, they won't do it this coming Friday, but you can bet they will try....
Monte Vista 2-0 at Dougherty Valley 1-2.....Monte Vista 49 Dougherty Valley 7..The Mustangs have too many ways to score and with one of the best QB's in the area for MV to lead the way, the wildcats get another welcome call from the EBAL..
Granada 2-0 at Dublin 1-2.....Granada 48 Dublin 14.....Granada has a well balanced offense and a tough defense...Dublin will have to hustle to keep up with Granada..
San Ramon Valley 2-0 at Foothill 0-3.....San Ramon Valley 32 Foothill 14...The Wolves after one quarter last week found out that they can play defense...Foothill will do their best, but it won't be enough....
DAL-FOOTHILL
Newark Memorial 1-2 at College Park 1-2.....College Park 27 Newark 20, both teams are looking for a way to get rolling..
Alhambra 1-2 at Las Lomas 0-3.....Las Lomas 27 Alhambra 17.....Ben Wood leads the Knights to their first victory as the Bulldogs continue to stumble while edging Washington last week...
DeAnza 2-1 at Mt. diablo 0-3.....DeAnza 40 Mt. Diablo 12...still waiting for the Red Devils to get their offense going...
Bethel 1-2 at NorthGate 2-1.....NorthGate 39 Bethel 13.....Bethel has lost their way and the Bronco's take advange of it...
Hercules 3-0 at Ygancio Valley 1-2.....Hercules 34 Ygancio Valley 24....The Warriors have a chance to go 2-2 in the win-loss column if they can play as a unit...
DAL-VALLEY
Acalanes 2-1 at Analy 2-1.....Analy 38 Acalanes 14
Oakdale 1-1 at Campolindo 2-1.....Oakdale 21 Campolindo 20
Liberty 2-1 at Concord 2-1.....Liberty 35 Concord 32
Alhambra 1-2 at Las Lomas 0-3.....Las Lomas 27 Alhambra 17
Clayton Valley Charter 2-1 at Logan 0-3.....CVC 47 Logan 13
Miramonte 3-0 at Alameda 0-3....Miramonte 49 Alameda 7.....The Mat's move to 4-0 as the Hornets are no match for Miramonte...

 

[larry legend33]

Nice write up Bulldog. Its nice to see some of the NBL teams get a few W's already but most of the wins have been to really bad teams. I think Santa Rosa is on the rise and I agree windsor will be the team newman needs to pay the most attention too. I don't see DLS having trouble with East. I think 42-14.

 

[Bluedog2]

Nice write up Bulldog. Its nice to see some of the NBL teams get a few W's already but most of the wins have been to really bad teams. I think Santa Rosa is on the rise and I agree windsor will be the team newman needs to pay the most attention too. I don't see DLS having trouble with East. I think 42-14.

Larry...Montgomery and Ukiah, you are right, they haven't proved them selves yet and will eliminate each other and Cardinal Newman won't have any problems with them, but its good that they are doing better....Ukiah lost a lot of kids when the mill shut down years ago, so its just a sleepy little down any more...But Windsor did well shutting out NorthGate, and that was no easy task, but we will see....After Brookshire leaves Cardinal Newman, I wonder who will step in to take over, Brookshire is a one of a kind....

 

[GoBears89]

Excellent analysis, Bluedog. I always look forward to your weekly rundown.

Just an FYI - Ben Wood at Las Lomas quarterbacked the team back in 2014. His brother, Joe, is this year's QB. I would be shocked if LL put up 27 points against any opponent this year. Just no firepower on offense.

 

[Bluedog2]

Excellent analysis, Bluedog. I always look forward to your weekly rundown.

Just an FYI - Ben Wood at Las Lomas quarterbacked the team back in 2014. His brother, Joe, is this year's QB. I would be shocked if LL put up 27 points against any opponent this year. Just no firepower on offense.

GOBEARS89....This game could be a case of who can score 14 or more points in one game, while Alhambra continues to figure out how to get the offense going, I think the advantage that Las Lomas has is their QB in Joe Wood, but just maybe a spark will set off the Bulldogs and they will do some scoring???

 

[GoBears89]

Agreed, Bluedog. The first team to score 14 points wins! Both of these programs have seen better days.

 

[remc]

In the North Bay League, there is shaping up to be several show downs as Santa Rosa 3-0. Ukiah 3-0,Montygomery 2-0 and Windsor 2-0 have been making statements...Of the four, it appears that Windsor has the best creditable wins, with victories over Petaluma 42-7 and shutting out NorthGate of Walnut Creek 7-0. Down the road, Windsor may be the biggest threat to Cardinal Newman.
In the Sonoma County League, Analy 2-1 has one more hurtle to cross, when they host Acalanes 2-1 of Lafayette
GAME OFTHE WEEK
Liberty 2-1 at Concord 2-1.....Liberty 35 Concord 32....This looks like another shootout that Liberty had with Wood and taking into account, Concord lost to Wood 27-26...Both teams will be out to win, so there is no telling how high the score may be as it could be any bodies win...
Oakdale 1-1 at Campolindo 2-1.....Oakdale 21 Campolindo 20..It appears that the Mustangs are not as strong as the 2015 team, but Oakdale has a bad habit of reloading, but they face a nasty passing attack by the cougars, so we have two different styles of offense facing each other, so defense will tell the story...
GAMES OF INTEREST
Kennedy 3-0 at Madison Park 0-2...Kennedy of Richmond 39 Madison Park 12.....The only reason we mention this game is to put Madison Park on the map...they enter the season with only 14 players and can't afford to loose any to injury, plus thia will be the Trojans first real test...
Sat. 9-17
Redwood 3-0 at Marin Catholic 1-2.....Marin Catholic 33 Redwood 24....this is one of the giants best teams in a while, so the question is, can they challenge the wildcats..Plus MC fell apart last weekend, so they have to clean up their program..
Piedmont 2-1 at Salasian 2-0.....Piedmont 27 Salasian 21...the Highlanders got a big surprise last week against MC and may be one more this coming Sat....
Bishop O'Dowdf 2-0 at St. Mary's of Albany0-3......The Dragons won't slow down for St. Mary's, but they can't let the win over Tam get to their heads.....
BVAL
Pittsburg 3-0 at Berkeley 2-1.....Pittsburg 44 Berkeley 20...the Pirate express led by Thompson and co. won't slow down for the Yellow Jackets....
Liberty 2-1 at Concord 2-1.....Liberty 35 Concord 32
Heritage 3-0 at Edison of Stockton 0-2.....The Patriots ground and air game are a good combination, but Heritage must look out for Edison's speed..
San Leandro 1-2 at Freedom 3-0.....Freedom 37 San Leandro 24.....The game against Antioch last week saw a lot of possible breakout scores that never happened....The Antioch win showed a stand up defense with speed can put the breaks to a fast running back field, so this game could turn wild...
Antioch 2-1 at Rancho Cotate 1-1.....Antioch 48 Rancho Cotate 20...Stopping Harris from turning the corners and keeping him from breaking out thru the line is a must, or RC will face the same thing that San Leandro did last week....The RC passing attack is potent and could change the appearance of the whole game...
Pittman of Turlock 3-0 at Deer Valley 1-2..Pittman 28 Deer Valley 19.....Pittman knows how to score and if the Pittman defense can put the breaks to the wolverines, then it will be a long night for Deer Valley...
FREE LANCE
East of Salt LAKE CITY 4-0 11-2 LAST Season at DLS 3-0.....DLS 37 East 14...Its hard to gauge East, but I don't think they have faced a team like the Spartans...
Clayton Valley charter 2-1 at Logan 0-3.....CVC 47 Logan 13.....The Colts face a meat grinding ground game and it looks like loss #4 is coming up....
EBAL
Its league play and its for blood and it looks like California and Monte Vista are on a Collision course, but Granada may change things.
Amador Valley1-2 at California 3-0.....California 28 Amador Valley 14....The Don's came alive last week with a convincing 42-0 win over Dougherty Valley, they won't do it this coming Friday, but you can bet they will try....
Monte Vista 2-0 at Dougherty Valley 1-2.....Monte Vista 49 Dougherty Valley 7..The Mustangs have too many ways to score and with one of the best QB's in the area for MV to lead the way, the wildcats get another welcome call from the EBAL..
Granada 2-0 at Dublin 1-2.....Granada 48 Dublin 14.....Granada has a well balanced offense and a tough defense...Dublin will have to hustle to keep up with Granada..
San Ramon Valley 2-0 at Foothill 0-3.....San Ramon Valley 32 Foothill 14...The Wolves after one quarter last week found out that they can play defense...Foothill will do their best, but it won't be enough....
DAL-FOOTHILL
Newark Memorial 1-2 at College Park 1-2.....College Park 27 Newark 20, both teams are looking for a way to get rolling..
Alhambra 1-2 at Las Lomas 0-3.....Las Lomas 27 Alhambra 17.....Ben Wood leads the Knights to their first victory as the Bulldogs continue to stumble while edging Washington last week...
DeAnza 2-1 at Mt. diablo 0-3.....DeAnza 40 Mt. Diablo 12...still waiting for the Red Devils to get their offense going...
Bethel 1-2 at NorthGate 2-1.....NorthGate 39 Bethel 13.....Bethel has lost their way and the Bronco's take advange of it...
Hercules 3-0 at Ygancio Valley 1-2.....Hercules 34 Ygancio Valley 24....The Warriors have a chance to go 2-2 in the win-loss column if they can play as a unit...
DAL-VALLEY
Acalanes 2-1 at Analy 2-1.....Analy 38 Acalanes 14
Oakdale 1-1 at Campolindo 2-1.....Oakdale 21 Campolindo 20
Liberty 2-1 at Concord 2-1.....Liberty 35 Concord 32
Alhambra 1-2 at Las Lomas 0-3.....Las Lomas 27 Alhambra 17
Clayton Valley Charter 2-1 at Logan 0-3.....CVC 47 Logan 13
Miramonte 3-0 at Alameda 0-3....Miramonte 49 Alameda 7.....The Mat's move to 4-0 as the Hornets are no match for Miramonte...

Every year you pick ODowd to beat St.Marys Berkeley, and SM ends up winning. You may finally be right this year, though I have to see it to believe it.

 

[larry legend33]

Larry...Montgomery and Ukiah, you are right, they haven't proved them selves yet and will eliminate each other and Cardinal Newman won't have any problems with them, but its good that they are doing better....Ukiah lost a lot of kids when the mill shut down years ago, so its just a sleepy little down any more...But Windsor did well shutting out NorthGate, and that was no easy task, but we will see....After Brookshire leaves Cardinal Newman, I wonder who will step in to take over, Brookshire is a one of a kind....

Newman has had a steady history of very good QB's since Cronin took over. The list is actually pretty darn impressive. Ryan Lingle, Max Pond, The Wright Brothers, Keaton Dunsford, and Brookshire. Most of these guys either played in college or could have. Randy Wright broke a lot of records at UC Davis. I'm assuming there is somebody who will take up the slack but brookshire is a in every decade or more type player. Actually he's probably more like 1 in 25 years for Sonoma County.

 

[Bluedog2]

Every year you pick ODowd to beat St.Marys Berkeley, and SM ends up winning. You may finally be right this year, though I have to see it to believe it.

REMC...Every year. Bishop O'Dowd looks good, but when the chips are down, St. Mary's of Albany shows the Dragons who is boss..St. Mary's has their number....

 

[concrete17]

.......

FREE LANCE
East of Salt LAKE CITY 4-0 11-2 LAST Season at DLS 3-0.....DLS 37 East 14...Its hard to gauge East, but I don't think they have faced a team like the Spartans...

...

Bd2.....Think you are way too generous toward the Spartans in this match up. Since this game was announced in January this matchup has been viewed as a step down for DLS.
East HS Leopards (Max Prep's Nat'l rank 97th) are definitely on the upswing. Last year they got spanked by Corona Centennial. You can bet they are coming back to California on a mission. Last week they beat the Arkansas 2015 Div 5a State Champion Pulaski Academy 37-23.

The 4-0 Leopards are quick and big, offensive line averaging 6'-2", +260 lbs. With names like Telsina, Vakalahi, Pulu tausinga and Su'esul'e Jr the green Machine may be facing a Pacific Tsunami. The team with several players with D-1 offers includes RB Jaylen Warren who has over 800 yards in his first 4 games this season. East HS is returning a lot of the nucleus from last year's State Championship team.

The Spartans have less than 50% of their starters who are seniors. But more important most of this year's starters are relatively "young" experience-wise, since they played behind last year's graduated starters, many of whom were 2-3 year starters. We all know DLS pulls out of the train station with a slow start and takes a while to build up steam, speed and slam into the bulk of their schedule on the way to the playoffs. But after watching last week's Servite game (Max Preps Nat'l rank 250) I think this year's team is still piling wood into the boiler.

 

[Bluedog2]

Bd2.....Think you are way too generous toward the Spartans in this match up. Since this game was announced in January this matchup has been viewed as a step down for DLS.
East HS Leopards (Max Prep's Nat'l rank 97th) are definitely on the upswing. Last year they got spanked by Corona Centennial. You can bet they are coming back to California on a mission. Last week they beat the Arkansas 2015 Div 5a State Champion Pulaski Academy 37-23.

The 4-0 Leopards are quick and big, offensive line averaging 6'-2", +260 lbs. With names like Telsina, Vakalahi, Pulu tausinga and Su'esul'e Jr the green Machine may be facing a Pacific Tsunami. The team with several players with D-1 offers includes RB Jaylen Warren who has over 800 yards in his first 4 games this season. East HS is returning a lot of the nucleus from last year's State Championship team.

The Spartans have less than 50% of their starters who are seniors. But more important most of this year's starters are relatively "young" experience-wise, since they played behind last year's graduated starters, many of whom were 2-3 year starters. We all know DLS pulls out of the train station with a slow start and takes a while to build up steam, speed and slam into the bulk of their schedule on the way to the playoffs. But after watching last week's Servite game (Max Preps Nat'l rank 250) I think this year's team is still piling wood into the boiler.

CONCRETE17....The East offensive line that you list sounds like a possible killing machine, I've seen very little of this team, so just maybe the Green Machine will have its hands full....DLS's lines are good sized and they move very quick and maybe this will give them an edge...Big lines are great, but if they are slow,, it doesn't mean much...Friday night in Spartan ville could be more then interesting.....This is good food for thought...

 

[Bubba3000]

CONCRETE17....The East offensive line that you list sounds like a possible killing machine, I've seen very little of this team, so just maybe the Green Machine will have its hands full....DLS's lines are good sized and they move very quick and maybe this will give them an edge...Big lines are great, but if they are slow,, it doesn't mean much...Friday night in Spartan ville could be more then interesting.....This is good food for thought...

Milpitas is a great example of big, slow lines......

 

[paul_johnson884]

East's o line is pretty good. Their d line not nearly as good. East runs the same offense as OLU (although I believe OLU has changed this year). Regardless, after last Fridays egg, DLS has lost much of the benefit of the doubt.

It is common for Spartan teams to respond strongly in this situation but we will see tomorrow.