Playoffs Week 2
Well, that was ugly. Apparently, the South CCS just is not as good as we (well I) thought. Overall the PCAL went 4-7 as Christopher, Hollister, North Salinas and St. Francis CC all advanced to the 2nd round. The disappointment came with some of the top schools.
Salinas- The Cowboys all year long would get off to slow starts then come back and dominate. That did not work over a good Menlo Atherton team. Now we don’t have to worry about an undefeated Salians team beating St. Francis, winning division 1 and going to the open.
Santa Cruz- I knew beating Wilcox would be tough, and I was a little worried about them not being battled tested. But I thought this Cardinal team would be able to keep up and use their speed and experience to keep the game close.
Scott’s Valley- I like the CCS system more than other sections, but sometimes the luck of the draw is not in your favor. Leland was champions of an A league, while Scott’s Valley was champions of a B- league. Not sure how they get matched up in the same division in the first round. Truth is they were the final cutoff for DII and DIV. None the less I thought SV defense would have been a but more stingy.
The rest of the results were as expected more or less. Palma could do nothing offensively w/o QB1, they still may not of won the game but it would have been a lot closer. Aptos did as well as expected vs St. Francis, and gave them fits through the 4th qtr, before St. Francis was able to get some 4th down stops. Christopher advanced with a close game v Palo Alto. Hollister need overtime to beat a very good Burlingame team. Alisal fought traffic then the SHP gators, they did not do well against either, showing up 20 mins before kickoff. Soquel lost a squeaker vs Los Altos. St. Francis “upset” Cupertino in DV while North Salians had the biggest surprise win, taking out San Mateo in a DIV Battle.
Gabilan-
Fri 11/19 Christopher (Gilroy, CA) at Leland (San Jose, CA), 7:00pm D III- Leland was able to beat up on a B- league opponent in Scott’s Valley last week, Christopher is much more battled tested. I like the Cougars in a small upset. Christopher 24-20
Fri 11/19 Menlo (Atherton, CA) at San Benito (Hollister, CA), 7:00pm DII- This should be a fun game. Reports are Hollister was fortunate to win last week in overtime, as Burlingame left some points on the field. Menlo and that offense will not leave many points on the field. Bet the over. Menlo 48-45
Mission-
Fri 11/19 North Salinas (Salinas, CA) at Aragon (San Mateo, CA), 7:00pm DV- I saw North Salians Live, they were not really impressive. I was pleasantly surprised that they beat San Mateo last week, I will be even more surprised if they get by Aragon. I am rooting for the Vikings, but I just can’t see them keeping up with the Don’s. Aragon 28-14
Santa Lucia-
Fri 11/19 St. Francis (Watsonville, CA) at Los Altos (CA), 7:00pm DV – St. Francis just wins. 8 in a row now. Looking at their schedule, not really impressive and a bad early season loss to Watsonville. But their last loss was to Mission Prep from San Luis Obispo, this game prepared them for the playoffs. Mission Prep finished with he highest SLO county rating+22. They have not lost since. I like them over Los Altos who squeaked by Soquel. St. Francis 24-21
CCS Bonus Picks
DI-
Serra V Bellarmine
St. Francis Vs Menlo-Atherton
DII
Wilcox VS St. Ignatius
DIII
Mountain View Vs SHC
DIV
SHP vs Hillsdale
Santa Teresa Vs Homestead
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