1. De La Salle (7-0)

The anticipated showdown with San Ramon Valley was almost over before it started as Jaden Jefferson returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a score and Duece Jones-Drew had a touchdown run less than two minutes in to give De La Salle a 14-0 lead. Bubba Vargas added an interception return for a score as the Spartans led 35-0 at the half en route to a 42-14 win. Defensively, the Spartans tallied seven sacks. This Friday, De La Salle will host Monte Vista in the final home game of the regular season.

2. Folsom (7-1)

Ryder Lyons threw for 171 yards and five touchdowns and the Bulldogs got rushing touchdowns from Carter Jackson and Erick Orme Jr. in a 69-7 win over Whitney. Lua DaBerry had three of Folsom’s 14 tackles for loss. Folsom led 42-7 at the half. Next up is a trip to Jesuit and the regular season finale at Granite Bay on November 1.

3. Pittsburg (6-1)

Two BVAL games, two shutouts for the Pirates after they beat Heritage 45-0 on Friday. The Pittsburg defense had three sacks and forced five turnovers. Jamar Searcy has six carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns. This week, the Pirates will get their toughest test in league play as it takes on Liberty.

4. San Ramon Valley (7-1)

The Wolves trailed De La Salle 14-0 less than two minutes in and got only two second half touchdowns in a 42-14 loss to the Spartans. Rhett Thompson’s touchdown passes went to Owen Scott and Evan Economos. The loss came after two highly competitive games in 2023 between the two programs. San Ramon Valley will host Amador Valley on Friday heading into a late season bye week.

5. St. Francis-Mountain View (6-1)

The Lancers were down 13-0 to St. Ignaius at the half and Kingston Keanaaina had -1 rushing yards in the first 24 minutes. Behind a big offensive line, Keanaaina rushed for more than 200 in the second half, including an 80 yard touchdown to start the third quarter in a 27-13 win. Grant Righellis also had a touchdown catch. In four of their six winners, the Lancers have held their opponents to 14 points or less. St. Francis hosts Sacred Heart Cathedral on Friday before road games against Valley Christian and Riordan to end the regular season.

6. St. Ignatius (5-2)

The Wildcats’ five game winning streak came to an end with a 27-13 home loss to St. Francis. Jarious Hogan had two touchdown runs for St. Ignatius, which were shutout in the second half. The Wildcats have three come from behind wins in the second half this season. There isn’t much time to rest as St. Ignatius will host Valley Christian, which remained undefeated in the WCAL.

7. Rocklin (7-1)

Derek Keeley rushed for 142 yards and a score and Rafi Merino rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns in Rocklin’s 35-21 win over Granite Bay. Keeley also had 10 tackles and an interception. The Thunder, which were tied 21-21 at the half, had four sacks and two interceptions. Rocklin will play at Del Oro on Friday.

8. Serra (3-4)

The Serra offense had its most productive outing the season in a 56-21 win over Mitty. Nano Latu had three first half rushing touchdowns as the Padres led 35-14 after 24 minutes. They will travel to Bellarmine on Friday with season ending games to follow against Riordan and Valley Christian.

9. Los Gatos (6-1)

Los Gatos led Sacred Heart Prep 28-10 at the half en route to a 42-10 win. Callum Schweitzer threw three touchdowns passes with two of them going to Max Thomas. The Wildcats, which are giving up 10 points per game in their wins with the lone loss coming to Pittsburg, will host Menlo on Friday.

10. St. Mary’s-Stockton (6-2)

Kenneth Moore III had nearly 200 total yards and a receiving touchdown in a 35-23 win over Edison-Stockton. Overall, the Rams had 460 total yards and the defense had 15 tackles for loss as Diego Hernandez had three of them. This week, St. Mary’s will travel to Tracy.

11. Grant (6-3)

Sophomore Zo Edwards continues his breakout season with 60 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-7 win over Antelope. Brandon Lambert had 82 rushing yards and two scores. The Pacers, with losses to De La Salle, Clovis East and Lincoln-San Diego, are off this week before concluding the regular season against Cordova.

12. Soquel (5-2)

Soquel beat Alvarez 35-7 as Sam Whelan ran for two touchdowns and ran for a score. The Knights have won five in a row heading into a pair of road games against Monterey and Salinas the next two weeks. Monterey (4-3) has losses to Menlo-Atherton, Carmel and Salinas.

13. Cardinal Newman (7-0)

Jamari Gentry ran for 131 yards and two touchdowns and Tino Retamoza threw for 141 yards and two touchdowns to Zion Cargill and Jonah Bertoli in a 38-8 win over Rancho Cotate. Jimmy McKenzie and Jesse Myers each had a sack as the Cardinals got out to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. They will host San Marin on Friday.

14. El Cerrito (1-6*)

On the field, El Cerrito beat Salesian 28-7, but off the field, the Gauchos had five on field wins turn to forfeit losses after it was determined they played ineligible players, according to the Bay Area News Group. Next up on the schedule is an October 25 game against Vallejo.

15. Marin Catholic (5-2)

The Wildcats have won five in a row after shutting out Vintage 20-0. Caeden Afsharipour threw a touchdown to Kelly Storms and ran in a touchdown. Marin Catholic also got a rushing touchdown from Jarred Geissberger. Marin Catholic has allowed 14 total points over the last four games. The Wildcats will play at Rancho Cotate this week.

16. Manteca (7-1)

Nikko Juarez rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns in Manteca’s 49-0 win over East Union. In total, six different players scored for the Buffaloes, which led 42-0 at the half. Manteca will play at Patterson on Friday and can clinch a share of the VOL title with a win.

17. Oak Ridge (4-4)

Thorne Watson rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns and Kaleb Edwards caught a 50 yard touchdown catch in a 71-0 win over Davis. Issac Pierce had two interceptions for the Trojans. Oak Ridge will host Whitney on Friday ahead of a November 1 matchup to Rocklin.

18. Salinas (6-1)

After some closer than expected calls in the first three league games, Salinas left no doubt in a 56-7 win over Aptos. Rico Maturino threw for 354 yards with more than 200 of those going to Emarrcis Turner. It was a season high in points scored and a season low in points allowed. The Cowboys step out of league play against Arroyo Grande, which is 7-1, this week. They also have a showdown with Soquel on November 1.

19. Valley Christian-San Jose (5-2)

Marcel Leggett had two rushing touchdowns and Corban Bixby returned an interception for a score in a 21-7 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral. They were tied 7-7 at the half. Valley Christian closes the season with three games against Top 10 teams starting with St. Ignatius on Friday.

20. Twelve Bridges (8-0)

Twelve Bridges makes its first Top 20 appearance in school history after staying undefeated with a 51-34 win over Placer. Braeden Ward rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns as the Raging Rhinos have now scored at least 50 points in six of their eight games. They travel to Roseville on Friday.

The Crusaders currently sit at 2-4 overall and 1-2 in WCAL League play this season after assembling some of the most abundant talent we've ever seen on one WCAL roster over the past decade plus.

I'm curious for those closer to the City itself, that program, or that school circle - What are the things that can be linked to the disappointment of a season they're having this year?

I'm not used to having high expectations for Riordan, but this is Year 3 of Coach Ravpati's HC tenure for the Crusaders. He should be hitting his stride with this group he's assembled, not regressing. Also, look at all the success his counterpart Coach Vandermade is having across the city in the Sunset District with less star-studded talent on paper.

Is this team not coached well? Too many egos within the program with all the talent that was brought in quickly? Do they not value Defense?

I'm utterly confused on how they lost by 3 scores to VC (who have been a nice story since league play started) with a QB that is a Freshman and was making his 3rd Varsity start. Looking forward to hearing more from those that might know what is going on over there.

Matt Fuiava transfers to Kahuku just in time to play against the #1 island team Campbell NO sit out time!! Crazy

He will stay on as the athletic director at Laney. He will have spent 45 years as a football coach

Robert McDaniel 6-foot-2, 195 pounds (Committed to Arizona)

Season Total (8 Games): 112-for-173 (64.7%), 1,898 yards, 26 touchdowns, 1 interception

McDaniel is the top rated senior quarterback in the region and has Hughson off to an 8-0 start. His best game came two weeks ago when he threw for 427 yards and five touchdowns in a 52-51 win over Sonora. The Arizona commit, who has previously committed to Cal, has good footwork in the pocket to rotate his body and set his feet for setting up good passing windows. He puts zip on the ball espeically throwing over the middle 15-20 down the field. McDaniel can also put touch on the ball to find receivers down the sideline.

Vlad Dyakonov (6-foot-7, 270 pounds) has been one of the recruiting stars through the first half of the regular season. He has the size that will make him a sought after recruit. He is physical in the run game lining up at both tackle spots, but also has the agility to work down the line on blocks and get onto the second level. In the last three weeks, he has been offered by Minnesota, San Diego State, Nevada, Cal, Utah and Arizona State.

Carson Lamb 6-foot-0, 170 pounds

Season Total (8 Games): 147-for-214 (68.7%), 2,358 yards, 28 touchdowns, 4 interceptions

Game Report vs. Turlock (33-14) loss

In Downey's first loss of the season, Lamb had his share of good moments in going 17-for-31 for 191 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He rushed for a team high 34 yards. Lamb and Downey use a lot of quick throws and WR screen plays, but he also showed his skills down the field. Despite passes getting dropped, two of his best throws of the night came on a deep ball down the seam and a touch pass on a corner route. He also hit a 42 yard pass on a post route for a touchdown. As a runner, he can extend the play, though he may leave the pocket a little early, and pick up yards going to the outside.

Yup, I’m hanin’ out at Winton Ave. tonight.

SRV’s JV team has been dominating, but were stopped at the 4 yard line, DLS keeping the score to 7-0 with about 2 minutes left…

But then, DLS QB raced some 90 yards on a QB keeper to tie things up at 7-7. That was one of few chunk gains by DLS all half.

Girls Divisions
4th,5th, 6th, 7th, 8th

Boys Divisions
3rd,4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th

$325.00 with a 3 Game Guarantee
$275.00 3 Team + Discounts with NO Requests
Quality Sites w/ On-site Administrators
Certified High School/College Officials
Online Schedules

Location: City College San Francisco ,Peninsula
and Daly City Gyms

• All Divisions are based on 2024.25 Fall Grade
• 4-8 team(s) per Division
• High School Rules
• 1st Place Team Awards.

For Information contact:
Alfonso Joo Cell 650-267-3678
Email at alfonsojoo@yahoo.com
Register and Info on www.Dawgsclub.com

PCAL Week #8

Last week 8-4 Overall 88-26

Gabilan (Palma on Bye)-Palma looks to be in trouble of not making the playoffs. They took a bad loss to Aptos and remain winless in league. PAL Booster has them making the playoffs, but I don’t know. I have them going 1-2 in their last 3 (Hollister, Monterey, Alvarez), they will need to at least 2-1 to have a playoff chance. Not impossible but it will be difficult for this young team to rebound. Salinas was able to hold off a tough Monterey team, if the Cowboys don’t get healthy they will have a tough time beating Soquel. Hollister started well vs Soquel, but faded in the 4th (as Soquel does to most teams) in the 28-10 loss.

Thu 10/17 Alvarez (Salinas, CA) at Soquel (CA), 7:30pm- Thursday night games stink, Soquel may start a little slow, but Alvarez is no match for this years Knights team. Soquel 35-7

Fri 10/18 Salinas (CA) at Aptos (CA), 7:30pm – Aptos had a huge win vs Palma last week, Salinas played a close one vs Monterey. Salinas seems to be closer to the pack in the Gabilan than the to the top team Soquel. Salinas 27-21

Fri 10/18 Monterey (CA) at Hollister (CA), 7:30pm -A win by either team almost assures a playoff spot, although I think both are basically in already. With HMB and Carmel forced to be CCS DIII, it could be argued an “easier” path for a CCS title in DII than in DIII. Winner of this game probably goes in DII. Hollister 28-24

Mission North (MVC on a Bye) – I said it last week and I will say it again: This division is a toss up. Although it looks like NMC has taken a little bit of control with its win over Alisal last week. But the race is far from over as I can’t trust any of these teams. Even Seaside who I thought would go winless, won last week. Big props to Seaside and Coach Avila for persevering through this tough year! St. Francis V Alisal could be a battle for 2nd place and a de-facto playoff berth.

Fri 10/18 St. Francis (Watsonville, CA) at Alisal (Salinas, CA), 7:30pm- Neither one of these teams has a “good” win. Alisal has played a tougher schedule, they will try to out physical the Sharks and their smallish roster. Winner is in the drivers seat for 2nd place, I think. Alisal 24-21

Fri 10/18 Seaside (CA) at North Monterey County (Castroville, CA), 7:30pm- Both Teams are coming off their biggest win of the season (or first in Seaside’s case) last week. NMC’s was probably a bit more meaningful, but they can not afford a letdown vs the Spartans and their dynamic playmaker. NMC 35-14

Sat 10/19 Watsonville (CA) at Scotts Valley (CA), 2:00pm -Scott’s Valley beat Seaside and then lost to MVC. Watsonville beat MVC then lost to Seaside. So, this game should end in a tie? Watsonville 25-24

Mission South (Greenfield Bye)- PG came so very close to beating North Salinas last week, but they could not stop NS modified offense, Props to NS coaching staff and team for being able to change game plans with out their starting QB. PG football has been improving, but if they want to take that next step, they need to schedule better. Stop playing Marina, Greenfield (even RLS) and schedule some other CCS "B" teams : Sequoia, Terra Nova etc. Their Pre-season does not prepare them for their tough Divisional games. If NS QB is still injured, an improving KC team could provide them with a tough game.

Fri 10/18 Carmel (CA) vs Rancho San Juan (Salinas, CA) at Monterey Peninsula College – Carmel has lights now at it’s stadium, not sure why they are renting MPC for some select games? Davis had a better chance of beating Folsom than Rancho does of beating Carmel. Carmel: whatever they want-0

Fri 10/18 North Salinas (Salinas, CA) vs King City (CA) at Salinas Sports Complex 7:30pm – In this weeks Bizzaro world, KC could win out and make the playoffs. If they can get by an injury depleted North Salinas team then they have Rancho and Soledad to finish. Beating NS is a big IF. North Salinas 24-20

Fri 10/18 Pacific Grove (CA) at Soledad (CA), 7:30pm- PG had a shot last week, I really think some tougher preseason competition will help move this program back to the glory years. Soledad is playing ok football, but PG is the better team this year. PG 28-14

Santa Lucia (Harbor Bye)- @streakone choosing the RLS v Pajaro game in the pick’em is awesome!!! Should start to see some separation this week as the top 4 teams play each other. Who cares about SRV v DLS or SI v SF? This weekend you have RLS v PV in the Del Monte Forest! Not only that, Saturday night SLV travels to the Salinas Valley to take on a decent Gonzales team. Another Super Saturday in the Santa Lucia!!!

Fri 10/18 Marina (CA) at Santa Cruz (CA), 7:30pm- This game intrigues me, because I think Santa Cruz has a chance here. They have not won all year, but they have not been shutout either. Last year 0-6, average score 50-0. This year 0-7 & 45-14, baby steps. Santa Cruz 24-21

Sat 10/19 San Lorenzo Valley (Felton, CA) vs Gonzales (CA) at Soledad (CA), 7:30pm- By far the best PCAL story of 2023 is the re-birth of the SLV program. Great to see them be successful again. Tough trip to the Salinas Valley to face a decent Gonzales team, but they should prevail. SLV 21-17

Sat 10/19 Pajaro Valley (Watsonville, CA) at Stevenson (Pebble Beach, CA), 2:30pm – When @Streakone chooses your team for pick’em it feels like ESPN choosing you for college Game Day. Like are Cal 14, Concrete and Norcal sports fan showing up to RLS for pregame festivities? I digress. PV has won 4 games this year, but they have been against really bad teams. RLS is finally at full strength and played a complete game in dominating Santa Cruz last week. This should set up a fantastic title fight in 2 weeks vs SLV. RLS 34-20

Stevenson JR QB Fin Mink is coming off a big game against Santa Cruz. Looks like Stevenson only has stats for the first four games, but in those games, he has 769 passing yards and 12 touchdowns

1. De La Salle (6-0)

The Spartans played the rare Tuesday game when it beat the NFL Academy 31-9 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in England. Derrick Blanche and Dominic Kelley each had two touchdowns and Jayden Nicholas had two fumble recoveries. They return to the field this Friday against San Ramon Valley.

2. Folsom (6-1)

In a 58-0 win over Del Oro, Ryder Lyons threw for five first half touchdowns with three going to Jameson Powell and two going to Nela Tupou. The Bulldogs have given up 21 total points in three on field SFL games. Folsom will play the first of three road games against Whitney on Friday.

3. Pittsburg (5-1)

Marley Alcantara went 7-for-8 for 238 yards and five touchdowns with Makari Kenion catching a pair of scores in a 49-0 win over Freedom. Jewelous Walls had a team high six tackles. On October 18, Pittsburg will travel to Heritage before a home game against Liberty the following week.

4. San Ramon Valley (7-0)

Matthew Garibaldi rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns and Rhett Thompson threw for three touchdowns in a 38-26 win over California to give the Grizzlies their first loss. Defensively, Marco Jones had 13 tackles and the team logged three sacks and three interceptions. Next up is a trip to De La Salle on Friday.

5. St. Ignatius (5-1)

After getting two impressive home wins over Serra and Riordan, the Wildcats traveled to San Jose City College and beat Bellarmine 46-0. Jarious Hogan had three rushing touchdowns for St. Ignatius, which will host St. Francis this week in a Top 10 matchup.

6. St. Francis (5-1)

Kingston Keanaaina rushed for 323 yards and three touchdowns to lead St. Francis to a 27-21 win over Serra. He has now rushed for at least 300 yards in back-to-back games heading into this week’s contest against St. Ignatius.

7. Rocklin (6-1)

Rocklin had nine different players get at least one carry and went for 233 yards as a team in a 48-7 win over Davis. Derek Keeley had two rushing touchdowns and starting quarterback Matt Janowiak had two scores on the ground. The Thunder will host Granite Bay on Friday.

8. Serra (2-4)

Nano Latu rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown and returned a kickoff return for a score, but Serra dropped their second WCAL game in losing at St. Francis 27-21. The Padres also got a touchdown catch from Charlie Wiley. Serra will host Mitty on Saturday.

9. Los Gatos (5-1)

Los Gatos was pushed in their league opener before beating Menlo-Atherton 21-14. The Wildcats got rushing touchdowns from Grayson Doslak and Scotty Brennan and a fumble return from a score from Henry Masters. That was one of three turnovers forced by Los Gatos, heading into this Saturday’s contest at Sacred Heart Prep.

10. Grant (5-3)

In their likely toughest league test, Grant went on the road and beat West Park 48-7 with more than 400 total yards. Three sophomores caught touchdowns for Grant with Koby Shabazz, Deangleo Knight and Zo Edwards. Jeremiah Tuiileila had eight tackles and two sacks. Next up is Antelope on Friday.

11. St. Mary’s-Stockton (5-2)

Kenneth Moore III had three total touchdowns, including a punt return, and Manaalii Danielson had an interception return for a score in a 48-14 win over Kimball. The Rams got out to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. They will host Edison-Stockton this week.

12. Soquel (4-2)

Soquel led Hollister 14-10 after three quarters before rushing touchdowns from JB Bright and Tyreis Lundy put away a 28-10 win on Thursday. The Knights haven’t given up more than 14 points in a game this season. They will host Alvarez on Thursday.

13. Cardinal Newman (6-0)

In a matchup of undefeated teams, Cardinal Newman won at Windsor 24-23 in overtime as L.T. Retamoza found Jonah Bertoli for the game winning touchdown. Cardinal Newman led 17-7 at the half before Windsor scored 10 fourth quarter points to force overtime. The Cardinals will host Rancho Cotate on Friday.

14. El Cerrito (5-1)

El Cerrito held St. Mary's-Berkeley to 22 total yards in a 55-0 win. The Gauchos led 42-0 at the half in their third shutout of the season. El Cerrito will take on Salesian this week with the winner having the inside track in the TCAL-Rock Division.

15. Downey (7-0)

Carson Lamb threw for 406 yards and four touchdowns with Ethan Woodmansee having nine catches for 150 yards and a score as Downey beat Modesto 41-7. The Knights have given up 10 total points through two league games, but face possibly its biggest test of the regular season at Turlock this week.

16. Marin Catholic (4-2)

Jarred Geissberger ran for two touchdowns and tossed a touchdown pass for Marin Catholic in a 21-7 win at San Marin for their fourth straight win. Braiden Bachich-Dixon was out, according to Ethan Kassel. The Wildcats host Vintage on Saturday afternoon.

17. Manteca (6-1)

Manteca amassed nearly 500 total yards in a 56-0 win over Mountain House. Maava Tialavea rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. In total, seven different players scored touchdowns. Next up is a Friday night trip to East Union.

18. Oak Ridge (3-4)

Phoenix Hester threw for 166 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 45 yards in a 23-3 win over Jesuit. Kaleb Edwards had two touchdown catches with one coming from Jasen Womack. Troy Taber had 11 total tackles in the win. Oak Ridge, winners of three of four games, will play Davis on Friday.

19. Salinas (5-1)

Salinas led Monterey 20-7 at the half, but ended up trailing 21-20 in the second half before scoring a fourth quarter touchdown for the 28-21 win. Deyven Marquez and Brandon Palma each rushed for more than 100 yards. Next up is Aptos on October 18.

20. Valley Christian-San Jose (4-2)

With a 31-13 win over Riordan, the Warriors are off to a 3-0 start in the WCAL and have allowed just 20 total points in those games. Marcel Leggett rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown and freshman quarterback Rome Pritchard threw two touchdown passes. Valley Christian also grabbed three interceptions led by two from Jordan Vargas.

@bulldogmgc there was a very funny video that you posted before the grant vs SM section championship game in 2014. Is there a link to that somewhere on you tube?

Girls Divisions
4th,5th, 6th, 7th, 8th

Boys Divisions
3rd,4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th

$325.00 with a 3 Game Guarantee
$275.00 3 Team + Discounts with NO Requests
Quality Sites w/ On-site Administrators
Certified High School/College Officials
Online Schedules

Location: City College San Francisco ,Peninsula
and Daly City Gyms

• All Divisions are based on 2024.25 Fall Grade
• 4-8 team(s) per Division
• High School Rules
• 1st Place Team Awards.

For Information contact:
Alfonso Joo Cell 650-267-3678
Email at alfonsojoo@yahoo.com
Register and Info on www.Dawgsclub.com

Last year, Twelve Bridges reached the SJS D5 finals in its second year of varsity football before losing in the final minute to Casa Roble.

This year, they are off to a 7-0 start despite graduating their starting quarterback, top running back, top receiver and top two tacklers.

And in an era where we get a lot of Bulldogs, Mustangs and Eagles, a nickname of the Raging Rhinos is pretty awesome!

Tonight will be their toughest league test when they travel to Placer, which only has a one point loss against Roseville on the right side of its ledger.

Madison was one of the biggest risers during the spring/summer and has now committed to Tulane

Really good article from Harold Abend of CalHiSports profiling Bill, who is stepping down after his 40th season at Middletown

Schedule:

SHC, 1-2, at Valley Christian, 3-0, Friday at 7 p.m.
St. Francis, 3-0, at St. Ignatius, 3-0, Friday at 7 p.m. (double-check time)
Bellarmine, 0-3, at Riordan, 1-2, Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Mitty, 0-3, at Serra, 1-2, Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Notes:

VC heavy favorite vs. SHC
SF vs. SI is a tossup
Riordan heavy favorite vs. Bellarmine
Serra heavy favorite vs. Mitty

Game of the Week Poll

At Monterey Trail H.S.

North coast section div 2 school looking to fill out its schedule with a varsity and or JV , Freshmen boys game

Willing to travel. Also willing to host!

Message me if interested

Here are the games for this week. Picks are due by 7:00 PM on Friday

Shasta at Foothill Palo Cedro
Sonora at Hughson
Patterson at Oakdale
Grant at West Park
Wilcox at Menlo
Willow Glen at Sobrato
Serra at St. Francis
California at San Ramon Valley
Cardinal Newman at Windsor
Union Mine at Bradshaw Christian

Game of the Week Poll - https://norcalpreps.forums.rivals.com/threads/week-8-game-of-the-week-poll.30810/

So first, there will be no good players in the draft because no team in the league has seven players who are starting-level talent.

That said, teams must protect their unrestricted free agents who can be cored (that is, forced to sign with their existing team for a max contract, which is about $250,000). If they don't protect them, Golden State can draft one of them (from the entire league) and core them. Even then, the other UFAs could be pursued by the Valkyries in the free agent period, in February.

The big names:

Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas): Don't think Vegas will core her, but they will likely protect her. If not, available for GS at the max.

Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana): Will be protected and unlikely to leave a perfect situation for an expansion team. But you never know ...

Breanna Stewart (New York): Grew up in New York, on a great team. And will be protected.

Courtney Vandersloot (New York): Might not be protected, as GS would have to core her and pay her the max, which she is no longer worth. The Liberty have the only roster with a strong player who will be available for the draft.

Satou Sabally (Dallas): Will be protected, but Dallas is awful.

Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut): Will be protected, but she and DeWanna Bonner (her partner) could conceivably come west in February. Bonner is an uncoreable (been cored before) free agent.

The biggest name out there for GS is an uncoreable free agent who cannot be negotiated with until January, and that's Nneka Ogwuminke. Seattle is aging and didn't play up to potential.

Golden State has no bad contracts, an empty salary cap and could sign a few UFAs in 2025. That includes the ones who are protected in the draft and the uncored UFAs:

Bonner
Brionna Jones (Con)
Tina Charles (Atl): Please no
Natasha Howard (Dal)

The expansion draft will be about which UFA Golden State drafts and cores, if there is one available. Otherwise, it will be a lot of people most casual fans have never heard of. (Jaelyn Brown will be available, very likely.)

The rest of the draftable players will be fungible with available free agents in 2025. Some will make the team, but are unlikely to be difference-makers.

So Riordan looked like the team to beat on paper and now all of a sudden their two biggest pieces will be not eligible and playing at Redwood.

Riordan still has Bush, Hillman l, Tofi Jr (Cal football commit) and a great little freshman in Jack Loevener but are they the best non-prep team in the Bay Area still?