St. Mary's is in a reload/retool position returning only 6 starters total, and only 1 on defense. This season will be a huge question mark for the Rams, who will enter the season with a brand new starter at QB. Will it be senior Tommy Alegre, junior Jake Dunniway or sophomore Marcus Aponte? Will St. Mary's stay atop the SJAA league? I think much will depend on a healthy Dewey Cotton, but more so to how all the new starters respond, especially on defense. The new QB has big shoes to fill, no doubt. Pre-league games vs Central Catholic, S.I., and Los Gatos are going to be tough for the reloaded Rams. Central Catholic's JV blew out St. Mary's last year and the Varsity game was a close one. Los Gatos is seeking revenge playing on their home field. And S.I. travels to Stockton. How well St. Mary's does in pre-league will be a good guage to see how retooled this team really is. If the Rams do well and at least stay competitive, they will be a favorite to hold on to the SJAA crown. If not, this could be Lincoln's year.
St. Mary's:
http://stocktonpreps.com/news/74/retooled-and-reloaded/
Schedule:
09/05 - @ Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa, CA)
09/11 - Central Catholic (Modesto, CA)
09/18 - St. Ignatius (San Francisco, CA)
09/25 - @ Los Gatos (Los Gatos, CA)
10/02 - Buhach Colony (Atwater, CA)
10/09 - West (Tracy, CA)
10/16 - @ Tokay (Lodi, CA)
10/23 - Tracy (Tracy, CA)
10/30 - Lodi (Lodi, CA)
11/06 - @ Lincoln (Stockton, CA)
The
Lincoln-Stockton Trojans have a very talented senior class, led by Rodney Jones, a 6-foot-5, 225 lbs lineman who has verbally committed to UNLV. Could this be the year the Trojans break up the losing streak with the Rams? This year's Trojan team might surprise some folks, with much speed, maybe more than the Rams. Like the Rams, pre-league performance will say much as to how well Lincoln will do in league play. I anticipate a very competitive showdown this year between St. Mary's and crosstown rival, Lincoln. I believe the league title will be determined with the outcome of this last game of the season. A definite game for Norcalpeps Pick'em week.
Lincoln:
http://stocktonpreps.com/news/69/changing-their-perception/
Schedule:
08/28 - @ Stagg (Stockton, CA)
09/04 - Pitman (Turlock, CA)
09/11 - Elk Grove (Elk Grove, CA)
09/18 - @ Downey (Modesto, CA)
10/02 - Merced (Merced, CA)
10/09 - Lodi (Lodi, CA)
10/16 - West (Tracy, CA)
10/23 - @ Tokay (Lodi, CA)
10/30 - Tracy (Tracy, CA)
11/06 - St. Mary's (Stockton, CA)
Let's not look past
Tracy, a team that made it to the finals for SJS D1 before getting beat by Folsom. But, they have big holes to fill with the graduation of RB Nate Jones and QB Michael Brown. Another very tough pre-league game with Clayton Valley Charter awaits. Tracy's JV team lost to both St. Mary's and Lincoln. I am picking Tracy to finish 3rd in league this year behind St. Mary's and Lincoln.
Tracy:
http://stocktonpreps.com/news/62/a-tradition-of-grit/
Schedule:
08/28 - @ Freedom (Oakley, CA)
09/04 - Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, CA)
09/10 - Beyer (Modesto, CA)
09/18 - @ Kimball (Tracy, CA)
09/25 - Turlock (Turlock, CA)
10/09 - Tokay (Lodi, CA)
10/16 - Lodi (Lodi, CA)
10/23 - @ St. Mary's (Stockton, CA)
10/30 - @ Lincoln (Stockton, CA)
11/06 - West (Tracy, CA)
Tokay brings on a new coach in Michael Holst. Last year Tokay started out strong but this was due to weak competition. Nevertheless, they made the playoffs, but still no playoff victory. Like Lodi, Tokay schedules 3 teams from SJAA for pre-league play. However, their very first game is an interesting match-up vs Churchill County from Nevada, and will be played on a neutral field in Lake Tahoe. Picking Tokay to place 4th in TCAL league this year.
Tokay:
http://stocktonpreps.com/news/72/new-coach,-same-goals/
Schedule:
08/28 - Churchill County (Fallon, NV) @ South Tahoe High School
09/04 - @ Bear Creek (Stockton, CA)
09/11 - Downey (Modesto, CA)
09/18 - @ Franklin (Stockton, CA)
09/25 - McNair (Stockton, CA)
10/09 - @ Tracy (Tracy, CA)
10/16 - St. Mary's (Stockton, CA)
10/23 - Lincoln (Stockton, CA)
10/30 - @ West (Tracy, CA)
11/06 - Lodi (Lodi, CA)
Although
Lodi went 5-5 last year, they are returning 8 starters on defense. Does that equate to another 5-5 record or will they bounce back to be a contender for the league? Interestingly, Lodi has scheduled 3 teams from the SJAA, a league that was very weak last year. Just don't see Lodi beating Tokay this year, as their JV got blown out by the Tigers, as well, last year. Lodi finishes 5th.
Lodi:
http://stocktonpreps.com/news/70/flames-to-rely-on-old-school-approach/
Schedule:
08/28 - Bear Creek (Stockton, CA)
09/04 - Sonora (Sonora, CA)
09/11 - @ Sierra (Manteca, CA)
09/18 - @ Stagg (Stockton, CA)
09/25 - @ Edison (Stockton, CA)
10/09 - Lincoln (Stockton, CA)
10/16 - @ Tracy (Tracy, CA)
10/23 - @ West (Tracy, CA)
10/30 - St. Mary's (Stockton, CA)
11/06 - @ Tokay (Lodi, CA)
Based on
West's pre-league schedule, I anticipate a similar season like last year (5-0) with a strong performance during pre-league, but not so strong during league play (last year 0-5). Can they turn it around? We will see. Based on last year's performance vs their league opponents, along with their JV and Freshman records, I have a hard time seeing them finish anywhere but 6th in TCAL league.
West:
http://stocktonpreps.com/news/76/turning-around-the-program/
Schedule:
08/28 - @ Lathrop (Lathrop, CA)
09/04 - Kimball (Tracy, CA)
09/11 - @ Sheldon (Sacramento, CA)
09/18 - @ Chavez (Stockton, CA)
09/25 - Bear Creek (Stockton, CA)
10/09 - @ St. Mary's (Stockton, CA)
10/16 - @ Lincoln (Stockton, CA)
10/23 - Lodi (Lodi, CA)
10/30 - Tokay (Lodi, CA)
11/06 - @ Tracy (Tracy, CA)
