Kelly was previously committed to Arizona. He is a rising prosepct on the mound

PCAL Week 8

Congratulations to the St. Francis Sharks! First PCAL team (and first CCS?) team to clinch a post season birth. They should be placed in the DV tournament and will be a tough out. Salinas continues to be the team to beat in the Gabilan and can basically secure a tie for the championship if Palma were to lose at Hollister this week.

I watched Santa Cruz beat up Carmel this past weekend. There is a huge gap between the Cardinals and the rest of the league. If they had done re-alignments this past season, I suspect the Santa Cruz would have been put in the Gabilan. They belong there for this year. They will probably be placed in the DII bracket and I will be excited to see how they do. It is unfortunate that they really had no pre-season or good league competition.

It looks like the Cypress will come down to King City V Scott’s Valley next week. @Streakone you should consider that for a pick-em game. Both teams have strong defenses.

Wanted to give a shout out to Rancho San Juan who has now won 2 Games on the year. Already a great year for this new program that was completely overmatch last spring when they were “forced” to play in the Salinas City league. This is truly their first varsity team and they are competitive, and now have a 2-game winning streak.



Last week 12-2 Overall 76-21



Gabilan

Thu 10/14 Alisal (Salinas, CA) at Aptos (CA), 7:30pm: Both teams love to run the ball, so this game could be over by 8:45. Aptos just runs a little faster. Aptos 35-14

Thu 10/14 Seaside (CA) at Monte Vista Christian (Watsonville, CA), 7:30pm: This is probably Seaside’s last best chance to get a win this year. Spartans will keep in close but MVC is just a little better. MVC 24-20

Fri 10/15 Salinas (CA) at Christopher (Gilroy, CA), 7:30pm: The good news is because Christopher plays in a 9 team A league they should have more than enough Bonus points to earn an at large bid. Bad news is that Salinas is really good. Salinas 38-14

Fri 10/15 Palma (Salinas, CA) at San Benito (Hollister, CA), 7:30pm: Game of the week in the PCAL! Recently Salinas seems to have become Palma’s rival, but for the past 30+ years Palma v Hollister has been the true rivalry game going back to their days in MTAL. Yes, Palma and Hollister used to play Carmel, PG, RLS Gonzales and King City in football, every year. These 2 teams are evenly matched, and I expect a close game. I like Hollister’s Defense just a little bit better than Palma’s. Hollister 24-23



Mission

Fri 10/15 North Salinas (Salinas, CA) vs Carmel (CA) at Salinas Sports Complex (Salinas, CA), 7:30pm- Carmel must win if it wants any chance to make the playoffs, the same could be said about North Salinas. Lose this game and probably out of the playoff race. Carmel 31-24

Fri 10/15 Soledad (CA) at Soquel (CA), 7:30pm: One of the biggest surprised this year has been the play of Soquel. Whether its Gonzales, Gilroy, or Monterey the just win close game by like 4 points. Soquel 18-14.

Sat 10/16 Santa Cruz (CA) at Gonzales (CA), 7:30pm: Top of this Mission meets bottom of the Mission. Cal preps has it 62-0. Won’t be that bad, unless SC wants it to be. Santa Cruz 54-7

Sat 10/16 Gilroy (CA) at Monterey (CA), 2:00pm: If there is no fog, an Afternoon Game at Monterey High School may be one of the most scenic venues in the whole country. From the old cement bleachers you have an unobstructed view of Monterey bay. (I digress). Like the NS V Carmel game, loser takes a big hit in the playoff picture. Monterey 21-17

Cypress

Fri 10/15 North Monterey County (Castroville, CA) at King City (CA), 7:30pm: KC just needs to stay focused and not look past NMC towards next weeks big showdown. NMC needs a MASH unit, unfortunate with the injuries. KC 21-7

Fri 10/15 San Lorenzo Valley (Felton, CA) at Pacific Grove (CA), 7:00pm: SLV has probably been the biggest disappointment this year in the PCAL. Maybe they still have a COVID hangover? I don’t like picking PG, but SLV’s play leaves me know choice. PG 28-17

Sat 10/16 Scotts Valley (CA) at Rancho San Juan (Salinas, CA), 1:00pm: Rancho’s 2 game winning streak will probably stop here. SV defense is just too strong. Scott’s Valley 24-0



Santa Lucia

Fri 10/15 Harbor (Santa Cruz, CA) at Greenfield (CA), 7:30pm; This should be an evenly matched game between 2 programs trying to get back on track. Taking the Home team Bruins. Greenfield 35-30

Sat 10/16 Pajaro Valley (Watsonville, CA) at Stevenson (Pebble Beach, CA), 2:00pm: These 2 teams played 3 weeks ago, so this is technically a non-league game. Pajaro will be looking for revenge, RLS looking to continue to improve and build momentum. Not picking against my beloved Pirates. RLS 38-20

I thought it would be fun to most a weekly, or maybe b-weekly tiers thread. We can adjust as we go, and we can crowd source. Since not all of us are super familiar with other sections and the smaller schools, feedback is welcome.

Let's open it up for fun! For now, we the qualifier will be the top 100 in CA, per CalPreps. We can open it up to more if we want!

Tier 1- DLS, Folsom, St. Francis

Tier 2- Serra, Rocklin, Buchanan, Central, Pitt

Tier 3- Central Catholic, Bellarmine

Tier 4- Manteca, Los Gatos, Edison, St. Mary's, Oak Ride, Del Oro

Tier 5- Clovis, Windsor, McClymonds, Oakdale, Antelope

Looking forward to the feedback and suggestions!

14th annual Nor Cal Tip Off Classic Schedule



Game 1: 9:30 AM Dougherty Valley (San Ramon) vs Woodside Priory (Portola Valley)


Game 2: 11:00 AM Lincoln (Stockton) vs Clayton Valley (Concord)


Game 3: 12:30 PM De La Salle (Concord) vs Elk Grove


Game 4: 2:00 PM Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) vs Inderkum (Sacramento)


Game 5: 3:30 PM Riordan (San Francisco) vs Grant (Sacramento)


Game 6: 5:15 PM Oakland Tech vs Vanden (Fairfield)


Game 7: 7:00 PM Modesto Christian vs San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno)


Game 8: 8:30 PM Dublin vs Campolindo (Moraga)

Mount Hamilton:

Piedmont Hills @ Oak Grove: Has OG lost it’s swagger? Sad times to be an Eagle. PH 21-7

Leland @ Santa Teresa: Santa Teresa If there was any time for an upset, This would be it for ST. I don’t see it happening. Leland continues it’s climb to the top of Mt. Hammy. 24-10

Live Oak @ Overfelt: I just don’t see Overfelt keeping this close; LO 24-7

Silver Creek @ Lincoln: Lincoln's keeps foot on the gas to outlast an athletic SC team; 21-14

Santa Teresa:

Sobrato @ Pioneer: Potential league championship game, Sobrato riding a 4 game win streak, Pio just knocked off the defending champs. Comes down to the last 4 minutes of the game; Pioneer holds on 24-17.

Prospect @ Leigh: Longhorns take out last week’s frustrations; 42-7

Independence @ Branham: Sixers won’t get win number one this week; Brahmam Rolls 34-0

Willow Glen @ Westmont: Warriors get the W; 35-7

West Valley:

James Lick @ Del Mar: Del Mar gets it’s third win in a row; 48-0

Evergreen Valley @ Gunderson: Grizzlies win 35-14

Andrew Hill @ Mt. Pleasant: Andrew Hill Continues its crash course with Gunderson next weeks League championship game: Hill 38-14

San Jose @ Yerba Buena: Yerba Buena putting up 33 last week, Might be more here! YB 35-0.

I was looking at the most recent Maxpreps State of California high school football polls. Folsom gets pummeled by DLS and drops 2 spots to #8 in the state, while DLS moves up 3 spots to #12, just behind St. Francis. Help me understand why Folsom stays ahead of DLS, St. Francis and Serra. It has become obvious now that Folsom fattens up on their weak league opponents while St. Francis and Serra play in a tougher league, with St. Francis beating the big dog this year!

Maxpreps needs to rethink their polling strategies.

The Sacramento Basketball Coaches Clinic is Saturday at William Jessup University in Rocklin.

The clinic will feature 6 college head coaches...come learn and get ready for the upcoming season!

9:00 AM - Jim Les, UC Davis - Running an Efficient and Effective Practice
10:00 AM - Gina Johnson - Delta College - Building Your Defense & Team Chemistry On & Off Court
11:00 AM - Jonathan James - Cosumnes River College - Individual & Team Defense
12:00 PM - Lunch
1:00 PM - Brian Katz, Sacramento State - The Shooting Process & Shooting Drills
2:00 PM - Lance Von Vogt, William Jessup - My Favorite Practice Drills
3:00 PM - Leonard Perry, UOP - Wining the Rebounding Game

Date
Saturday, October 16

Time:
9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Location:
William Jessup University, Rocklin

Cost
$45 - register online by 10/15
$55 - register at door on 10/16

Register online:
https://granitebay.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/63

Does anyone know of a Marin county team that has a bye this week? My information is shaky. But one of my friends has twin beautiful blonde daughters. His wife is a really good cook. He has football players at his house. So he said Merzon was trying to get a game to make up for Edison game? Away somewhere?

Checked online and noticed that the location was set for Whitney High School. Can anybody verify that it’s at Rocklin or Whitney?!

Looking to be one of the better games in recent memory in the North Bay. Cardinal Newman is currently #11 in the NCS and they're taking on #5 Windsor. Is anyone going to watch this game live?
Cardinal Newman has dropped in the rankings this year after getting a new Head Coach, Richard Sanchez, formerly with San Diego State. While Windsor has been dominate since acquiring Head Coach Paul Cronin from opponent Cardinal Newman. It makes to be a really compelling matchup.

Richard Sanchez took over a very talented team at Newman. While the team has started off slow they have shown progress. Santino Acevedo is their star player on offense and defense after losing Tsion Nunnally, who graduated and moved on to Washington State. Acevedo is averaging over 9 yards per run on offense. He leads the NCS in touchdowns and is ninth in rushing yards. On the defensive side of the ball he is sixth in the NCS in tackles and leads the team in sacks. Also look for Speedster Nicky Ayre at Safety and Returner. He is almost always the fasted kid on the field.

Over at Windsor Paul Cronin took over a team laden with talent and they are now undefeated midway through their season. Their closest game was a 38-14 win over Benicia. The Jaguars offense is lead by a talented senior quarterback Chase Vehmeyer. I don't have his complete stats but in two games he is 29-34 with 7 touchdowns and no interceptions. Helping him have a great season is a combination of talented receivers. Makhi Johnson, a senior this year, in his last game had 6 receptions for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns. Opposite of him is freshman Hayden Anderson who has been the surprise of the year in the North Bay. His speed and athleticism has allowed him to have dominate on offense and special teams. Against Napa earlier this year he had 2 receptions for 2 touchdowns and 94 yards.

Game Notes

It is rare to see a regular season rematch, but we have one in the Northern Section. Chico beat Foothill-Palo Cedro 24-14 on September 9 behind 245 rushing yards and three touchdowns from sophomore Dion Coleman. Foothill quarterback Davis Smith passed and rushed for scores. This was Foothill’s only loss thus far while Chico has won five in a row since a season opening loss to Whitney.

Player Notes

Capital Christian 2022 offensive lineman CJ McMillan has committed to Northern Arizona. I don’t believe he is playing this year due to being ruled ineligible by the section.

JUCO Note

Starting Bay 6 competition this week, Diablo Valley (3-2) will travel to Laney (3-2) on Friday. Laney has won three in a row since a 0-2 start with losses to Modesto and Butte. Jacob Harris (Oakland Tech) has seven total touchdowns for Laney.

Alumni Watch

This was a cool moment in Cincinnati on Sunday with three players from Folsom’s 2014 team on the field after the Packers’ overtime win over the Bengals. Offensive lineman Jonah Williams is off to a terrific start this season.

Video to Watch

Christian Brothers 2025 wide receiver Phillip Bell (6-foot-0, 165 pounds) has 34 catches for 494 yards and five touchdowns.

Story to Read

There is a major game in the Central Valley this week as Central Catholic hosts Manteca. Front Row Preps has an early look at this matchup.

Milwaukee Brewers' Rowdy Tellez (Elk Grove) and Atlanta Braves' Joc Pederson (Palo Alto) each had two home runs in the NLDS.

Both were midseason pickups for their clubs

This is a nice writeup on Anthony Bender (Casa Grande), who has had a journey with lots of twists and turns to make the Major Leagues.

I find it amazing that this clown gets on here, shoots his mouth off about all kinds of nonsense..then finds a big freaking rock to hide under
We will find you no matter how many new handles you create!!!! ha ha ha ha ha......DLS is number 1.

Mine so far? Nicholson #20 Manteca. This kid runs he catches good hands! Hard to tackle on offence. And tackles hard on defence! My team Oakdale? No stars. Just a team!

Game Notes

Vacaville rarely gets challenged during league play, but is Vanden up to the task this season? The Vikings are off to a 6-1 start (only loss is in overtime to Rancho Cotate) and have offensive balance with quarterback Tre Dimes (great name for a quarterback) and the running duo of Cameron Fisherman and Elijah Fisherman. Sophomore Brayden Chavez is their leading receiver.

Player Notes

Sacred Heart Cathedral defensive lineman Silas Bahlibi (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) is having an impact this season for Sacred Heart Cathedral, which picked up its first win last week after a couple close calls against Top 35 teams.

JUCO Note

Monterey Peninsula held off De Anza on Saturday for a 27-26 win. They tallied three interceptions with one apiece from Michael Galindo, Raoul Lockhart and Jacob Lambeth. Coming into the game, Monterey Peninsula had four interceptions in five games.

Alumni Watch

San Jose State linebacker Kyle Harmon (Freedom) leads the Spartans with 57 tackles (28 solo) through six games. He now has 265 tackles in his career at San Jose State. He signed with Cal out of high school, but never played a game for the Bears.

Video to Watch

SportStars produced a video from De La Salle’s win over Folsom with comments from Justin Alumbaugh and a couple of players.

Story to Read

Today is a podcast to listen to. Serra head coach Patrick Walsh has a twice weekly podcast going this season. In this episode, he provides a brief breakdown of the win over Riordan.

Pittsburg High host a 1 game shootout at Pittsburg High on January 15th (Saturday). I need 1 team for this event, as a team had to drop out. Please text me at (510) 387-3868 or email me at givansbasketball@gmail.com

Any programs with a frosh team looking for games please let me know I need to find some games

Here are the games for this week. Had too many games to choose from, but tried to work in some new teams too.

De La Salle at Folsom
Enterprise at Pleasant Valley
Clayton Valley Charter at California
Acalanes at Las Lomas
Turlock at Downey
Woodcreek at Antelope
Davis (Modesto) at Lathrop
Valley Christian at St. Francis
Terra Nova at Sacred Heart Prep
Hillsdale at Menlo

Game Notes

The Delta League will likely be decided on Saturday when Elk Grove visits Jesuit. The Thundering Herd are healthy after an 0-2 start and have one of the section’s best running attacks with senior quarterback Ethan Archuleta and running back Zeke Burnett. Jesuit has won six in a row since a season opening blowout loss to Folsom. The Marauders had 11 different players score touchdowns heading into last week’s game.

Player Notes

Sacramento senior CB/WR Lamont Johnson-Burrell (6-foot-3, 170 pounds) recently picked up an offer from Sacramento State. Cal Poly has also offered. Offensively, he has the speed to run past defenders off the snap and is a good runner with the ball. On defense, he gives good size on the outside and likes to hit.

JUCO Note

Sierra College (3-2) overcame a 14 point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime in beating Diablo Valley College (3-2) 49-48. Sierra quarterback Qyntyn Pilcher-Colbert threw for 239 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for 79 yards and two scores.

Alumni Watch

On Saturday, Boise State upset No. 10 BYU 26-17 as running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio (St. Francis-Mountain View) rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Lancer grad originally signed with Oregon out of high school.

Video to Watch

San Ramon Valley senior quarterback Jack Quigley was nearly perfect in last week’s win over Amador Valley.

Story to Read

Taking a look at the college ranks, Sacramento State stayed perfect in the Big Sky Conference (2-0) with a 41-20 win over Southern Utah. The Hornets, who are without running back Elijah Dotson, will travel to Montana this week.

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Not here to bash you or Folsom, and I know you're hurt and a little humiliated.But Id like to discuss what happened last night,from an Xs and Os perspective.Folsom should be better than that.You seem to be pretty plugged in to the program.Was it the game plan?I just expected more from Folsom and at times they just looked defeated early on.After DLS returned the opening kickoff for a TD,seemed like that set the tone.