PCAL Week 10

Last week 11-2 Overall 108-31

Gabilan (Aptos bye)- Palma’s big win over Hollister probably gets them into the playoffs, again. I wonder if Palma fans ever gets bored of going to the playoffs every year. It is pretty cool for the division that 6 of the 7 teams are going (probably). Of course this week is about the matchup between perennial champion Salinas and up and comer Soquel. Can Salina’s high-power offense get past Soquel’s defense? Will Soquel’s ball control offense be able to not slip up against Salinas’s big play defense? In other action Palma and Monterey look to battle for third place, while Hollister needs to beat Alvarez to secure a post season bid.

Fri 11/01 Hollister (CA) at Alvarez (Salinas, CA), 7:30pm -Alvarez beat Hollister last year, if they do it again then beat Palma next week, they would make the playoffs. I don’t think they have the team this year for that, plus Hollister will want revenge. Hollister 35-14

Fri 11/01 Palma (Salinas, CA) at Monterey (CA), 7:30pm- This should be an entertaining game. Palam will try to keep Monterey’s offense on the sideline (or playing defense). If you can out physical Monterey, you can beat them. Palam needs a bit more consistency from the young QB1 to prevent teams from stacking the box to stop the run. They had that last week vs Hollister. If Monterey QB1 is playing, they win if he is out, Advantage Palma. Palma 21-17

Fri 11/01 Soquel (CA) at Salinas (CA), 7:30pm- I have not seen either team live this year, but watching tape and seeing how each competes, I think Soquel might have a slight edge. Their defense is nasty, and they have this “west coast” ball control offense. Nothing fancy but very effective. That being said, Salinas is the champ until they get dethroned, plus QB1 is healthy and looks to have built a great connection with their dynamic WR1. Taking the champs until they get beat. Salinas 24-23

Mission North- (Scott’s Valley Bye) Back to Chaos. With MVC’s upset win over North County you have 3 teams with 1 loss, plus MVC and their “air raid” offense sitting right their with 2 losses. St Francis and NMC play this weekend and that will help one of them gain separation. I still think Alisal and NMC emerge, but St. Francis and MVC are very much alive. Still not sure how Watsonville beat MVC but lost to Seaside??

Fri 11/01 Alisal (Salinas, CA) vs Watsonville (CA) at Cabrillo College (Aptos, CA), 7:30pm -Alisal probably has the “easiest” path towards the playoff, but they cannot overlook Watsonville who destroyed MVC a few weeks ago. Alisal 24-7

Sat 11/02 Monte Vista Christian (Watsonville, CA) at Seaside (CA), 7:30pm -Seaside will keep battling and they may have the athletes in the secondary to slow doan MVC air attack. But after last weeks big win over NMC, Monte Vista has all the momentum. MVC 35-14

Sat 11/02 North Monterey County (Castroville, CA) at St. Francis (Watsonville, CA), 12:30pm- Winner takes a huge step forward towards the playoffs, while the loser takes huge step back. I think that NMC rebounds from last weeks upset loss. NMC 21-20

Mission South (King City Bye)- North Salinas got with in 2 scores in the third quarter last week but the game vs Carmel was never in doubt. This Carmel team is very good and will be the prohibitive favorite in the CCS DIII Playoffs. So now North Salinas will have to lick its wounds and make sure it secures 2nd place. Soledad played a good non-league schedule and will be a tough out for North Salinas. The rest of the teams in the Mission South are just looking to build for next year.

Fri 11/01 Carmel (CA) at Greenfield (CA), 7:30pm -Greenfield has been a little bit of a disappointment this year. I did not think they would win, just thought they would be more competitive. Still like what I ma seeing with the large turnout for the program. Carmel 48-14

Fri 11/01 Rancho San Juan (Salinas, CA) at Pacific Grove (CA), 7:30pm; Rancho has really regressed this year. They will probably be regulated to the Santa Lucia and see if it can rebuild. PG has had a good year and will probably challenge in the next 2 years. PG 34-7

Soledad (CA) at North Salinas (Salinas, CA), 1:00pm- A Saturday afternoon game on campus at North Salinas. I like it!! If North Salinas wins, they secure 2nd place and a playoff bid. If Soledad wins, they will have control of the playoff bid and need to beat KC next week to secure it. Upset special. Soledad 21-18

Santa Lucia (Pajaro Baye)- Clash of the Titans this weekend in the Santa Cruz Mountains. SLV hosts RLS in a heavyweight battle. The Coveted Santa Lucia Division Championship is on the line! Forget Soquel V Salinas or Newman v Marin Catholic. Those guys are all going to the playoff win or lose. Neither SLV or RLS make the field as an at large, so this game is for all the marbles. Way more pressure and excitement.

Fri 11/01 Santa Cruz (CA) at Harbor (Santa Cruz, CA), 7:00pm -Harbor embarrassed a shorthanded Santa Cruz team last year. Look for the Cardinals to get some revenge. Santa Cruz 21-10

Fri 11/01 Gonzales (CA) vs Marina (CA) at Seaside (CA), 7:30pm- Marina just playing out the season until they can start hosting games next year. Gonzales 34-7

Sat 11/02 Stevenson (Pebble Beach, CA) at San Lorenzo Valley (Felton, CA), 2:30pm -RLS is at full strength, this roster probably beats PG and Greenfield earlier in the year. SLV is still undefeated and has the better wins over Scott’s Valley, Greenfield and South SF. It will come down to SLV’s Defense (allowing 5.7 Points Per SL game) Vs RLS offense (Scoring 43.7 Point per SL game). SLV has not faced an offense this good. RLS (duh) 31-28

Game of the Week Poll

I have heard the "Folsom Rule" mentioned many times. Help a SoCal brother out ... what is the Folsom Rule?

Congrats to theCrusaders for winning the WBAL Flag Football Title in its first season of playing the sport. Season record 17-2. Its wins include St. Francis (32-19); SI (21-8) and SHC (52-6). ☔

17th annual Nor Cal Tip Off Classic Schedule
Saturday November 30 at Dublin High School

Game 1: 8:00 AM Ygnacio Valley (Concord) vs Branson (Ross)

Game 2: 9:30 AM St. Ignatius (San Francisco) vs Vanden (Fairfield)

Game 3: 11:00 AM Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) vs Santa Cruz

Game 4: 12:30 PM Clayton Valley (Concord) vs Weston Ranch (Stockton)

Game 5: 2:00 PM San Ramon Valley (Danville) vs Lincoln (Stockton)

Game 6: 3:30 PM Dublin vs Destiny Christian (Sacramento)

Game 7: 5:15 PM Folsom vs Redondo Union (Redondo Beach)

Game 8: 7:00 PM De La Salle (Concord) vs Crespi (Encino)

Game 9: 8:30 PM Moreau Catholic (Hayward) vs Modesto Christian

Hoops start in a week and I haven't heard any predictions, lets get going.

DLS v Serra free streams can be found at https://www.dlshs.org/athletics/athletic-programs/football

Valley Christian v Salinas

Former Modesto Christian Stars Bj Davis, Jamari Phillips, battle. It will be interesting to see these two match-up against each other as they have shared the castle on Sisk Road!! What would have happened if Jamari had stayed/ Would BJ been so dominate his senior year? Did Jamari pass on a possible Open title? We all have our thoughts, but now we can watch them at the collegiate level and perhaps the Pros.

Downey 7

Congrats to Folsom 6'6 wing Chase Rawlings for his recent commitment to Davis. Good local pickup for a kid who has a great feel for the game and is still growing.

Big accomplishment especially at one school

Irvington High School is looking for a scrimmage on Saturday, Nov. 16 @ Irvington. We would like to host on this date but we are open to other dates and traveling.

Bj
408-393-6558

Mater Dei is up 45-0 at the half. But according to many sources Bosco has many D1 guys so it’s all ok.

While the last two games have been very close, Rocklin has won five straight regular season games over Oak Ridge. Rocklin is the favorite this week, but the Trojans have shown improvement over the course of the season.

2023: Rocklin won 21-17
2022: Rocklin won 21-17
2021: Rocklin won 21-0
2020: Rocklin won 38-13
2019: Rocklin won 28-22

Does anyone know how to contact Cal-Hi sports? With this being the 70th year of the Gridley tournament I thought it would be great for Cal-Hi sports to do a feature on players staying with families, student assembly, and tournament. Lots of great teams will be there and always great hoops.

https://x.com/MikeBMultimedia/status/1849305260403355669
They never should have been in the SFL! If it’s predictable, it’s preventable!

1. De La Salle (8-0)

Dominic Kelley had two touchdown runs and the Spartans led Monte Vista 28-0 en route to a 42-7 win. Toa Faavae also had a 55 yard touchdown run and threw a really good deep ball to Emery Speight for another score. This week, they will travel to California.

2. Folsom (8-1)

Ryder Lyons threw for 293 yards and five touchdowns, including three to Nela Tupou, in a 55-10 win over Jesuit. Carter Jackson was the leading rusher with 82 yards and a touchdown and the defense forced three touchdowns. The Bulldogs conclude the season with a trip to Granite Bay on Friday.

3. Pittsburg (7-1)

Pittsburg trailed 9-0 in the second quarter but scored 47 straight points in beating Liberty 47-15. Marley Alcantara passed for 248 yards and four touchdowns with freshman Kenneth Ward finishing with 87 yards and two scores. Jadyn Hudson had two interceptions. The Pirates finish the regular season with road games against Deer Valley and Antioch.

4. San Ramon Valley (8-1)

Rhett Thompson found Sammy Avalos for a fourth quarter touchdown and Evan Economos for the two point conversion in a 29-28 win over Amador Valley. The Dons’ had a failed two point conversion in the final minute. Marco Jones was one of four players with nine tackles in the win. The Wolves are on bye this upcoming week.

5. St. Francis-Mountain View (7-1)

The Lancers led Sacred Heart Cathedral 35-6 at the half and won 49-24 to remain in the pole position in the WCAL race. Kingston Keanaaina had touchdown runs of 76 and 68 yards and a punt return for 83 yards in the first half. Aaron Knapp also found Perrion Williams for a 60 yard score. The Lancers gave up 440 passing yards in the win. St. Francis will travel to Valley Christian on Friday.

6. St. Ignatius (6-2)

Jarious Hogan had two touchdown runs as St. Ignaitus battled back from a 13-3 deficit to beat Valley Christian 20-13. It is the Wildcats’ third come from behind win in league play after similar wins over Serra and Riordan. This week, they will host Sacred Heart Cathedral.

7. Rocklin (8-1)

Rocklin held Del Oro to less than 200 total yards and Derek Keeley and Alex Durham each had 10 tackles in a 35-14 win over the Golden Eagles. Reeve Slone threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns. The Thunder will host Oak Ridge with the winner likely securing second place in the SFL.

8. Serra (4-4)

Nano Latu had 142 yards and four touchdowns as Serra beat Bellarmine 47-6 in a game that marked career win No. 200 for head coach Patrick Walsh. The Padres end the year with two Top 20 matchups starting with a trip to Riordan on Saturday. They conclude the regular season against Valley Christian.

9. Los Gatos (7-1)

Los Gatos led 14-0 after the first quarter and 24-0 at the half in beating Menlo 38-0. Beau Musser had a touchdown run and a touchdown catch and Max Thomas had two touchdown catches. The Wildcats will host Wilcox this week in a matchup of undefeated teams in the PAL-Bay Division.

10. St. Mary’s-Stockton (7-2)

Osani Gayles had 136 receiving yards and a touchdown and Kenneth Moore III had 128 total yards with a rushing and receiving score in a 45-14 win over Tracy. Manaalii Danielson had two of the Rams’ six sacks. St. Mary’s will host Lincoln-Stockton in the regular season finale.

11. Grant (6-3)

Zo Edwards had two touchdown catches and Brandon Lambert had two rushing touchdowns in a 52-7 win over Antelope. The Pacers, which have given up 26 total points in four league games, will host Cordova on Friday.

12. Soquel (6-2)

Sam Whelan went 7-for-10 for 103 yards and three touchdowns and Tyreis Lundy ran for 117 yards and two scores in Soquel’s 33-6 win over Monterey. Tanner Trowbridge had a team high seven tackles. Now the attention turns to the anticipated matchup with Salinas with both teams being undefeated in the PCAL-Gabilan Division.

13. Cardinal Newman (8-0)

Tino Retamoza threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score as the Cardinals beat San Marin 31-3. Jesse Myers, Jimmy McKenzie and Brody Estrela each had a sack in another strong showing for the defense. Cardinal Newman hits the road this week for a Saturday afternoon game with Marin Catholic.

14. El Cerrito (2-6*)

The Gauchos still have a shot at the playoffs despite five forfeit losses as they added another league win. Last week, it was a 41-0 win over Vallejo as Malikii Lavern and Joezon Broussard combined to rush for 368 yards. Next up is a home game against Pinole Valley.

15. Marin Catholic (6-2)

Marin Catholic has won six in a row after a 0-2 start with a 30-0 win over Rancho Cotate behind two special teams touchdowns and a safety. The Wildcats led 28-0 at the half. They will look to clinch a share of the Redwood Empire - Adobe Division title with a Saturday home game against Cardinal Newman.

16. Manteca (8-1)

Nikko Juarez had 149 rushing yards and three touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a score in a 39-27 win over Patterson to clinch a share of the VOL title. The Buffaloes gave up nearly 400 yards of offense to Patterson, but were also only the third team to hold them to less than 30 points. Next up is the regular season finale against Oakdale.

17. Oak Ridge (5-4)

For the second straight week, Oak Ridge posted a blowout shutout win in beating Whitney 63-0. Joaquin Graves-Mercado and Phoenix Hester both saw time at quarterback and combined for 288 passing yards and four touchdowns. Jasen Womack had two rushing touchdowns, a touchdown catch and two interceptions. The Trojans end the season against Rocklin.

18. Salinas (7-1)

The Cowboys stepped out of league play and picked up a quality win over Arroyo Grande (34-24) heading into this week’s matchup with Soquel. Emarrcis Turner had 127 yards and two touchdown catches in the win.

19. Valley Christian (5-3)

With a 20-13 loss to St. Ignatius, the Warriors had their four game winning streak snapped heading into a final two game stretch against St. Francis and Serra. During the win streak, the Warriors gave up a total of 27 points. Rome Leota-Pritchard threw for 221 yards in the loss.

20. Twelve Bridges (9-0)

Braeden Ward ran for 201 yards and six touchdowns and Isaiah Rodriguez grabbed three interceptions in a 55-20 win over Roseville. The Raging Rhinos will look to complete a perfect regular season on Friday against Del Campo.

Rob Rooks 6-foot-2, 270 pounds
Committed to Rice

Sr. Season (8 Games): 45 tackles (11 for loss), 3 sacks
Jr. Season (15 Games): 85 tackles (22 for loss), 10.5 sacks

Rooks has a quick first step, is aggressive with his hands to work around lineman and has a high motor in finishing off plays. A rare four year varsity lineman, Rooks spent a good portion of last week's win over Ukiah in the backfield in disrupting the intial offensive play.

Now that the Fever is playing through Boston and allowing Kelsy Mitchell to attack it opens up the court for Caitlyn and Smith. Although Clark may not always be the top scorer every game her impact is much more significant in a positive way. Also NaLyssa Smith's skill set fits in perfect into this style of play.

I've said this before and I stand by it; The Fever have a legit squad and when you have Mitchell and Clark playing Guard and attacking intelligently, Smith on the cleanup while playing through Boston they could be special in the future. My 2 cents.

Look for the 6"4 290 Soph to blow up this summer. He's a legit Big 12, SEC, ACC talent.

James is one of the best coaches in the section

In the first two seasons under Jake Messina, who has had many coaching stops around NorCal, Oakmont went a combined 2-18. This year, they are 7-2 and will face Wheatland this week for the Pioneer Valley League title.

Quarterback Beau Ogles has thrown for 1,155 yards, 15 touchdowns and one interception. He has also rushed for 474 yards and seven touchdowns.