2017 WCAL - Looking Forward

[Rmbr26]

So far with the projection having the Bells winning 30-28 the computers are way off by 23-points. Currently the CCS #5th ranked team is dominating the CCS #4 ranked team. Amazing that the Bells who averaged 29 points for the season have a goose egg early in the 4th quarter. Sounds like MA coaches did a great job of making adjustments and Bells coaches not so much [were Bells looking beyond MA possibly?].

 

[Adam007]

I've gotten the hunch that this Bells squad wasn't improving as the season progressed as previous Bells teams and other teams we're for that matter. I take nothing away fro MA however, there is some serious die-hard youth Football that feeds that school and they're one of the better Football public schools in the Bay Area in my opinion.

 

[Rmbr26]

With a convincing win over the Bells this MA team becomes the top rated public in the CCS at likley number 3 or 4.
Somehow this is reminding me of SHP 2 years ago..

Now final: MA 21-0 over the Bells.

 

[ds1968]

It looked like bells made too many fumbles that killed scoring chances, while it also gave opportunities for MA which they capitalized

 

[Dooer]

I guess that means there is hope for LG vs. Mitty. LG lost a close high scoring affair to MA, early in the season, their last loss.

 

[Rmbr26]

SF 7-0 over Serra in 1rst. Serra back on their heels with SF again in their territory and Serra has got to do a better job on Bennett Williams who's burned the Padres twice including for the TD. BW for Lancers is the one player I think can put the Padres in a deep hole if they don't give help covering him.

 

[Adam007]

Did anyone else's NFHS feed for the Serra SF game drop?

 

[Rmbr26]

Did anyone else's NFHS feed for the Serra SF game drop?

Yes Adam007 It disappeared & game not even showing on their website [??]. I am switching between the Mitty-Los Gatos game and DLS-Clayton Valley while cursing the NFHSnetwork - they have a history of doing this when you most want to watch an important game - terrible consistency!

 

[Rmbr26]

OK Serra-SF back up- now 7-7 and missed Serra TD altogether - $hit! OK apparently SF QB threw an INT which resulted in Serra TD.

 

[NorCalSportsFan]

Palma up 20 -0 Q2 7:00
Emilio Martinez has 180 yards 3 tds on around 6 carries. He also had a 30 +!yard one called back.

 

[NorCalSportsFan]

Palma 26-0 Over Live Oak Halftime
Martinez 250 yards 4 TDs and 1 called back

 

[Adam007]

Serra SF is a really tight game. Both scores occurred on big plays but now SF is on a very long drive probably looking to take this to the half and get a field goal to tie at 10-10. Couple things I've noticed, where is Habibi Likio? Liki Nunn not throwing so well but scrambling very well as usual, Serra has some very exotic blitz packages and they're getting to SF QB when they need to.

 

[Rmbr26]

[QUOTE="NorCalSportsFan, post: 146152, member: 94"]Palma 26-0 Over Live Oak Halftime
Martinez 250 yards 4 TDs and 1 called back[/QUOTE]

NorCal - Martinez having a monster game! [adding to the record book]

 

[Rmbr26]

Serra 17-7 in 3rd

 

[Adam007]

Not looking good for SF, Serra getting big play after big play at will. If they win, it looks like a straight shot to CCS title, if that were the case, it's really too bad they had those early season losses because they're looking like they'd be pretty formidable in Norcals.

 

[Defense_Rules]

VC wins 35-7. Aptos scored with approx. a minute left in the game.

 

[Rmbr26]

"Adam007[/B], post: 146205, member: 4310"]Not looking good for SF, Serra getting big play after big play at will. If they win, it looks like a straight shot to CCS title, if that were the case, it's really too bad they had those early season losses because they're looking like they'd be pretty formidable in Norcals.

Agree Adam007 - young team early on and many changes made on Serra's D, plus not risking several Serra's player's [ie: Leki Nunn & injured Lavulo] in early games against top flight competition. All in all it paid off though and excellent coaching by Patrick Coach [protecting best player through early games]. Serra now up 31-14 over SF.

 

[colhenrylives]

Serra's pass defense is very fast and sophisticated. They flood the field with linebackers and defensive backs. They send blitzers from all angles and generally confound and confuse opposing QBs. St. Francis was more of the same. Great schemes and execution. They are a handful.

 

[berdooman]

Does a berth in CCS title game earn a team a NorCal game, or do you have to win the section title?

 

[ds1968]

Does a berth in CCS title game earn a team a NorCal game, or do you have to win the section title?

It depends.
All ccs open 1, 2, 3 winners advance to Norcal.
2 out of the 3 ccs open runner ups will be selected and play in norcal
I believe the ccs committee picks and sends which 2 teams goes on. but if someone can confirm that, much appreciated

 

[colhenrylives]

If you watched Bellarmine's last two games vs. quality teams (Serra and M-A), one thing became brutally clear: Bellarmine's passing game was deficient. Receivers had trouble getting open and the QB had trouble getting them the ball when they were open. So, once the Bells got behind by a couple of TD's, they were in deep sushi. Opponents dared the Bells to throw. Combine that problem with turnovers vs. M-A and it was a formula for failure.

 

[Rmbr26]

If you watched Bellarmine's last two games vs. quality teams (Serra and M-A), one thing became brutally clear: Bellarmine's passing game was deficient. Receivers had trouble getting open and the QB had trouble getting them the ball when they were open. So, once the Bells got behind by a couple of TD's, they were in deep sushi. Opponents dared the Bells to throw. Combine that problem with turnovers vs. M-A and it was a formula for failure.

Yes I believe Bellarmine had 6 turnovers in the game and lost at least 3 of them.

 

[Rmbr26]

WCAL Football 2016 - Last nites Projected Scores vs Final Scores

CCS Semi-Final Game Projections:
Bells 30-28 over Menlo-Atherton [+2]
Mitty 26-24 over Los Gatos [+2]
SF 34-27 over Serra [+7]
VC 31-8 over aptos [+23]
Palma 41-17 over Live Oak [+24]

Last Nites Final Scores of above Games:
MA 21-0 over Bells [difference of 23 points + winner of game]
Mitty 24-7 over Los Gatos [difference of 15 points]
Serra 31-17 over St. Francis [difference of 21 points + winner of game]
VC 35-7 over Aptos [difference of 5 points]
Palma 40-14 over Live Oak [difference of 2 points]

So only 2 games with VC & Palma went close to the projected winners 7 score/point differentials. Mitty and LG was close well into the 2nd 1/2 before a INT return and another quick score by Mitty allowed the Monarchs to pull away. The game was actually closer than the score indicates yet Mitty took advantage of late game opportunities [I did not see Mitty winning by 17].
The 2 surprises of the night were of course MA giving the Bells some pay-back for their early season loss by 34-20 by shutting out the Bells with a great defensive effort and causing multiple miscues [6 fumbles] on the usually mistake free Bells. I was not surprised by MA taking down the Bells, however a 21 point differential was not expected. The Serra-SF game was a slugfest from the start and looked early on as if it might be a low scoring affair compared to the first game of 41-40. Serra scored first and SF answered right back, however the SF offense could not keep up with Serra's throughout the game. Serra's D also looked good and held the tough SF run game in check for most of the night. Its of interest that SF's big RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio did not start at RB, but did play at LB. Habibi-Likio did play limited at RB and accounted for SF's longest gain of the night late in the 2nd 1/2. SF came out looking to pass more than run and it seemed to backfire on the Lancer's. Serra's pass defense played well at times except when Bennett Williams got loose and the Padres interecept Reed Vittel 3 times [one in Serra's end zone].
I don't know that the SF game plan was such a good idea in deviating from their normal grind it out run game with Habibi-Likio and the other big RB [who Serra could not stop on short yardage plays]. By passsing more Sf stopped the clock on incomplete passes, gave up the ball more than they usually do and also the 3 INT's which don;t occur when Habibi-Likio is carrying the ball.
SF's game plan I guess was to simply outscore the Padres, however the Lancer's seem to be best in low scoring games.
Serra's RB Kendrick was injured in the game, but to what extent unknown. At one point Nunn was swithced to the RB slot and the young QB Bottari in at QB. Bottari seems comfortable in the QB role and running the offense and is an accurate passer as we saw in the 3 games he played in Nunn's absence.

 

[colhenrylives]

Bottari, who throws a beautiful spiral, both long and short, got away with two big mis-reads when he fired into SF coverage. Both should have been picks but were flubbed by SF defenders. Still can't figure out why Likio carried the ball on so few occasions. That was a real head-scratcher. He is a beast and a big-time talent.

 

[WCAL75]

WCAL Football 2016 - Last nites Projected Scores vs Final Scores

CCS Semi-Final Game Projections:
Bells 30-28 over Menlo-Atherton [+2]
Mitty 26-24 over Los Gatos [+2]
SF 34-27 over Serra [+7]
VC 31-8 over aptos [+23]
Palma 41-17 over Live Oak [+24]

Last Nites Final Scores of above Games:
MA 21-0 over Bells [difference of 23 points + winner of game]
Mitty 24-7 over Los Gatos [difference of 15 points]
Serra 31-17 over St. Francis [difference of 21 points + winner of game]
VC 35-7 over Aptos [difference of 5 points]
Palma 40-14 over Live Oak [difference of 2 points]

So only 2 games with VC & Palma went close to the projected winners 7 score/point differentials. Mitty and LG was close well into the 2nd 1/2 before a INT return and another quick score by Mitty allowed the Monarchs to pull away. The game was actually closer than the score indicates yet Mitty took advantage of late game opportunities [I did not see Mitty winning by 17].
The 2 surprises of the night were of course MA giving the Bells some pay-back for their early season loss by 34-20 by shutting out the Bells with a great defensive effort and causing multiple miscues [6 fumbles] on the usually mistake free Bells. I was not surprised by MA taking down the Bells, however a 21 point differential was not expected. The Serra-SF game was a slugfest from the start and looked early on as if it might be a low scoring affair compared to the first game of 41-40. Serra scored first and SF answered right back, however the SF offense could not keep up with Serra's throughout the game. Serra's D also looked good and held the tough SF run game in check for most of the night. Its of interest that SF's big RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio did not start at RB, but did play at LB. Habibi-Likio did play limited at RB and accounted for SF's longest gain of the night late in the 2nd 1/2. SF came out looking to pass more than run and it seemed to backfire on the Lancer's. Serra's pass defense played well at times except when Bennett Williams got loose and the Padres interecept Reed Vittel 3 times [one in Serra's end zone].
I don't know that the SF game plan was such a good idea in deviating from their normal grind it out run game with Habibi-Likio and the other big RB [who Serra could not stop on short yardage plays]. By passsing more Sf stopped the clock on incomplete passes, gave up the ball more than they usually do and also the 3 INT's which don;t occur when Habibi-Likio is carrying the ball.
SF's game plan I guess was to simply outscore the Padres, however the Lancer's seem to be best in low scoring games.
Serra's RB Kendrick was injured in the game, but to what extent unknown. At one point Nunn was swithced to the RB slot and the young QB Bottari in at QB. Bottari seems comfortable in the QB role and running the offense and is an accurate passer as we saw in the 3 games he played in Nunn's absence.

Good breakdown of the game's Rmbr26. Well played Padres and Mitty. This next bit of news may give you both hope. I looked up last years Del Oro team and they won the SJS D-2 with 6 losses. Like our teams Del Oro was playing its best football at the end up the year.(They went on to win the state championship) If the politics are right and they really are looking to put the best/hottest team in, then Del Oro sets the precedent for Serra to keep playing if they win. Or heck even the Monarchs.

Congrats to Serra and Mitty!

 

[FBAddict]

I'm sure others have said it before about this season, but this is a really down year for CCS as a whole. Having 3 WCAL teams in the semis is not much to boost about this year. Also others say the the entire NorCal region is down this year. That possibility may be the only ray of hope for CCS going into the RBG games. That said, I'm already looking forward to the winners of Menlo-Atherton/Milpitas, Serra/Mitty and Palma/Valley Christian. Wishing them all good luck and health.

 

[Spartanwhoknows]

Good breakdown of the game's Rmbr26. Well played Padres and Mitty. This next bit of news may give you both hope. I looked up last years Del Oro team and they won the SJS D-2 with 6 losses. Like our teams Del Oro was playing its best football at the end up the year.(They went on to win the state championship) If the politics are right and they really are looking to put the best/hottest team in, then Del Oro sets the precedent for Serra to keep playing if they win. Or heck even the Monarchs.

Congrats to Serra and Mitty!

 

[Spartanwhoknows]

Likio had an Abductor injury and his coach did the right thing in limiting his carries.

Botari also threw some great passes let's mention that and stepped in as a Sophomore with great poise. I think sometimes the posters dwell too much on the negative and not enough on the positives. No one posted a Serra win. In fact most has them losing by 7 to 10 points and had St Francis scoring 35 plus points. Serra is not the same team that started the season. By the way the 4 teams they lost to are still playing. Pitt should beat Freedom tonight.

Hendrick's had a slight concussion on a run up the middle mid second quarter and the Team Doctor correctly held him out.

I think the two or 3 representatives from the WCAL will do just fine in the No Cal playoffs.

 

[jordan24]

It's working out well for Serra as the seem to be behind their injuries and peaking at the same time. This time of year, a key is which team is healthiest.

 

[2wcats]

WCAL Football 2016 - Last nites Projected Scores vs Final Scores

CCS Semi-Final Game Projections:
Bells 30-28 over Menlo-Atherton [+2]
Mitty 26-24 over Los Gatos [+2]
SF 34-27 over Serra [+7]
VC 31-8 over aptos [+23]
Palma 41-17 over Live Oak [+24]

Last Nites Final Scores of above Games:
MA 21-0 over Bells [difference of 23 points + winner of game]
Mitty 24-7 over Los Gatos [difference of 15 points]
Serra 31-17 over St. Francis [difference of 21 points + winner of game]
VC 35-7 over Aptos [difference of 5 points]
Palma 40-14 over Live Oak [difference of 2 points]

So only 2 games with VC & Palma went close to the projected winners 7 score/point differentials. Mitty and LG was close well into the 2nd 1/2 before a INT return and another quick score by Mitty allowed the Monarchs to pull away. The game was actually closer than the score indicates yet Mitty took advantage of late game opportunities [I did not see Mitty winning by 17].
The 2 surprises of the night were of course MA giving the Bells some pay-back for their early season loss by 34-20 by shutting out the Bells with a great defensive effort and causing multiple miscues [6 fumbles] on the usually mistake free Bells. I was not surprised by MA taking down the Bells, however a 21 point differential was not expected. The Serra-SF game was a slugfest from the start and looked early on as if it might be a low scoring affair compared to the first game of 41-40. Serra scored first and SF answered right back, however the SF offense could not keep up with Serra's throughout the game. Serra's D also looked good and held the tough SF run game in check for most of the night. Its of interest that SF's big RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio did not start at RB, but did play at LB. Habibi-Likio did play limited at RB and accounted for SF's longest gain of the night late in the 2nd 1/2. SF came out looking to pass more than run and it seemed to backfire on the Lancer's. Serra's pass defense played well at times except when Bennett Williams got loose and the Padres interecept Reed Vittel 3 times [one in Serra's end zone].
I don't know that the SF game plan was such a good idea in deviating from their normal grind it out run game with Habibi-Likio and the other big RB [who Serra could not stop on short yardage plays]. By passsing more Sf stopped the clock on incomplete passes, gave up the ball more than they usually do and also the 3 INT's which don;t occur when Habibi-Likio is carrying the ball.
SF's game plan I guess was to simply outscore the Padres, however the Lancer's seem to be best in low scoring games.
Serra's RB Kendrick was injured in the game, but to what extent unknown. At one point Nunn was swithced to the RB slot and the young QB Bottari in at QB. Bottari seems comfortable in the QB role and running the offense and is an accurate passer as we saw in the 3 games he played in Nunn's absence.

Looks like turnovers were the difference in both the Bellarmine/MA and LG/Mitty game. Just can't play sloppy in the second round.

 

[Rmbr26]

Looks like turnovers were the difference in both the Bellarmine/MA and LG/Mitty game. Just can't play sloppy in the second round.

I've been following WCAL football alotta years and can't ever remember a Bells team fumbling 6 times in a game - even 1 or 2 was rare. Now as for the Serra Padres....

Watched the Mitty-LG game on NFHS this morning [all the games that were on are recorded on their site]. Los Gatos 2 INT's and a number of other miscues helped propel Mitty to the win. While it should have been a closer game Mitty played largely mistake free football and came up with a few big plays incl. the 2 INT's which resulted in 2 Mitty TD's.

 

[Rmbr26]

WCAL Football 2016 - Mercury News - By DARREN SABEDRA
CCS football playoffs: Serra beats St. Francis in Open II semifinal
Padres pull away in fourth quarter, extend winning streak to eight as they advance to play Mitty in final.
:

Junipero Serra's TC Lavulo (7) and other teammates sing the school fight song after beating Saint Francis, 31-17, during the Central Coast Section Open Division II semifinal at Saint Francis High School Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, in Mountain View, Calif. (Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group)

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Serra did not exactly take a direct route to the Central Coast Section Open Division II championship game. But the team that lost its first four games reached the final nonetheless.

The Padres extended their winning streak to eight Friday night, breaking open a tight game in the fourth quarter to beat St. Francis 31-17 in a semifinal matchup of teams that shared the West Catholic Athletic League championship with Valley Christian.

Yes, Serra has come a long way since the first month of the season.

“We started off extremely slow; a lot of people were questioning whether or not we were able to go to the playoffs based on skill,” said senior Leki Nunn, who accounted for 151 yards, 111 on the ground, and scored a touchdown. “We definitely showed up. We worked hard. The seniors sort of made up their mind that we wanted to stop losing. We just started working our tails off.”

The hard work was necessary Friday to defeat a veteran and accomplished St. Francis team for a second time this season. St. Francis was 10-0 against everyone else on its schedule but 0-2 against Serra, also losing 41-40 in overtime to the Padres last month.

Serra will play Archbishop Mitty — which finished fifth in the WCAL and lost badly to Serra and St. Francis during league play — in the final next week. Mitty advanced with a win at Los Gatos after beating the Open Division II’s defending champion, Oak Grove, in a playoff opener.

The road to the championship game was not easy for Serra, but the Padres have hit their stride at the right time. A defense that allowed nearly 200 points through the first four games intercepted four passes Friday.

“The kids had a really deep belief structure in themselves,” coach Patrick Walsh said. “They have a strong sense of brotherhood and community. That was kind of taken away from us earlier in the year by some great teams. To have them stick together I think really built the fabric for achieving something like this tonight against a really great St. Francis team.”

St. Francis (10-2) pulled within 17-14 on Cyrus Habibi-Likio’s 12-yard run with 11 minutes to play.
But Serra responded, converting two third-and-long plays to keep its next drive alive. The series ended with Luke Bottari’s 10-yard pass to Patrick Nunn to make it 24-14.

Bottari, only a sophomore, then threw a 30-yard strike to Shane Villaroman to widen the cushion to 31-14.

“They’re a hell of a team,” said Habibi-Likio, whose playing time was limited because of a bruised abductor. “They have a good defense. They’re fast. They’re tough. They’re very athletic. But I think what makes them so good is they’re disciplined. You don’t have a lot of athletic teams that are disciplined.”

St. Francis struck first Friday, needing only three plays on its first series to reach the end zone.

Bennett Williams scored the touchdown, catching a pass along the left sideline and letting his legs do the rest. He somehow kept his balance as defenders tried to shove him out of bounds and used the push to send him across the goal line for a 7-0 lead. Isiah Kendrick answered for Serra, running 59 yards for a touchdown to even the score 7-7. Kendrick suffered an injury later in the half and did not return.

TC Lavulo returned an interception 36 yards to the St. Francis 34 to set up a field goal that gave Serra a 10-7 lead at halftime.

It only got better for the Padres in the second half.

Now Serra, which missed last year’s playoffs because of a one-year ban imposed by the CCS for forfeiting a consolation game the previous year, will play for a section championship.

“Stay humble,” Walsh told his players afterward. “Brotherhood, love and humility are the three things we’re after here.”

Serra 7 3 7 14 — 31
St. Francis 7 0 0 10 — 17

SF — Williams 61 pass from Vettel (Keeth kick)
S — Kendrick 59 run (Lewis kick)
S — Lewis 24 FG
S — L. Nunn 1 run (Lewis kick)
SF — Habibi-Likio 12 run (Keeth kick)
S — P. Nunn 10 pass from Bottari (Lewis kick)
S — Villaroman 30 pass from Bottari (Lewis kick)
SF — Keeth 21 FG

Records — Serra 8-4; St. Francis 10-2.

 

[Cal 14]

Does a berth in CCS title game earn a team a NorCal game, or do you have to win the section title?

It does depend. As previously mentioned, 2 of the 3 runner-ups advance. The CCS uses tie-breakers to determine who do.

1. Head-to-head
2. Common opponents
3. Playoff qualification points

As such, it's a little messy amongs the private school. There are no H2H games amongst either of the D-I finalists. There are a few common opponents, but I don't know how the CCS will handle M-A and Bellarmine. Serra and VC have wins over the Bells, but M-A split with them. Does the semifinal win erase the loss?

Here's a rough breakdown:

Serra over Palma (common-St. Francis)
VC over Serra and Mitty (H2H)
Mitty over Milpitas (common-Los Gatos)
Serra and VC over M-A (common-Bellarmine)?

The rest are down to playoff points.

 

[PAL Booster]

It does depend. As previously mentioned, 2 of the 3 runner-ups advance. The CCS uses tie-breakers to determine who do.

1. Head-to-head
2. Common opponents
3. Playoff qualification points

As such, it's a little messy amongs the private school. There are no H2H games amongst either of the D-I finalists. There are a few common opponents, but I don't know how the CCS will handle M-A and Bellarmine. Serra and VC have wins over the Bells, but M-A split with them. Does the semifinal win erase the loss?

Here's a rough breakdown:

Serra over Palma (common-St. Francis)
VC over Serra and Mitty (H2H)
Mitty over Milpitas (common-Los Gatos)
Serra and VC over M-A (common-Bellarmine)?

The rest are down to playoff points.

MA has an advantage over Mitty (Common Bellarmine)

Here is another way to look at it assuming each team losses on Friday night:

Valley Christian - in no matter what as they hold an advantage over both Serra and Mitty Head to head.

Palma - in no matter what - hold an advantage over both MA and Milpitas in points.

Menlo-Atherton - in if Serra wins, out if Serra losses

Milpitas - in if Mitty beats Serra, out if Serra beats Mitty

Serra - in if Milpitas beats MA, out if MA beats Milpitas

Mitty - in if MA beats Milpitas, out if Milpitas beats MA

 

[colhenrylives]

For Mitty on Friday night vs. Serra, the rematch must look more than a bit worrisome considering that Leki Nunn didn't play in their first meeting, a 41-14 Serra win in San Jose back in October.

 

[Rmbr26]

For Mitty on Friday night vs. Serra, the rematch must look more than a bit worrisome considering that Leki Nunn didn't play in their first meeting, a 41-14 Serra win in San Jose back in October.

Yes colhenry that was one of my first thoughts in thinking about the Serra-Mitty rematch. Then again these "rematches" can be a replay of the former game or a reversal. Mitty is coming off 2 good wins over 2 good opponents, so cannot discount the Monarch's if they make adjustments on both sides of the ball [as they're sure to do] and Mitty's WR's don;t have the drops as they did in the first game. Also Serra's RB Kendrick suffered a concussion against SF so questionable if he'll play or not. If Kendrick is out then possibly Nunn is moved to RB or shares duties with Bottari.

 

[colhenrylives]

Yes colhenry that was one of my first thoughts in thinking about the Serra-Mitty rematch. Then again these "rematches" can be a replay of the former game or a reversal. Mitty is coming off 2 good wins over 2 good opponents, so cannot discount the Monarch's if they make adjustments on both sides of the ball [as they're sure to do] and Mitty's WR's don;t have the drops as they did in the first game. Also Serra's RB Kendrick suffered a concussion against SF so questionable if he'll play or not. If Kendrick is out then possibly Nunn is moved to RB or shares duties with Bottari.

What was striking in the first game was how dominant Serra's revamped defense was vs. the Mitty offense. Serra was sending blitzing DB's and LB's from different angles throughout the game, confusing and confounding Mitty's offense. Pretty much the same thing happened last Friday to St. Francis in Mountain View.

 

[Rmbr26]

What was striking in the first game was how dominant Serra's revamped defense was vs. the Mitty offense. Serra was sending blitzing DB's and LB's from different angles throughout the game, confusing and confounding Mitty's offense. Pretty much the same thing happened last Friday to St. Francis in Mountain View.

Yes would have to agree that Serra's defense has improved dramatically since the first several games where they were torched by SM, DLS & Pitt's run games. To say Serra's D-line was porous in those games is an understatement. Now having said that they were missing a few players incl. their best D-player. However the adjustments Coach Walsh and the other coaches made have really seemed to make the difference. Switching a number of players including several from offense to defense, changing a few positions on the existing line and bringing up a rather large soph who has contributed has made a huge difference. Without the oppostion gouging Serra's D-line for huge gains the Padres secondary has also shown improved play. Mitty played very well in limiting Los Gatos to 7-points so the rematch will be interesting. I'll be reviewing the WCAL rematches in post-season play today to see how the 2nd meetings have turned out in past games.

 

[Rmbr26]

"colhenrylives[/B], post: 146489, member: 968"]For Mitty on Friday night vs. Serra, the rematch must look more than a bit worrisome considering that Leki Nunn didn't play in their first meeting, a 41-14 Serra win in San Jose back in October.

In regards to Colhenry and his comments regarding the Serra-Mitty rematch in the Div II Championship for CCS this week. Serra won the regular season game 41-14 and without the WCAL MVP Leki Nunn playing for Serra. Now to many fans that might be a bit disconcerting to the Mitty team, coaching staff & fans. So is there any hope at all for the Monarch fans or should they simply be happy with the Los Gatos win and instead of the championship game go to see a good movie. Well that depends on may things, but first lets look at the WCAL rematches over the last 5 years and if the first game was an indication of the rematch to take place in post-season.

2016
Serra 41-40 over SF regular season
Serra 31-17 over SF post season

2015
VC 24-0 over Oak Grove regular season
Oak Grove 42-23 over VC post season [43-point swing between 2 games]

SF 28-13 over Oak Grove regular season
Oak Grove 27-21 over SF post season [21-point swing]

2014
VC 42-17 over Bells regular season
Bells 21-18 over VC post season [28-point swing]

SF 15-14 over Mitty 15-14 regular season
SF 17-7 over Mitty post season

2013
MItty 14-13 over VC regular season
MItty 37-7 over VC post season

Serra 17-7 over Bells regular season
Serra 28-17 over Bells post season

Serra 31-7 over Mitty regular season
Serra 21-7 over Mitty post season

2012
Bells 35-28 over S.I. regular season
S.I. over Bells 13-10 post season [swing of 10 points]

Results: of Rematch games over the last 5 years – of the 9 games played twice between teams 5 teams won both games in the same season and 4 teams came back to upset the favored team in the playoffs.
Going strictly by this history then Mitty has a 2-5 chance of winning vs Serra – certainly an uphill battle, but more improbable things have happened [didn’t we just have an election?]. My feeling is this 2nd game will be closer even with Nunn for Serra playing, just a matter of how much closer is anyone's guess.

 

[2wcats]

In regards to Colhenry and his comments regarding the Serra-Mitty rematch in the Div II Championship for CCS this week. Serra won the regular season game 41-14 and without the WCAL MVP Leki Nunn playing for Serra. Now to many fans that might be a bit disconcerting to the Mitty team, coaching staff & fans. So is there any hope at all for the Monarch fans or should they simply be happy with the Los Gatos win and instead of the championship game go to see a good movie. Well that depends on may things, but first lets look at the WCAL rematches over the last 5 years and if the first game was an indication of the rematch to take place in post-season.

2016
Serra 41-40 over SF regular season
Serra 31-17 over SF post season

2015
VC 24-0 over Oak Grove regular season
Oak Grove 42-23 over VC post season [43-point swing between 2 games]

SF 28-13 over Oak Grove regular season
Oak Grove 27-21 over SF post season [21-point swing]

2014
VC 42-17 over Bells regular season
Bells 21-18 over VC post season [28-point swing]

SF 15-14 over Mitty 15-14 regular season
SF 17-7 over Mitty post season

2013
MItty 14-13 over VC regular season
MItty 37-7 over VC post season

Serra 17-7 over Bells regular season
Serra 28-17 over Bells post season

Serra 31-7 over Mitty regular season
Serra 21-7 over Mitty post season

2012
Bells 35-28 over S.I. regular season
S.I. over Bells 13-10 post season [swing of 10 points]

Results: of Rematch games over the last 5 years – of the 9 games played twice between teams 5 teams won both games in the same season and 4 teams came back to upset the favored team in the playoffs.
Going strictly by this history then Mitty has a 2-5 chance of winning vs Serra – certainly an uphill battle, but more improbable things have happened [didn’t we just have an election?]. My feeling is this 2nd game will be closer even with Nunn for Serra playing, just a matter of how much closer is anyone's guess.

I wouldn't count out Mitty in this contest. This is playoff football anything can happen. In there first match up Mitty had 382 total yards to Serra's 372 but Serra benefited from intercepting Tran 3 times. If Tran can put in a no interception game this matchup could be a much closer contest.
Last weeks games are a great example of winning the turnover battle. LG outgained Mitty by over 170 yds (469 to 297) but turned it over four times and paid for it with the loss. Bellarmine turned it over 5 times and also paid for it with a loss. Playoff football is definitely unforgiving.
Serra has done a exceptional job this year taking care of the ball in comparison to recent teams but if that trend breaks Mitty will be posed to take this one.
Any one know if Kendrick will be playing? Per SMDJ he was out in 2nd half of SF game with concussion.