Thanks Streak.
My thoughts on first 4
D1. OR vs Folsom in rematch of last year with Folsom winning by 21+. OR is playing very well but I don't see anybody challenging Folsom in SJS.
D2. Absolutely the best division. loaded. I don't see Rocklin winning. I was really disappointed with them against OR. In fact they will have a tough time with Manteca. I like St Mary's or Grant to prevail but I'm leaning more toward St Marys.
D3 - Oakdale has played a really good schedule with a recent close loss to Manteca. I think they are in good position to come out ahead.
D4- Twelve Bridges rolls. Probably time for them to move up a div or 2.
D1 ... Agree, Folsom steamrolls to another SJS D1 section championship!
D2 ... I also agree that D2 will be the most competitive division for SJS playoffs. I wouldn't sell Rocklin short. They lost to a tough OR. OR has had the strongest SoS in the entire section, including Folsom. Rocklin still has a young talented QB in Reeve Slone and IMHO has the best defense in the SJS D2 division and their offense with Slone is very, very good. Outside of Folsom and OR, no team has held Rocklin to less than 35 points. Rocklin is the #1 seed in D2 for a reason. Sure, St. Mary's, Grant, and Manteca will be tough competition.
St. Mary's probably has the most explosive offense of the bunch. But, their defense is good, not great, but better than last year. Sometimes they have gotten beat on broken coverage and have given up some long runs. Lincoln Trojans dominated the time of possession much of the game. The Trojans were only able to put up 7 points. But, the low scoring is much due to failure to convert on 4th down deep in the Rams territory a few times. Lincoln and other teams have figured that it is better to go for it on 4th down than punt the ball and give the Rams offense the opportunity to put up points on the scoreboard. Several teams have also pooched kick or attempted onsides kicks against the Rams for this same reason. The Rams main weapons on offense are junior #3 Kenneth Moore III and sophomore sensation #13 Osani Gayles. Just put the ball in their hands and watch them do their thing.
Grant has size and speed and let's not forget that they beat Rocklin last year in the NorCal regional game after Rocklin defeated St. Mary's. Grant has cruised thru league with least resistance than any of these top 4 D2 teams. But, their SoS (17.7) is well below that of St. Mary's (23.2) and Rocklin's (21.7), much due to their league competition. A potential semi-final matchup between Grant @ St. Mary's is going to be epic, a shootout, and victorious for the team that can capitalize on turnovers. And although Grant has size and speed, IMHO, I do believe the Rams may have a bit more speed and their dual threat 2nd string QB Moses Alexander I believe will be the difference maker. Moses can fly! The Rams offense is even much better since his availability to play (due to transfer from Lincoln-Stockton). He adds an additional dimension that causes the opponent to have to practice against. As a homer, I will take St. Mary's in this game. But, in no way is it going to be easy. Grant could possibly steal this one from the Rams on Sanguinetti Field.
Manteca is probably the sleeper out of this group. Their only loss was a 28-29 loss to Marin Catholic. They do have a victory over Central Catholic, another common opponent of St. Mary's. The Rams won both of their games vs these two teams. Manteca also had a more dominant victory vs Lincoln-Stockton, another common opponent, and also a common opponent for Rocklin. Manteca, although has the weakest SoS (13.6), appears to have had a much easier victory vs Lincoln-Stockton than St. Mary's and Rocklin, with both SM and Rocklin struggling to get out of the gate early on before winning big, as well. The SoS may haunt Manteca once they potentially face off against Rocklin in the other semi-finals. I'm picking Rocklin.
I'm predicting a Rocklin vs St. Mary's rematch in the SJS D2 finals. Rocklin's defense vs the Rams offense was key last year. Will it be strong enough this year to slow down/stop the Rams speedsters this year. Hopefully, this is the finals matchup we will all see (bias on my part). Rocklin the #1 seed IMHO will be the favorite. Don't let their loss to OR sway you to think otherwise.
D3 ... Oakdale, like Folsom, steamrolls to another SJS section championship.
D4 ... 12 Bridges DITTO!
D2 is the SJS division that is going to be the MOST ENTERTAINING, especially when it gets to the semi-finals.