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St. Mary's - Stockton vs Mater Dei @ Levi's Stadium

I thought last week's game vs CN was ugly for St. Mary's. This one was worse. It all started with a fumble on the initial kickoff return inside their 20, which led to the Raiders first TD. Felt like deja vu from a few years ago at Central Catholic, and ended as such. Credit the Rams defense for not allowing the game to get to out of hand, but the Rams dedense was on the field too long and there just wasn't enough offense from the Rams. Penalties and turnovers against a solid team like the Raiders were too costly. Dropped passes and the first interception appeared to take away any confidence passing the ball in the first half. It was just ugly for the Rams.

The second half, down 0-14, it looked like the Rams made the adjustments on defense to stop the Raiders on downs and they finally completed a pass over the middle to Fontes, before a swing pass to speedy Marshall led to the Rams first TD to close within 7, at 7-14. But, once again the wheels came off the bus with the muffed punt and the momentum swung back to the Raiders who made some big plays by Booker and their QB when it appeared the Rams had them stopped. These big plays were back breakers that put the game away, leading to their final TD. Central Catholic controlled the clock and time of possession with their ground game and successfully left the Rams offense standing on the sidelines waiting. Wait they did. But, time ran out and desperation passes fell incomplete until the final interception sealed it with CC going to the V formation. Earlier the Rams had a really good chance to tie when a wide open pass was juggled and fell into the hands of the CC DB. Had he caught it he was gone and the game would have been tied.

Credit CC's defense, but more so their offense, led by Booker, that won this game, and the Holy Bowl trophy.

The Rams still have lots of games remaining to adjust to Aponte at QB and find balance in their offense. But, they definitely need to clean up the penalties and the turnovers if they are going to have any chance in the playoffs. This was totally a nightmare for the Rams. Hopefully, they will wake up soon.
 
Sounds like Folsom is about to leap frog SMS in the state rankings. Legit, since I believe they are better at this point until SMS proves otherwise. Tall task this season.
 
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Sounds like Folsom is about to leap frog SMS in the state rankings. Legit, since I believe they are better at this point until SMS proves otherwise. Tall task this season.
Indeed, the Rams are not the same team as they were week #0, when QB Noah May was behind center. Not only did the Rams lose a very good QB. They also lost a key WR with Aponte moved from WR to QB. They still have a ton of potential on offense. But, until Aponte makes better throws, the Ram WR catch the balls thrown to them, and they avoid turn the ball over so much (5 turnovers vs CC), they will not go far into the playoffs. Folsom is #1 in SJS at this point of time and #2 in NorCal. Rams may not even be top 10 in SJS at this point of time. The Rams defense is very good. But, can't win games if can't put points on the board. One-dimension offense just does not do it, unless you are DLS. Then again, Central Catholic is pretty much one-dimensional, and they won.

Central Catholic is good, but they will have tough competition in VOL league against Manteca and Oakdale, who can both run and pass.
 
Indeed, the Rams are not the same team as they were week #0, when QB Noah May was behind center. Not only did the Rams lose a very good QB. They also lost a key WR with Aponte moved from WR to QB. They still have a ton of potential on offense. But, until Aponte makes better throws, the Ram WR catch the balls thrown to them, and they avoid turn the ball over so much (5 turnovers vs CC), they will not go far into the playoffs. Folsom is #1 in SJS at this point of time and #2 in NorCal. Rams may not even be top 10 in SJS at this point of time. The Rams defense is very good. But, can't win games if can't put points on the board. One-dimension offense just does not do it, unless you are DLS. Then again, Central Catholic is pretty much one-dimensional, and they won.

Central Catholic is good, but they will have tough competition in VOL league against Manteca and Oakdale, who can both run and pass.
Good breakdown. They will be right there still I believe.
 
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Per MaxPreps, St. Mary's moves down to #4 in SJS Rankings after the loss to Central Catholic (now #3), while Folsom and Oak Ridge take over the #1 and #2 spots, respectively. IMHO, St. Mary's and Central Catholic could drop lower, considering the competition in SJS D1 thru D4. IMHO, I believe Oakdale, Manteca, and Inderkum may be better than both St. Mary's and Central Catholic at the current time. But, there is still much more games to be played, especially interleague games between the 3 VOL top teams. St. Mary's has the potential to get better. These last 2 weeks have been UGLY! Too many turnovers and too many penalties, along with the inability to throw the ball just will not to the job come playoffs. IMHO, if the Rams do not make improvements in this area, they could be at risk of continuing the winning streak vs Lincoln-Stockton, and even securing a spot in the playoffs. Maybe I am over-reacting and indeed Central Catholic's defense deserves so much more credit. But, the passes thrown by the Rams have been either overthrown or in most cases underthrown and with no passing game, the Rams offense is in trouble with teams already focused on stopping their ground game. The turnovers and penalties are never good against any team. It's just night and day in comparison to Week 0 vs Serra. But, from the optimistic point of view, it only means it "has to" get better for the Rams. Rams QB Noah May had surgery today for his torn labrum. He is definitely out the entire season as it takes 3-4 months if not longer to recover/rehabilitate. Aponte will get more and more experience at the QB position this week vs Cosumnes and in practice, but kinda scared at the risk he faces in getting injured when the Rams play Mater Dei in 2 weeks. Mater Dei linemen and LB's are scary! Opportunities vs TCAL league opponents will give Aponte much more experience at QB (should he survive Mater Dei) and the Rams should be back in shape to compete in the playoffs. So, although they are not looking sharp lately, there is hope.

This week the Rams will have that opportunity vs an 0-2 Cosumnes Oaks ranked #40 in SJS D1 thru D4. Let's hope the Rams are focused on Cosumnes Oaks and not overlooking them and thinking to much about Mater Dei (the following week). Here is my humble breakdown for this week's game:

QB. St. Mary's starting QB Marcus Aponte is struggling. Cosumnes Oaks' QB position the last 2 games has been shared between senior, Larry Frierson, and junior, Cole Bendle. But, unclear if the CO senior went down in last week's game vs Pleasant Grove and this is the reason the junior saw action in the 2nd half of the game. Still their stats today (combined 30 of 54 for 490 yards, 6 TD's, and 1 INT) look better than Aponte's. Bendle was 7 of 12 for 157 yards and 1 TD vs Pleasant Grove with QB rating of 130.6. Aponte is 6 of 12 for 93 yards 1 TD and 1 INT with QB rating of 69.1 in his game vs Cardinal Newman. No stats were entered in MaxPreps for the Rams in their game vs Central Catholic. Trust me, they weren't better. - Edge Wolfpack.

RB. Cosumnes Oaks passes the ball more than running it, but their RB, junior Jacob Trach, is doing well with 11 carries for 122 yards and 2 TD's in his game vs Pleasant Grove. Dusty Frampton for the Rams was unable to reach 100 yards rushing vs the Raiders last year and I don't think he hit that mark vs Central Catholic last week. The Rams offense was not on the field much, and when they were they either turned the ball over on downs or via turnover, only scoring once off a couple of passing plays. Despite the inept performance on offense by St. Mary's vs Central Catholic. Dusty is for sure to bounce back and should have a much better game. Edge Rams.

WR. Until Aponte can prove he can get the ball to his WR's, it's hard to give the edge just based on potential. Cosumnes Oaks has done a good job moving the ball and scoring against its opponents besides having lost both games. But, the level of competition both teams have faced are quite different. As a result of competition, potential wins out. The Rams speedy WR's are just too fast. Edge Rams.

TE. Not sure Cosumnes Oaks utilizes this position. The Rams don't. Even.

OL/DL. Gotta give the edge to the Rams in this game. Edge Rams.

LB. Gotta give the edge to the Rams in this game, as well. Edge Rams.

Secondary
. Rams defense, especially it's secondary is still strong, especially its secondary. It's the Rams offense being utilized to its fullest that is a big question mark. Despite Cosumnes Oaks leaning to throwing the ball. The Wolfpack will be facing a very tough secondary. Edge Rams.

Special Teams. I will repeat ... St. Mary's transfer student kicker is awesome! The Rams have shined in special teams this year, demonstrating they are lethal in returning KO's when given the opportunity. Central Catholic was smart to kick it into the endzone and force the Rams to start on their own 20. Can Cosumnes Oaks do the same? Edge Rams.

Tangibles. Last year's game wasn't even close in a 42-20 win for the Rams with much of the Wolfpack's scoring coming in garbage time. The Rams JV team last year beat the Wolfpack 20-2. It is the home opener for the Wolfpack. But, the Rams are sure to bounce back from their defeat last week. The competition Cosumnes Oaks has faced so far and lost both games to is not near the competitive level of St. Mary's. Edge Rams.

In summary, this game will be a good opportunity for the Rams to clean things up and work out Aponte at QB. The Rams defense should do it's job and I would be surprised if this game was close. However, I am being optimistic "again" with hope that Aponte at QB will finally break out and do well. Rams with the victory 35-14.
 
Sounds like Folsom is about to leap frog SMS in the state rankings. Legit, since I believe they are better at this point until SMS proves otherwise. Tall task this season.

Sounds like Folsom is about to leap frog SMS in the state rankings. Legit, since I believe they are better at this point until SMS proves otherwise. Tall task this season.

Folsom should be a head of SM
Sounds like Folsom is about to leap frog SMS in the state rankings. Legit, since I believe they are better at this point until SMS proves otherwise. Tall task this season.

Folsom is better than SMS and should be ranked a head. I have a friend that is a Central fan and was at that game. Before season started he said Central wasn't that good this year compared to years past. Yet they beat SMS. That should tell you something. Still early so we shall see. But in my opinion, Folsom is the better team.
 
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Folsom should be a head of SM


Folsom is better than SMS and should be ranked a head. I have a friend that is a Central fan and was at that game. Before season started he said Central wasn't that good this year compared to years past. Yet they beat SMS. That should tell you something. Still early so we shall see. But in my opinion, Folsom is the better team.
No doubt Folsom is the better team. St. Mary's without Noah May at QB is huge difference. Had May been able to play, it would have been a different game vs Central Catholic, just as Central Catholic with many players benched in last year's game would have presented a better challenge and big difference in the score of last year's game. I agree that Central Catholic is not as good as last year. But, they entered the field last week with more heart & fire than St. Mary's did and their plan to stop the run and force the Rams to throw worked and they won. It was another ugly game for the Rams, uglier than the week before vs Cardinal Newman, which was also not expected to be as close as it was. But, injuries happen. Heck, many FFL players who had the first pick this year are feeling a similar pain. Yet, the season marches on. St. Mary's will get better as Aponte gets more experience at QB. There is a definitely a reason why a sophomore, who is 6'3" and throws the ball as well as he did against Serra, started as QB for the Rams when the season started. Will the Rams be as good by the time playoffs start? Not sure. Will the Rams continue to turn the ball over like they have the past 2 games? Not sure. But, at this time, as proven in the game vs Central Catholic, St. Mary's is NOT better than Folsom and they are NOT better than a lot of SJS teams. Even in a game vs Cosumnes Oaks this Saturday that they are expected to win, they stand the chance to struggle again at getting the ball to their WR's and they stand the chance of turning the ball over again and again against a team that should be a sure victory. All I can say is that it's time for the Rams to step up.
 
Also, it's not just Aponte @ QB that needs to improve. The Rams WR's need to do a better job of catching the ball. One key turnover the Rams had was a pass that was there but went thru his hands (made contact with ball) and fell into a CC DB for a huge interception. If the WR can touch the ball, they should be able to haul it in and catch it. The Rams WR's need to step up, too (TOO MANY DROPPED PASSES in CRITICAL SITUATIONS!!!). Again, the potential is there with the Rams, but these last 2 games certainly do not reflect it.
 
St. Mary's starting QB, Noah May, has a dislocated shoulder. He is expected to be out at least 3-4 weeks. He shared that he wants to be back for the Mater Dei game. But, Coach Franks responded with "we'll see." The kid is a trooper. However, to try and return too early only introduces the risk that the shoulder gets re-injured and will be worse, especially if going to play a team like Mater Dei. It is best he lets it heal fully so he will be ready for playoffs and not risk his high school playing career, being just a sophomore.

With Noah May out, Marcus Aponte is St. Mary's QB. Marcus is an athlete. He may not be as pure a pocket passer as May. Hence, this is why May earned the starting job. But, he brings a different element to the game and as a 3-year varsity player, he knows the playbook. The big question is, "Can he throw the ball?" We will find out on Friday night. I'm not so sure the edge will go to Cardinal Newman.

St. Mary's line may not be as big as last year, but they played well against Serra. Frampton had a modest game vs Serra, carrying the ball 24 times for 124 yards (longest run = 33 yards) and 1 TD. The Rams actually have more speed this year than last year. Can Cardinal Newman's secondary match up against the Rams speedy WR's? Aponte will not need to throw deep for his playmakers to make plays. Can Cardinal Newman's offense beat St. Mary's defense. St. Mary's had 2 INT's and 2 recovered fumbles that made a huge difference in their game vs Serra. Serra had only double-digits in total yards (I believe less than 50 yards) vs the Rams D in the first half, and I do not recall them crossing the 50 in the first half. Is Cardinal Newman's offense better than Serra's? How much better is Cardinal Newman than last year? St. Mary's may not be as good as last year's team (not the same size line or experience at QB, but faster WR's and secondary, and LB's still anchored by Harrison Heath). If Cardinal Newman has speed, I believe this will be a close game, especially with Noah May out of action. Else, it will be a match-up issue. Cardinal Newman has played St. Mary's tough over the last few years. I anticipate St. Mary's will do better this year on defense vs Cardinal Newman than last year. Not sure if CN's QB this year is as good as Brookshire, to give the SM defense much trouble, or if the Cardinals will be able to run against the SM defense. It doesn't help that SM's JV team beat CN 33-0 last year. However, I still anticipate another good game between these two teams, especially with it being at Cardinal Newman.

GO SM RAMS!!!
Bulldogmgc, looking back now, that great assessment. Also, the following post has a video that shows Cardinal Newman vs Fortuna. Surprisingly it was a 1 score game at half. They did take care of business the second half. Rancho might be the favorite in their conference, but there is a ways to go before that game.
 
Only got to watch glimpses of the Rams game, as I was pre-occupied watching that fixed boxing match. I will watch the game in its entirety later, after the USC vs Texas game. From what I saw Frampton was having his way.
 
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Only got to watch glimpses of the Rams game, as I was pre-occupied watching that fixed boxing match. I will watch the game in its entirety later, after the USC vs Texas game. From what I saw Frampton was having his way.
I didn't think Consumnes would hang with ST Mary's. Good for them.
 
Only got to watch glimpses of the Rams game, as I was pre-occupied watching that fixed boxing match. I will watch the game in its entirety later, after the USC vs Texas game. From what I saw Frampton was having his way.
Lol the fight and that USC game was a classic one nice game.
 
After reviewing the game (recording) on NFHS Network, in summary the game indeed was the Freight Train Frampton Show.

Rams stats (offense) for the game:

Passing:
Aponte 13-20 for 55yards and 1 INT (pick 6)

Rushing:
Frampton 29 carries for 332 yards and 4TDs along with one 2pt conversion
Aponte 13 carries for 67 yards and 2TDs
 
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Frampton is a load. The numbers have continued even as the OL has taken a step back
 
@bulldogmgc

What do u think about this upcoming game at Levi's Stadium against Mater Dei? #2 National Team by MaxPreps.

Is this game going to be streamed somewhere?
 
Here are Frampton's many highlights from the game vs Cosumnes Oaks ...



It appears the Rams have abandoned trying to go to the air with Aponte to all of those speedy WR's and stick to the ground game behind #21.
 
@bulldogmgc

What do u think about this upcoming game at Levi's Stadium against Mater Dei? #2 National Team by MaxPreps.

Is this game going to be streamed somewhere?

St Mary's will lose by 40...mater dei is next level and they got their top wr now who didn't play against bishop Gorman. Their o line didn't let Gorman come close to the qb add that with a 1 dimensional st Mary's team this could get ugly by 1st qrt
 
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@bulldogmgc

What do u think about this upcoming game at Levi's Stadium against Mater Dei? #2 National Team by MaxPreps.

Is this game going to be streamed somewhere?

Seriously, I am preparing for big arse whooping by the Monarchs. If Rams QB Noah May was playing, and after a few games experience, the Rams were hopeful to stay between 3-4 TD's vs the Monarchs. Confined to a one-dimensional game plan running behind #21 against a HUGE D-Line and D1 LB's, the Rams will be forced to punt on every series. The only hope St. Mary's has, IMHO, to score against Mater Dei is via turnovers and special teams. The Rams secondary is pretty good. But, Mater Dei brings to the field a strong passing game with not just the best junior QB in the country, but also some of the best WR's in the state. The Monarchs can run the ball, as well. Instead of providing a breakdown on which team has the edge at the different aspects of the game, let's just summarize and say that Mater Dei has the edge at "ALL" aspects.

I bought my tickets to this game well in advance, hoping St. Mary's would be able to bring a balanced offense to have just "some" chance to compete. Now, I just hope no one gets hurt. I will still be going to this game with my son, and still hope to be entertained. At least, for $10, I will have better seats at Levi's Stadium for this game than I have for my season tickets with the Niners in section 209, which I can't even sell for the same price on Stubhub for this Thursday's game. It's funny how I can make more $ selling my parking pass than I can selling my 49er tickets.

BTW. Heard the price for parking (Yellow parking lots) for this Saturday's high school game series is $20. Once again, more than the price of admission. LOL!

I plan to park at the VTA parking lot in San Jose (for FREE) and take the VTA Rail (train) to the game on Saturday, where the cost for VTA Rail is $2 each way per person.

Anyone else going to this game at Levi's Stadium?
 
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There is one hope for the Rams and that is #21. If the Rams can find the means to move the ball on the ground and eat up the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the Monarchs offense, there is a small chance this game does not get out of hand. Throw in some turnovers by the Monarchs, and this game could end up not being the blowout everyone expects it to be, including me. But, the Monarchs defense (all aspects) is too good. Their line is HUGE. Their LB's are athletic. It will be near to impossible to move the ball against them. There was some hope in getting the ball to the speedy WR's. But, that hope was shot down when Noah May got injured. Agree, being one-dimensional will lead to a complete shutdown, unless #21 can make a difference. But, this year's Ram's O-line is not near the size/strength of last year, and although there were times #21 made big gains against St. John Bosco, #21 does not have the same luxury of blockers he had last year against a D-line that is just too big this year with the Monarchs. IMHO, I think it will be more than a 40 point difference, at least on paper. But, still have "some" hope even though it is a very small chance that the Rams can make it interesting. Doubtful. Calpreps has it MD 44 SM 6.
 
There is one hope for the Rams and that is #21. If the Rams can find the means to move the ball on the ground and eat up the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the Monarchs offense, there is a small chance this game does not get out of hand. Throw in some turnovers by the Monarchs, and this game could end up not being the blowout everyone expects it to be, including me. But, the Monarchs defense (all aspects) is too good. Their line is HUGE. Their LB's are athletic. It will be near to impossible to move the ball against them. There was some hope in getting the ball to the speedy WR's. But, that hope was shot down when Noah May got injured. Agree, being one-dimensional will lead to a complete shutdown, unless #21 can make a difference. But, this year's Ram's O-line is not near the size/strength of last year, and although there were times #21 made big gains against St. John Bosco, #21 does not have the same luxury of blockers he had last year against a D-line that is just too big this year with the Monarchs. IMHO, I think it will be more than a 40 point difference, at least on paper. But, still have "some" hope even though it is a very small chance that the Rams can make it interesting. Doubtful. Calpreps has it MD 44 SM 6.

To me it all depends on how much their coach respects st Mary's program...mater dei put in back ups vs bishop Gorman I don't see what st Mary's can do to slow them down. St Mary's can't do something that mater dei hasn't already seen. Frampton is a beast but I'd bet his nothing mater dei hasn't already seen before. For god sake they put their back ups in against bishop Gorman lol which was ranked top 5 nationally..and spread offenses are common to so cal football
 
For this game, there is very much doubt St. Mary's will be able to move the ball vs Mater Dei, and I agree. The challenge will be ... can the Rams score (La Mirada didn't) against Mater Dei? Another challenge would be ... how many 1st downs can the Rams offense produce? more than 5 first downs? 10 first downs?

Bishop Amat ranked 41st in the state scored 1 TD and racked up 6 first downs, rushed for only 31 yards.
Bishop Gorman ranked 11th in the country scored 3 TD's and racked up 20 first downs, rushed for only 51 yards.
La Mirada ranked 106th in the state did NOT score and racked up 5 first downs (stats not avail for rushing yards).
Bergen Catholic ranked 20th in the country scored 2 TD's and racked up 12 first downs, rushed for only 80 yards.

No team has rushed for more than 80 yards vs Mater Dei's defense this year.

Mater Dei's defense will play one-on-one coverage and flood the box to stop the Rams running game. Another challenge awaits the Rams ... can the Rams rush for more than 50 yards? 80 yards? 100 yards?

Will the Rams offense even cross midfield?

No doubt this opponent is going to be way too much for the Rams to handle. But, kudos for having the guts to schedule Mater Dei.

My only hope is that the Rams survive with no injuries. Without QB Noah May, the Rams cannot afford to lose any more key players going into league, going into playoffs.
 
Good news! I will be on the field working the chains for this game, afterall. BEST SEAT IN DA HOUSE! Just got home from the Niners game, and wow! Truly 49er Faithful ... stayed until the end and we nearly pulled it off after recovering the onsides kick. What a game! Can't say I expect anything close for Saturday's game. But, still, it's going to be a thrill to be on the sidelines (Mater Dei's) working the chains on the field of Levis Stadium and being amongst the best team in the nation. I will have my track shoes on, ready to run up and down the sidelines for the "many" huge plays that will be made. Will be praying hard the Rams may get lucky and have a couple, at least one, of their own. But, who knows ... maybe miracles can happen if you pray hard enough. I might have to even relinquish working the box to my son (who will be handling the clip), if I get too winded. GO RAMS!!! (And, NO!, I wasn't yelling that tonight at Levis Stadium. LOL!)
 
Good news! I will be on the field working the chains for this game, afterall. BEST SEAT IN DA HOUSE! Just got home from the Niners game, and wow! Truly 49er Faithful ... stayed until the end and we nearly pulled it off after recovering the onsides kick. What a game! Can't say I expect anything close for Saturday's game. But, still, it's going to be a thrill to be on the sidelines (Mater Dei's) working the chains on the field of Levis Stadium and being amongst the best team in the nation. I will have my track shoes on, ready to run up and down the sidelines for the "many" huge plays that will be made. Will be praying hard the Rams may get lucky and have a couple, at least one, of their own. But, who knows ... maybe miracles can happen if you pray hard enough. I might have to even relinquish working the box to my son (who will be handling the clip), if I get too winded. GO RAMS!!! (And, NO!, I wasn't yelling that tonight at Levis Stadium. LOL!)

Very nice, that’s great doing the chains on the field where your favorite NFL team plays. I was thinking about going to that game but I don’t get off work until 5pm, I would have to speed down there from Sacramento lol to make it at 7pm. No traffic on Saturdays and only $10 ticket has me thinking I could make it but still not sure after hearing parking is $20 lol.
 
Anyone who wants to avoid the $20 parking can save by parking at the VTA station in San Jose (FREE parking) and take the VTA Rail to the game ($2 each way).
 
Disaster of a first play....St Mary's fumbles snap and MD recovers and takes to bank in the first seconds of game.

7-0 MD in Q1
 
MD 14 SM 0 Q1 7:59
13 yard TD pass.
So far MD o-line is giving QB Daniels perfect protection and he has all the time in the world to find receivers. MD WRs are fast as well. This one is going to be ugly.
 
SM was having success and moving ball 2nd and 1 just shy of mid field and throws a pick. MD now at SM 34 yard line.
 
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