WCAL 2014 - Returning Impact Players for 2015

[Irish_Cheers]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Galileo just lost to Tamalpais 57-0.

Prediction: SHC 35 - Galileo 6

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

I don't think the score will be even this close. It might be 35-0 by halftime. Galileo will only have 25 players and none of the skill players from last season. Irish will have 38-40 players, lots of 200+lb players and much better skill players.

This post was edited on 8/28 10:10 AM by Irish_Cheers

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Originally posted by Irish_Cheers:

Galileo just lost to Tamalpais 57-0.

Originally posted by Rmbr26

Prediction: SHC 35 - Galileo 6

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

I don't think the score will be even this close. It might be 35-0 by halftime. Galileo will only have 25 players and none of the skill players from last season. Irish will have 38-40 players, lots of 200+lb players and much better skill players.

This post was edited on 8/28 10:10 AM by Irish_Cheers

Irish - I know you could very well be right, but I am looking for the SHC coaching staff to keep the score down if it starts to get out of control quickly. It does SHC no good at all to beat up on an under-manned and out-sized team if Galileo is indeed as bad as we think they might be. If the score is 28-0 in the 2nd quarter before halftime the coaches should pull the starting skill players at least to give their back-ups playing time and also to avoid any costly injuries. No one is going to sing SHC's praises should they beat lowly Galileo by 70-0.

 

[Irish_Cheers]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Originally posted by Rmbr26:

Originally posted by Irish_Cheers:

Galileo just lost to Tamalpais 57-0.

Originally posted by Rmbr26

Prediction: SHC 35 - Galileo 6

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

I don't think the score will be even this close. It might be 35-0 by halftime. Galileo will only have 25 players and none of the skill players from last season. Irish will have 38-40 players, lots of 200+lb players and much better skill players.

This post was edited on 8/28 10:10 AM by Irish_Cheers

Irish - I know you could very well be right, but I am looking for the SHC coaching staff to keep the score down if it starts to get out of control quickly. It does SHC no good at all to beat up on an under-manned and out-sized team if Galileo is indeed as bad as we think they might be. If the score is 28-0 in the 2nd quarter before halftime the coaches should pull the starting skill players at least to give their back-ups playing time and also to avoid any costly injuries. No one is going to sing SHC's praises should they beat lowly Galileo by 70-0.

I'm sure that won't happen. They have more class than rubbing people's noses in it. I don't know why they switched the game to Friday. The JV's are still scheduled for Saturday at 11:00.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Originally posted by Rmbr26

Prediction: SHC 35 - Galileo 6
__________________________________________________________
Originally posted by Irish_Cheers

I don't think the score will be even this close. It might be 35-0 by halftime. Galileo will only have 25 players and none of the skill players from last season. Irish will have 38-40 players, lots of 200+lb players and much better skill players.
___________________________________________________________
Originally posted by Rmbr26




Irish - I know you could very well be right, but I am looking for the SHC coaching staff to keep the score down if it starts to get out of control quickly. It does SHC no good at all to beat up on an under-manned and out-sized team if Galileo is indeed as bad as we think they might be. If the score is 28-0 in the 2nd quarter before halftime the coaches should pull the starting skill players at least to give their back-ups playing time and also to avoid any costly injuries. No one is going to sing SHC's praises should they beat lowly Galileo by 70-0.






Originally posted by Irish_Cheers

I'm sure that won't happen. They have more class than rubbing people's noses in it. I don't know why they switched the game to Friday. The JV's are still scheduled for Saturday at 11:00.
________________________________________________________

Agreed Irish - we are on same page & why my original prediction "is what it is"

This post was edited on 9/2 10:17 PM by Rmbr26

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Mitty Monarch's vs Los Gatos Wildcats Friday night Sept. 5th - 7:00 P.M. at Los Gatos

Los Gatos finished the 2013 season with a big upset win over St Francis 31-17 to capture the CCS Div. II crown. Mitty finished the season as the runner up to Serra losing in the Open Division championship game by 21-7. Both teams should be solid again this season and this looks to be a very competitive game with both teams looking to open the season with a win. Mitty & Los Gatos played last season in the first pre-season game as well with Mitty coming away with a 28-14 win. Los Gatos finished the season in strong fashion by doing what the Serra Padres could not do in beating St. Francis. Los Gatos should be full of confidence having won their last WCAL encounter and while Mitty has a decided edge in power ratings this game should be close [how close will be decided by how strong either team starts the game].

Tale of the Tape:

Mitty 2013 ending season power rating = 48.6
MItty 2014 pre-season power rating = 50.4

Los Gatos 2013 ending season power rating = 38.6
Los Gatos 2014 pre-season power rating = 32.7

Los Gatos like Mitty returns a solid core of players this season including 9 starters. Like Mitty Los Gatos loses a talented QB in Mick Bawden but reloads with last season;s back-up Dru Brown who is capable of leading the team and can pass [19/26 last season with QB rating of 149]. Mitty has their all purpose RB/WR/DB/KR in Dakari Monroe and Los Gatos counters with its punishing RB Joey Wood 5'10" - 220 who ran for 1964 yards in 2013 with a 7.64 average. Los Gatos generally has a balanced offense mixing the pass with the run and has a number of returning WR's with game experience who can catch the ball. On the line LG has Jack Jarnigan 6'3" - 260 who plays both ways and their top defender is DB Matt Wilcox 6'1 - 190 who accounted for 84 tackles and 4 INT's last season.

This being the first game and against a quality opponent will set the stage for each team's season & how they can expect to perform against the other teams on their schedules. Mitty fans are waiting to see if this team resembles last year's team which was very impressive in going 11-2 except for the 2 losses to Serra. Mitty had quite a few impressive wins last season while having trouble matching up with Serra in the initial loss, but played almost even in the CCS finale even without their starting QB Trent Scharrenberg. Mitty on offense has their own quality RB's in Trevor Lewis & Matt Tufano to compliment Dakari Monroe and adds several good WR's including TE/DE Tommy Hudson 6'5 - 250 who has been getting recent attention and should have some fans in attendance.

Conclusion: I like Mitty's chances this season with the players they return from last season. While the game should be competitive if Mitty scores quickly they could likely pull away in the 2nd half. Los Gatos like Mitty should have a stingy defense this season and will need to slow Mitty down in the first 1/2 and set the tone for a closely played 2nd half. Los Gatos best chance is if they can hold Mitty to under 17 points as I believe Mitty has the better offense in this game. Los Gatos has a solid program and history of playing well against WCAL teams which makes this game more interesting than some of the other initial WCAL non-league games. In a low scoring game Los Gatos has a chance whereas if Mitty gets rolling early the Monarchs could put the Wildcats away in the 2nd 1/2. [Mitty won last season 28-14 and in 2012 by 28-20].

Prediction: Mitty 27 - Los Gatos 17

 

[PAL95]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Nice preview once again! I willl say Joey Wood is out for revenge after only getting 70 yards on the ground last year( only game under 100 yards besides 1 other lowout win). Hes a huge back and arm tackles will not bring him down. If they can get him in rythm early they will have a good chance to win this game.It does seem like Mitty has had their number in recent years, but the games have been close and physical. Mittys qb Foley will be tough to stop outside the pocket and he has nice options to throw too. Hudson will be a huge target and should have a big game. Monroe has hurt LG for the past two years. As a soph he had a long 75 yard reception which ended in a TD, a interception, and tipped the ball away at the end of the game which resulted in another interception to seal the deal. Last year his first carry was 87 yards for a td, his next carry was 51 yards for a td. If im Los Gatos I would make someone else beat me. Mitty had more proven weapons last year, so it was hard to focus on just one or two players. This could help Los Gatos or hurt them because they really don't know what to expect with a new coach and athletes. I think Mitty will know Los Gatos, more than Los Gatos will know Mitty and the end result will be a Monarch victory.Mitty 31 Los Gatos 21

 

[colhenrylives]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Mitty Monarchs vs Los Gatos Wildcats

After further review, here's a prediction:

1. Valley Christian. 2. Mitty. 3. St. Francis. 4. Serra. 5. St. Ignatius. 6. Bellarmine. 7. Sacred Heart Cathedral. 8. Riordan.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Originally posted by PAL95:
Nice preview once again! I willl say Joey Wood is out for revenge after only getting 70 yards on the ground last year( only game under 100 yards besides 1 other lowout win). Hes a huge back and arm tackles will not bring him down. If they can get him in rythm early they will have a good chance to win this game.It does seem like Mitty has had their number in recent years, but the games have been close and physical. Mittys qb Foley will be tough to stop outside the pocket and he has nice options to throw too. Hudson will be a huge target and should have a big game. Monroe has hurt LG for the past two years. As a soph he had a long 75 yard reception which ended in a TD, a interception, and tipped the ball away at the end of the game which resulted in another interception to seal the deal. Last year his first carry was 87 yards for a td, his next carry was 51 yards for a td. If im Los Gatos I would make someone else beat me. Mitty had more proven weapons last year, so it was hard to focus on just one or two players. This could help Los Gatos or hurt them because they really don't know what to expect with a new coach and athletes. I think Mitty will know Los Gatos, more than Los Gatos will know Mitty and the end result will be a Monarch victory.Mitty 31 Los Gatos 21

PAL - I agree with you regarding LG's defending Monroe when on offense and should probably steer clear of him when passing on offense. Mitty's QB Foley ran for 279 yards last season as back-up with a 5+ yard avg, however stats show he only threw 1 pass all season [?]. Curious if anyone knows Foley's arm strength & accuracy. It seems strange that with so many blow-out wins last season Mitty's coaching staff did not have Foley get more game time experience in regards to the passing game - played in 8 games & had 54 carries and threw 1 pass [hard to figure]. Will Foley be used primarily as a running/option QB? Mitty did not throw a lot in 2013 with Scharrenberg averaging 10 pass attempts per game. Likely with Foley's experience this trend may continue this season.

 

[PAL95]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

From what I hear is that his shoulder was actually hurt all season long and couldnt throw at all. I guess that explains why he didnt attempt one single pass, not even a slant or a dump off against Serra. I watched the scrimmage and he did throw a long td pass. With the new coach I guess no one knowswhat to expect.

 

[2wcats]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish


Foley's shoulder was hurt practically all last year. He was used for run plays during season.

Mitty had to bring in Soph QB Sam Serra on passing downs for the open final with Serra after Scharrenberg was hurt in semi final game with VC.

He is healthy this year and can sling it.

As a side note: as a freshman Foley was a starting pitcher on the varsity and won the SJ Merc Freshman of the Year for AM in 2012. Not sure he has pitched much since.

 

[FBAddict]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Originally posted by Rmbr26:
Bellarmine vs Franklin - Elk Grove Sept. 5th, Friday nite 7:00 P.M. @ Elk Grove

This should be among the more entertaining games in the first round of WCAL pre-season contests... Prediction: Frankin-Elk Grove 31 - Bells 21

I would like to believe that Bellarmine will beat Franklin, but I just don't think its going to happen. Your prediction seems a pretty good place to start. I do think Franklin has a bit more talent and experience than Bellarmine. Hopefully the Bells will surprise. BTW - I also agree that this will be one of the best games to watch this Friday among WCAL match-ups.

 

[WCAL75]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

I'm going to go with Bellarmine in the pick'em. I think Franklin is the more talented team but teams that face Bellarmine's double wing for the first time are caught off guard by it and that may be the difference.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

My comments from the preview on Bellarmine vs Franklin- Elk Grove:

[Originally posted by Rmbr26]
The Wildcats of Franklin-Elk Grove usually have large rosters and 2014 is no different showing 59 players, with 19 players 200 or larger and 7 players over 235. In sheer roster numbers and size F.E.G. should have the advantage over the Bells. In terms of skill players F.E.G. lost a lot but returns one of their best in QB/FS Lamar Jackson a very talented Junior who was the starting QB as a soph last season. Jackson, 6'3" - 210 is a talented athlete who threw for 1428 yards & 17 TD's as a soph averaging 119 yards passing per game and also ran for another 565 yards and 5 TD's. That alone tells me that the Bells will have to find a way to put pressure on Jackson and contain his running ability. F.E.G. graduated their top RB's and seem to have a RB by committee philosophy using quite a few RB's and also WR's in passing. Their top 2 RB's this season are Reid Abshear 6'1 - 190 and Patrick Walker 6'1 - 215 and both are a load to bring down. At WR the starters are Denzel Hampton at 6'3 - 190 and also Bryce Abshear 6'1 - 185. Their top player on Defense is Ronell Deo at 6'1 - 240 who plays both ways on O&D-lines. So F.E.G. loses most of their skill players except their most important one QB Lamar Jackson and also 11 other starters return. F.E.G. had a good JV team last year at 7-3 and might just be a notch under the talent the Bells JV team will contribute.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

My perspective is that the Bells for the first time in 6 years do not have a standout QB to my knowledge - no Carta-Samuels brothers left, no McHugh's either and no Olugbode's as well at RB or on D. The intangible is the Bells JV who went 9-1 and were very good at the JV level so could contribute significantly. Janda is one of the best of making the most of what talent he has so that is a plus in Bells favor as well. However when you read about the Franklin Elk-Grove team above it is very hard to overlook their QB Lamar Jackson who is a very talented athlete. Franklin Elk Grove is loaded with other good athletes and some with speed. So again the talent edge is def in F.E.G.'s favor and I give the edge to Bellarmine in their reload system, coaching and disciplined team - ie: F.E.G. are a team of talented athletes whereas the Bells are a very cohesive team who do not make a lot of mistakes usually. Hard though to get past all F.E.G.'s talent. Should be a good one.

 

[jordan24]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

It would not surprise me if the Bells finish in the top half of the league...Solid JV team, just unproven at the Varsity level. Looking forward to this weekend's games!

 

[Hatchball]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Mitty Monarchs vs Los Gatos Wildcats

Bells are going to have to rely on ball control and grinding out tough yards/eating up clock with their double wing to compete this year. If they get down by 2-3 touchdowns early in any game this year they're going to have a very very difficult time closing that gap.

 

[HSS75]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

WCAL Pre-Season Games Wk1 Predictions:

Milpitas 31 - Riordan 14
Looking forward to finally getting a glimpse of the "new and improved" Riordan. Their Pre-Season games are solid and will help the Crusaders prepare for League play. Milpitas is huge and Riordan is young. This is a great test for the Crusaders. If they keep it close, they might pull it off but Milpitas is the defending CCS DI Champions and should pull away in the 2nd half.

Sacred Heart Cathedral 42 - Galileo 7
After a terrific 2013 season, Galileo will have to come to grips to a possible dismal 2014 season. SHC shouldn't have a problem since Galileo lost all their star players to graduation. Should be over by halftime.

Bellarmine 17 - Franklin Elk Grove 28
Even with a 4-star QB last year, Bellarmine rarely passed. It'll be no different this year. Apparently both teams are said to be a tad down this year but Franklin already has a game under it's belt with a win blanking a team with size. Franklin has size too so if the Bells run game is not producing....pass? Interesting to see who will be the breakout player for the Bells this year.

St Ignatius 24 - Marin Catholic 21
Marin Catholic lost it's first game so I believe they will be well prepared. SI will look to find a breakout running back to replace Dale but I see them passing more. I expect a close game.

St Francis 28 - Oak Grove 14
St Francis always starts slow and finishes strong. It's no different this year. OG is not very good but they always play tough against SF year in and year out. Three SF QBs did very well in scrimmage so wondering who will start. Will they pass more or just go for power running. I have a feeling they are still experimenting.

Valley Christian 56 - Pioneer 7
Can't really add to what's been said in this board about VC. Expect a massacre.

Archbishop Mitty 42 - Los Gatos 38
I think this is the game of the week amongst WCAL teams. Mitty and Los Gatos lost a few great players to graduation but several All-League standouts for both teams are ready to take over. Los Gatos is very good at running with Wood and they don't lose a step with Brown at QB. Mitty needs to stop the run or else it's going to be a long day. I think Mitty still has the offensive power to score but Los Gatos is no gimmie. They will score as well. Another close game but a high scoring one.

Serra 14 - De La Salle 42
Destroying Jesuit with ease is scary. I don't think Serra will stop the Spartan Train anytime soon. Let's see if Serra keeps it close.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Serra Padres 0-0 vs De La Salle Spartans 1-0 @ DLS 7:00 P.M. TONITE

Bottom Line = DLS favored by 4-6 TD's [but some fans think much more after Jesuit game]

So with DLS coming off a brutal thrashing of Jesuit the question is just how much will DLS win over Serra by?
DLS was supposed to be at less than full strength with several key players injured, but it simply made no difference seemingly in the game. From the starting Kick-off returned 98 yards for a TD De La Salle dominated Jesuit in every phase of the game. DLS led 21-0 half way through the first quarter, 35-0 at the half and cruised through the 2nd half to complete the humiliation 63-0. So like most fans has me wondering will this be any kind of competitive contest or the 2nd in a series of non-competitive beatings of DLS's NorCal opponents?

Tale of the Tape:

Serra ending 2013 season power rating = 51.7
Serra 2014 pre-season power rating = 47.4

De La Salle 2013 ending season power rating = 74.6
De La Salle 2014 pre-season power rating = 72.7

DLS seemingly holds all the edges coming into this game with a solid game under their belts and Serra yet to play a game. DLS has the bigger roster both in numbers and size and once again is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Serra is coming off their most successful season ever, but lost a lost of talent to graduation including one of the best QB's in their school's history Matt Fa'aita. DLS had an excellent JV team that went 9-1 last season while Serra's JV team went winless at 0-9 [def not good for the Padres]. Coach Walsh of Serra being the well known DLS alum has good knowledge of the Spartans which is perhaps the best weapon the Padres will have in this game. Secondly
with Serra not playing a game there are many unknowns about the Padres on offense such as who is the QB or QB's and what will their game plan be? Will Walsh be conservative or resort to some form of trickery in an attempt to confuse [or defuse the Spartans]?

Here is the 8 game history between the 2 teams which has DLS 8-0 vs the Serra Padres with coach Patrick Walsh at the helm of the Padres for the last 7 games.

2013 DLS 21 - 14
2010 DLS 45 - 7
2009 DLS 14 - 7
2008 DLS 29 - 28
2007 DLS 40 - 22
2006 DLS 40 - 28
2005 DLS 61 - 13
1984 DLS 31 - 0

So in 5 of the 8 games Serra played competitively against the Spartans while the other 3 games were blow-outs. Serra has come close on 2 occasions to pulling off the upset in 2008 & again in 2013 but was unable to sustain their efforts to the final gun. In the 2008 game Serra was ahead 28-21 in the 4th when the Spartans scored late and then off a mishandled PAT the holder ran for the 2 point conversion to make the final score 29-28 - which proves great teams are both great & lucky.
Last year's contest Serra was missing a number of starters with injuries and led 14-7 heading into the 4th quarter when the Padres missed a FG attempt looking to make the score 17-7 going into the 4th. DLS then stepped on the gas going the length of the field to score and later picking off a Serra pass and again DLS's RB's were unstoppable taking it into the end zone for the final score 21-14.

Conclusion: So most fans know what to expect from DLS and expect something in the form of a Jesuit style beat-down in this game. Serra will rely primarily on its run game with Kava Cassidy and Kelepi Lataimua. The transfer QB from St. Francis is ineligible at this time so the QB is a bit of a mystery to most of us fans. Walsh likely will use an athlete QB in order to have a 3rd RB in the backfield and will not take unnecessary risks throwing the ball resulting in DLS INT's resulting in DLS TD's. I believe Serra's best bet is to try to slow down DLS taking a conservative approach and avoid costly mistakes [easier said than done]. Serra cannot afford to make the early mistakes Jesuit made and allow the Spartans to score on their first opening drives. If Serra cannot run against the Spartans it will be a long night. Against Jesuit the DSL special teams dominated and Jesuit turned the ball over on offense as well.
DLS on offense only attempted 4 passes with 2 completions for 17 yards, the bulk of their offense being on the ground rushing 35 times for 306 yards with a 8.7 YPC average. Serra's D may be able to contain the Spartan's ground game early, but should DLS hold Serra to consecutive 3 & out's Serra's D will quickly tire against the Spartan larger lineman. Coach Walsh will need his best A-game plan to stay with the Spartan's in tonite's game.



Prediction: DLS 34 - Serra 10

This post was edited on 9/5 10:53 AM by Rmbr26

 

[FUBO]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Riordan will avoid two bullets with SHP and Milpitas playing without their best returning players on offense and defense. Let's see how Coach Lee's offensive game plan plays against a pretty good Milpitas defensive squad tonight. With the playmakers he has, it could be closer than people anticipate.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish





Serra vs De La Salle will be televised on Prep2prep.com tonite at 7:30.

Checking PlayOnSports there are no games listed as televised for tonite or tomorrow [?].



http://prep2prep.com/tv/default.aspx
This post was edited on 9/5 3:31 PM by Rmbr26

 

[WCAL75]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

The Saint Francis/Oak Grove game is here at 7:30.


http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/saint-francis-high-school-mountain-view-mountain-view-ca/e28d7320ab

 

[WCAL75]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Start of the 4th quarter. SF 28 OG 0. SF calls off the dogs and the 2's and 3's are now in game. Texas QB had 3 TD passes.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish


So Serra loses to powerhouse DLS by 41-13 but at times looked good & while starting their #2 QB who is a soph in his first game - which showed. Kava Cassidy also sat out the first 1/2 and looked good in 2nd. I was really impressed with Kelepi Lataimua all around with his offense, defense, kick returns & punting - what a player! Just who was that receiver for Serra that caught the 2 TD's - he looked very good for someone I never heard of before - great first game!

On another note - Bells storm back to take down a very talented Franklin E.G. team that was leading 14-0 early in game.
Seems once again I [we] underestimated the Bells & Coach Janda in doing what they do best - just win.

Mitty loses to Los Gatos & Mitty projected to be the top team in WCAL pre-season [the Mitty fans must be reeling tonite].
I guess it was no fluke that Los Gatos took down a tough St. Francis team to win Div. II in CCS last season. Perhaps Los Gatos will again resurrect to become one of the powers that rules the CCS [that RB of their's is awfully good -curious what his stats were tonite].

 

[HSS75]

Re: WCAL 2014 Prediction for WCAL 2014 League Finish

Oak Grove may go into league play 0-3 but they have a good group of players to win their division. They are young, fast and some of the players are big. They need to concentrate on eliminating mistakes, penalties and they need better execution on offense but it's the first game. They didn't gain much on offense. They were going backwards with penalties all night. Eliminate the mistakes because they are facing VC next week.

SF did a great job stopping the run early and the QB didn't have much time to throw. So that pretty much sums up OG's offense all night. Dinneen was terrorizing the QB all night which resulted in 4 sacks. The rate he's going, he may break 20 sacks for the season! SF defense is strong again this year. I realized that two key guys on defense were not dressed. Thomas Toki and Justin Dunne. ILB Carbonel left game very early with an injury. Their defense will even be stronger if all three of them are on the field at the same time. Very important going into league play.

SF went about its business on offense. Nothing flashy. Power running by committee. Slow and methodical. When they get to the redzone, that's when it gets interesting. They just have many options when you have a mobile QB. Akina did a great job managing the offense. Their first TD was a 10 yard QB keeper. Amazing run. I think he only threw 5-6 passes all completed. But he did throw 3TDs all in the redzone. Very accurate. With calcagno conservative style, he called off the dogs mid 3rd qtr. SF did make mistakes on special teams resulting into turnovers. I think akina had a bad snap and it was a turnover close to the redzone. Eliminate the mistakes before league play.

Other games:
Bellarmine carried on its tradition as a well coached team. Great win in Sacramento.

Mitty couldn't stop Wood on a couple of key carries resulted into 2TDs. That's Wood. Surprised that Mitty had trouble scoring. I thought this would be a high scoring game.

Let's wait and see how milpitas will fare with Valley in a couple of weeks. Reading some comments in the board, riordan needs to improve on offense and defense is actually good.

VC, SHC, Serra results were expected. Serra made a good game out if it with a converted young QB and without Cassidy in the first half.

 

[farmair3]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Not sure how everyone feels but I am thinking the Spartans have their swag back!!!!!!!! They appear to be much better than last years team especially at the QB position and on Defense!!! This is good for all of us North Staters

 

[DLSPop1314]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Originally posted by farmair3:
Not sure how everyone feels but I am thinking the Spartans have their swag back!!!!!!!! They appear to be much better than last years team especially at the QB position and on Defense!!! This is good for all of us North Staters

Yes but it's a little bit of a less heralded line-up as far as D1s go

DLS only has 4 on the roster right now w/ offers (2 srs, 2 jrs) -- I realize that's more than most teams, but way less than most nationally elite teams.

They've got a lot of good football players, though -- the junior class is one of DLS's best ever

 

[NorCalSportsFan]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE


Los Gatos looked close to where they left off last season, but also Mitty didn't look anywhere close to last season. The offensive line and overall offense looked out of since and not as quick on the edges. Mitty showed some signs of of explosiveness, but Los Gatos defense looked very good and capitalized on Mitty mistakes. Los Gatos is a decent team and will be interesting to see how they match up with Milpitas. Probably a two team race in the DeAnza although, but still think Los Gatos is a high favorite. Wilcox is decent. Palo Alto probably isn't in the top tier of the Deanza this year, but a few games will tell. Mitty while a very good team looks like they have a ways to go. The defense didn't fly like last season either although the d-line looked big. If they play like last night, they are probably middle of the pack in the WCAL.

St Francis defense looked really good and even without Toki. When is he back? SF offensive line was impressive and seemed to open big holes at times and SF has lots of depth at RB. New QB is supper accurate and mobile. H made some nice throws and definitely a nice TD run. SF looks like they have the opportunity to better than last season. With Toki back, teams will have to pass on this team, because that run defense is already but will even more so be stout.

I watched some of the Serra game as well, and their defense was just overmatched against the Spartans. The offense made some nice plays and looks like they can be dangerous. I'm inclined to think they are not going to win the WCAL this year. Haven't seen VC yet, but Serra has some holes. At the least, it is going to be a battle for the title this season. Haven't seen SI yet. Watched a little Riordan- recorded and they look like they are a second team CCS team. A good team, but just going to have a tough time in the WCAL One poster mentioned how great it is to watch a game at Milpitas and I agree. Every time I have been to a game their, it has been a great experience. They have a nice field and great fans. Still waiting to see SI (this afternoon) and SHC.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Originally posted by NorCalSportsFan:

I watched some of the Serra game as well, and their defense was just overmatched against the Spartans. The offense made some nice plays and looks like they can be dangerous. I'm inclined to think they are not going to win the WCAL this year. Haven't seen VC yet, but Serra has some holes. At the least, it is going to be a battle for the title this season. Haven't seen SI yet. Watched a little Riordan- recorded and they look like they are a second team CCS team. A good team, but just going to have a tough time in the WCAL One poster mentioned how great it is to watch a game at Milpitas and I agree. Every time I have been to a game their, it has been a great experience. They have a nice field and great fans. Still waiting to see SI (this afternoon) and SHC.

NorCal as I posted above I thought Serra looked good under the circumstances they were playing against a nationally ranked team. Starting a 15 year old soph converted from RB to QB in his first game and Kava Cassidy not playing in the first 1/2 [while he accounted for approx. 100 yards in the 2nd split between runs and short passes]. The INT by Serra's young QB Leki Nunn was converted into a TD as well & he missed on several wide open receivers. The 2 TD passes he did throw to Demitri McCoy were very nice & I can only see Serra improving week to week with game experience.

Keeping in mind the points I'm bringing up & also that DLS already had a game under their belt. How do you or others think any other WCAL team would have fared facing DLS last night knowing also that DLS destroyed Jesuit 63-0?
We now know Mitty is not close to where they were projected to be, so the likely candidate to have played DLS any better would be VC, SF & the Bells, but I'm not convinced any of them would have done as well as Serra last night. Another game or 2 by the WCAL teams & we should have a good handle on who the top teams are.

 

[Sir Lancealot]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

VC's Johnson 220 yards 4TD's on 10 carries. Looks like Machado found an arm and with Johnson's little brother healthy they have a whole new dimension.

Highlights from Get Sports Focus GOTW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onv8uuvmfbM

 

[NorCalSportsFan]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE


Pioneer isn't a top WCAL team, but if VC plays defense they should be one of the favorites to take the WCAL. VC offense is going to be formidable. Just so many weapons.

Regarding SF's Toki being out for the Oak Grove game, it was reported in Merc he sat out due to a sore shoulder and not due to any transfer ruling. Anyone know when he is expected back? Palma will be better than last last year, but SF also looks better at this stage. If Toki is back, Palma is going to have to up their execution on their passing attack. Probably will have to anyways.

Was surprised how Mitty offense wasn't as quick as last year. They play decent defense though and offense seemed to have some big play threat. maybe forst game cobwebs, but still don't look as good as last year. Los Gatos looks like they are a top 10 CCS team. That Joey Wood is an impressive player and QB is good as well. Their line looks better than last year and they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs. Looking forward to the Los Gatos v St Mary's -Stockton game in 3 weeks....the Hollister game the week before should be interesting as well.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Originally posted by NorCalSportsFan:


Pioneer isn't a top WCAL team, but if VC plays defense they should be one of the favorites to take the WCAL. VC offense is going to be formidable. Just so many weapons.

Regarding SF's Toki being out for the Oak Grove game, it was reported in Merc he sat out due to a sore shoulder and not due to any transfer ruling. Anyone know when he is expected back? Palma will be better than last last year, but SF also looks better at this stage. If Toki is back, Palma is going to have to up their execution on their passing attack. Probably will have to anyways.

Was surprised how Mitty offense wasn't as quick as last year. They play decent defense though and offense seemed to have some big play threat. maybe forst game cobwebs, but still don't look as good as last year. Los Gatos looks like they are a top 10 CCS team. That Joey Wood is an impressive player and QB is good as well. Their line looks better than last year and they could be a dangerous team in the playoffs. Looking forward to the Los Gatos v St Mary's -Stockton game in 3 weeks....the Hollister game the week before should be interesting as well.

NorCal - I would agree that Pioneer is not a team that you can judge how good Valley Christian really is, no more than you can say how bad Serra is due to their 41-13 loss to DLS.

I am a bit surprised Los Gatos is not ranked this week as a Top 20 team by NCP's based upon their win over Mitty and their season ending win over St. Francis in CCS Div. II. Mitty was picked by some as the favorite to take or be a co-WCAL champion. Terra Nova who was also rated very highly like Mitty also lost last week. I think perhaps Los Gatos could be trouble for a number of WCAL teams at the end of the season entering CCS [I know its early, but Los Gatos historically has not been a strong starter in pre-season and the back-to-back wins over WCAL competition lead me to believe they're better than most think].

 

[PAL95]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

I will say Los Gatos looked like they were well prepared for this game and Mitty looked sloppy the entire game! With that margin of victory they should be lucky it was that close. Opportunities just slipped away one after another. Cant tell if its an o-line problem or QB. Its for sure one of those two and they need to get it fixed or it will be a long season.

 

[Dooer]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Not sure if you guys are aware of it but Mitty's QB Foley lives within the Los Gatos School District.

 

[Dooer]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

I'm not sure if you guys are aware, but Mitty's QB, Foley, resides in Los Gatos School District.

 

[colhenrylives]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

So what's your point?

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE


Preview & Predictions for this week's WCAL non-league games:

Riordan 0-1 hosts Sacred Heart Prep 1-0 Sat. Sept 12th at 4:00 P.M. [if time is accurate]
Riordan coming off their opening game loss to a good Milpitas team by 27-0 while SHP opened with a 33-20 win over a mediocre Leland team. Riordan's loss seems respectable in that their defense kept the game from getting completely out of control with what little offense the Crusader's generated. Here are the numbers for Riordan's offense [not for a quarter, but for the game]: 5 of 20 passing for 40 yards and 28 rushes for 13 yards = total offense of 53 yards. SHP against Leland was 11 of 18 passing for 132 yards & 1 TD and 53 rushes for 292 yards rushing = 424 yards offense. Simply put Riordan's offense needs to improve drastically to have a chance in this or any other game. Riordan has some players this season and a decent size roster about equal to SHP's roster in numbers and Riordan has bigger players physically than SHP. SHP played in a state title game last season & Riordan did not. This is where you will see a winning program in SHP with excellent coaching versus Riordan trying to build a program with a relatively new coach in his 2nd season. SHP is missing their star RB/LB Ben Burr-Kirven which should have some bearing on the games final score - although SHP's numbers vs Leland were impressive. Riordan's coaching staff should have a handle on their offensive woes and have made some essential basic changes to last week's approach - 3 & outs score zero points and wear down your D quickly. I would say for the Riordan players confidence and outlook for the rest of the season this may be their most important game going forward. The question is can the Riordan coaching staff rally their troops and insert some basic plays to gain some first downs? It is essential that Riordan establish some kind of run game in their initial series or this game could be a repeat of last week's game vs Milpitas. Prediction: SHP 31 - Riordan 7

Sacred Heart Cathedral 1-0 at Novato 1-1 Sat. Sept 12th at 2:00 p.m.
SHC comes off a 51-6 thrashing over an outmanned Galileo team while Novato tries to regroup after a 56-7 beat down by a highly rated Sutter team. Novato's win came at the expense of Dougherty Valley team by 31-8 [while Doughter Valley is not rated highly they are a much better team than Galileo]. Its hard to judge any stats from the SHC-Galileo game as they would simply be misleading based upon the competition [Galileo]. Therefore I'll concentrate on Novato who should present SHC with some actual competition in this weeks game. Novato is a roster similar to SHC in numbers/size and should be able to score against SHC. Novato relies mainly on its passing game and put up similar numbers in both their win & loss games [which is interesting]. In 2 games Novato passing was 25 of 51 for 387 yards & 3 TD's or 193 yards passing per game. Novato spreads the ball around passing with one primary WR and has one primary RB although their ground game only generated 63 yards last week in the loss to Sutter. So SHC's game plan on D should be simple - pressure the QB and double cover the primary WR for Novato #10 Ben Putnam who has 227 yards in 2 games - take away Putnam & you take away 1/2 of Novato's pass offense. This game should give the fans a better gauge of how good the Irish are this season. Both teams should score in this game and should not be a blow out either way.
Prediction: SHC 27 - Novato 13

St. Ignatius 1-0 at Terra Nova 0-1 Friday nite Sept. 12th at 7:00 p.m.
This should be an interesting game with SI coming off a mild upset of Marin Catholic 21-14 and highly rated Terra Nova unexpectedly losing its first game to Bishop O'Dowd by 28-22. Terra Nova is all about offense and is led by last CCS leading passer in QB Anthony Gordon. Looking at last week's stats its hard to figure how Terra lost the game to Bishop O'Dowd. Gordon of TN was 31 of 48 passing for 453 yards & 3 TD's with 2 INT's with 2 WR's Montoya & Genato accounting for over 300 yards in pass receptions while adding 112 yards rushing for 565 yards offense for the game [scary]. In contrast Hagfeldt of SI was 16 of 30 passing for 248 yards, 1-TD and 2 picks vs Marin Catholic. SI's D came up big in the 2nd 1/2 against Marin Catholic and SI's run game proved surprisingly effective as well. SI is off to a good start and Terra Nova may simply have been rated too highly. Terra Nova provided SI with one of its worst losses last season by 50-33 on SI's home turf so like Marin Catholic the motivation should be there for SI's players to repay the favor.
Prediction: SI 24 - Terra Nova 20

Bellarmine 1-0 hosts San Leandro 1-1 Friday nite Sept. 12th at 7:00 P.M.
Both teams coming off surprising wins in which they were the underdogs in the games last week. The Bells stormed back from a deficit to take down a good Franklin Elk-Grove team by 42-28. I myself took F.E.G. over the Bells as it simply looked like the Bells did not have enough talent to stay with Franklin. I've also stated that Bells coach Janda makes the most of what he has & the Bells are a disciplined team who take advantage of other teams mistakes. Under-estimating the Bells it seems may be a big mistake by any team this season. San Leandro lost their first game to a good Foothill of Pleasanton team by 30-12 bouncing back last week to just get by James Logan of Union City 36-31. The win was surprising as San Leandro was without its best player due to injury in UCLA commit Stephen Johnson. SL went with its back-up QB Anthony Onciano who went 8 of 11 for 118 yards & a TD.
Bellarmine down 28-7 early in its first game faced disaster against a talented Franklin Elk-Grove team. The persistent Bells taking full advantage of Franklin E.G. mistakes outscored them by 28-0 in the 2nd half to get the win. The Bells use a 2 QB system which Janda says he plans on sticking with rotating QB's Griffith Quinn & Troy Martis.
Prediction: Bells 34 - San Leandro 21

Next Up:

SF vs Palma, VC vs Oak Grove, Serra vs Notre-Dame [Sherman Oaks]

 

[cityfan]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

"5 of 20 passing for 40 yards and 28 rushes for 13 yards = total offense of 53 yards."

I'll preface this by saying that Riordan's offense was anemic vs. Milpitas, but I'm not sure of that rushing total. Raymone Sanders broke off a 45+ yard run in the 3rd quarter alone.

 

[Rmbr26]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Originally posted by cityfan:
"5 of 20 passing for 40 yards and 28 rushes for 13 yards = total offense of 53 yards."

I'll preface this by saying that Riordan's offense was anemic vs. Milpitas, but I'm not sure of that rushing total. Raymone Sanders broke off a 45+ yard run in the 3rd quarter alone.

Cityfan - you are partially correct with your above statement. Raymone Sanders was a bright spot for Riordan and accounted for 60 yards himself. The problem was the Crusader's lost yardage on numerous plays accounting for -61 yards in losses [subtract that & Riordan would have had 74 yards rushing. Unless stats are wrong they show James Brignoli having lost -36 yards on one play for Riordan - perhaps a punt attempt by Riordan gone bad[?].

As I stated previously Riordan did not play badly in this game despite the score and lack of offensive stats as they held a good Milpitas team scoreless in the first quarter and to 1 score in the 3rd & 4th. The time of possession is surprising as well with Riordan having the ball for 23:10 and Milpitas 24:50. So again Riordan's D appeared to do their job respectively and only needs their offensive game plan to produce some results.

 

[cityfan]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Correct, there was a bad snap on a punt attempt. Agree with your assessment.
I enjoy your previews and insights of all of the WCAL teams. Keep it up!

 

[Scott2138]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

The Riordan offense is the old SHC offense. Pretty simple and plain vanilla. Only when SHC had good running backs or receivers did it go forward. Just one of the traits of the General Lee. General lee always had decent defenses that was his thing.

 

[PurpleHaze13]

Re: WCAL 2014 Pre-Season Preview - Serra Padres vs De La Salle Spartans TONITE

Originally posted by Rmbr26:

Preview & Predictions for this week's WCAL non-league games:

Riordan 0-1 hosts Sacred Heart Prep 1-0 Sat. Sept 12th at 4:00 P.M. [if time is accurate]
Riordan coming off their opening game loss to a good Milpitas team by 27-0 while SHP opened with a 33-20 win over a mediocre Leland team. Riordan's loss seems respectable in that their defense kept the game from getting completely out of control with what little offense the Crusader's generated. Here are the numbers for Riordan's offense [not for a quarter, but for the game]: 5 of 20 passing for 40 yards and 28 rushes for 13 yards = total offense of 53 yards. SHP against Leland was 11 of 18 passing for 132 yards & 1 TD and 53 rushes for 292 yards rushing = 424 yards offense. Simply put Riordan's offense needs to improve drastically to have a chance in this or any other game. Riordan has some players this season and a decent size roster about equal to SHP's roster in numbers and Riordan has bigger players physically than SHP. SHP played in a state title game last season & Riordan did not. This is where you will see a winning program in SHP with excellent coaching versus Riordan trying to build a program with a relatively new coach in his 2nd season. SHP is missing their star RB/LB Ben Burr-Kirven which should have some bearing on the games final score - although SHP's numbers vs Leland were impressive. Riordan's coaching staff should have a handle on their offensive woes and have made some essential basic changes to last week's approach - 3 & outs score zero points and wear down your D quickly. I would say for the Riordan players confidence and outlook for the rest of the season this may be their most important game going forward. The question is can the Riordan coaching staff rally their troops and insert some basic plays to gain some first downs? It is essential that Riordan establish some kind of run game in their initial series or this game could be a repeat of last week's game vs Milpitas. Prediction: SHP 31 - Riordan 7

Your date and time is correct. I've been accused of having rose colored glasses before, but i'll go ahead anyway...

I'd be surprised if Riordan only scored 7 points. SHP is a completely different beast than Milpitas (Not an excuse). SHP is not a particularly physical team, especially without BBK. After seeing what Leland was able to do, with lesser talent at the RB position, i'm fairly confident that Riordan should be able to run successfully between the tackles.

SHP has a pretty big receiver, #13 if memory serves, and it will be a fun matchup to watch him and Stanton Thomas/Cedric McAfee and the rest of the DB's. SHP will have to correct a lot of mistakes on offense to score 31 against Riordan.

SHP is fun team to watch. They are so well coached. As with any HS team, they show tendencies, but they mask it much better than most. It will be interesting to watch how Riordan's OLB's defend the Jet Sweep.