In a counter-intuitive frame of mind for the moment, is it possible that the VC rout of Serra may provide a wake-up call for the Padres? They rolled over their first three WCAL foes with such ease (at least seven quarters of running clock for starters) that a sense of complacency may have set in? Who knows? But bottom line: VC put the wood to the Padres in a manner Serra has not seen in quite awhile.
WCAL Football 2018 - San Jose Merc All Bay Area Team
- Thread starter Rmbr26
- Start date
VC's win Friday snapped a 21-game Serra winning streak vs. WCAL opponents (including playoffs _ an all-time school record) dating back to the opening league game of 2016. Who beat the Padres in that one? Yep, VC, Machado's Marauders.
Last edited:
WCAL Football 2018 - Game Results
St. Ignatius 38 Mitty 24
Valley Christian 37 Serra 6
St. Francis 38 Riordan 0
Sacred Heart Cathedral 14 Bellarmine 0
League Standings: [overall season record]
SF 4-0 [6-1]
VC 3-1 [5-2]
Serra 3-1 [4-3]
SHC 2-2 [4-3]
Mitty 2-2 [4-3]
Bells 1-3 [2-5]
S.I. 1-3 [1-6]
ARHS 0-4 [1-6]
Rankings Adjustments as result of this weeks games:
Wilcox 8-0 moves ahead of both Serra & VC into the #2 spot in CCS behind SF while Serra & VC trade spots at #3 & #4.
MItty drops to #13 with loss to S.I. which moves S.I. up to #15 in the CCS ["the best 1-6 team in CCS!]. SHC Irish move up to #14 with their 14-0 shut-out of Bells. Of note Menlo-Atherton's #1 QB junior Jack Alexander started his 1rst game of season coming back from an injury. Alexander threw 4 TD passes in the 2nd quarter as M-A crushed Menlo School 42-3. S.I.'s win over Mitty was significant as was SHC's over the Bells. While the SHC-Bells game was expected to be close Mitty was a heavy favorite going in the S.I. game, having downed the Bells 35-14 last week.
MItty next plays VC & SF which is not good news for the Monarchs & could be a repeat of last season's downward trend the 2nd 1/2 of the season. In 2017 Mitty won 4 in a row crushing Riordan 43-0 before going on a 6 game skid & ending the season at 7-4. Mitty plays SHC in their last league game of the season.
St. Ignatius 38 Mitty 24
Valley Christian 37 Serra 6
St. Francis 38 Riordan 0
Sacred Heart Cathedral 14 Bellarmine 0
League Standings: [overall season record]
SF 4-0 [6-1]
VC 3-1 [5-2]
Serra 3-1 [4-3]
SHC 2-2 [4-3]
Mitty 2-2 [4-3]
Bells 1-3 [2-5]
S.I. 1-3 [1-6]
ARHS 0-4 [1-6]
Rankings Adjustments as result of this weeks games:
Wilcox 8-0 moves ahead of both Serra & VC into the #2 spot in CCS behind SF while Serra & VC trade spots at #3 & #4.
MItty drops to #13 with loss to S.I. which moves S.I. up to #15 in the CCS ["the best 1-6 team in CCS!]. SHC Irish move up to #14 with their 14-0 shut-out of Bells. Of note Menlo-Atherton's #1 QB junior Jack Alexander started his 1rst game of season coming back from an injury. Alexander threw 4 TD passes in the 2nd quarter as M-A crushed Menlo School 42-3. S.I.'s win over Mitty was significant as was SHC's over the Bells. While the SHC-Bells game was expected to be close Mitty was a heavy favorite going in the S.I. game, having downed the Bells 35-14 last week.
MItty next plays VC & SF which is not good news for the Monarchs & could be a repeat of last season's downward trend the 2nd 1/2 of the season. In 2017 Mitty won 4 in a row crushing Riordan 43-0 before going on a 6 game skid & ending the season at 7-4. Mitty plays SHC in their last league game of the season.
Last edited:
Regarding the three prime contenders for the 2018 WCAL football title, here's some league history dating from 2002 when Valley Christian joined the circuit:
Serra has won or shared seven championships.
VC has won or shared six titles.
St. Francis has won or shared three crowns.
The total: 16 won or shared titles through 2017.
Notes:
Since 2002, Bellarmine has won or shared six championships, Mitty has shared two and St. Ignatius has shared one.
Between 1975 and 1999 (a generation), Bellarmine and St. Francis won or shared every championship.
In 2000, Mitty broke that stranglehold by capturing the title.
In 2001, Riordan won the crown.
Serra has won or shared seven championships.
VC has won or shared six titles.
St. Francis has won or shared three crowns.
The total: 16 won or shared titles through 2017.
Notes:
Since 2002, Bellarmine has won or shared six championships, Mitty has shared two and St. Ignatius has shared one.
Between 1975 and 1999 (a generation), Bellarmine and St. Francis won or shared every championship.
In 2000, Mitty broke that stranglehold by capturing the title.
In 2001, Riordan won the crown.
Archbishop Riordan won the 2000 WCAL Football League Championship. (5-0)
Saint Francis won the 1999 WCAL Football League Championship. (5-0)
Archbishop Riordan did not win the 2001 Football League Championship (2-3) lost to St. Francis, Bellarmine and Mitty.
So Archbishop Riordan broke the stranglehold by capturing the League title, not Archbishop Mitty.
It's useful to point out that, since Riordan's 2000 title, the only San Francisco school to win or share a crown is St. Ignatius.
I guess the Irish will just have to steamroll VC, St. Francis and Serra next time.
WCAL Football 2018 - This Week's Upcoming Games 10/19
Friday Nite Lites - Note start time for VC-Mitty
Valley Christian at Mitty 4:00 PM Foothill CC
SHC vs Riordan at Kezar 7:00 PM
St. Francis vs Bellarmine at SJJC 7:00 PM
St. Ignatius at Serra 7:00 PM
Looking forward to this week's games there does not appear to be much suspense about the outcomes. Having said that Serra fell victim to the hype that they were "on another level than the rest of the WCAL teams" [as noted by the Mercury News prep sports reporters in weekly video last week]. I can't lay too much blame on the Merc news reporters though as I fell victim to the hype with many others - please see the NorCalPrep's weekly pick 'em contest to see how many fans picked Serra as the top, surest win of the week along with yours truly. The consensus opinion was that Serra was the clear favorite by several scores, with some predicting a blow-out of sorts & others stating if VC could play well they could "keep it close" and maybe have a shot late in the game. Nope, nada, zilch as nothing of that sort happened. It was a simple old fashioned blow-out by the supposed underdog Valley Christian. What remains to be seen is how Serra will bounce back from this humbling loss. Is VC just THAT good? OR was Serra THAT over-rated? Possibly the game was just an anomaly of sorts where Serra experienced a "perfect storm" of VC Warrior execution & motivation vs Serra lack of execution & motivation. VC had lost 4 in a row to the Padres by wide margins so the Warrior's obviously were "up" for this game and lying in wait on home turf for the perhaps over-confidant Padres. Perhaps Serra traveled to VC thinking about the Padre's demolition of Bells', Mitty & Riordan. Would Serra roll over VC as well & would perhaps a running clock come into play? Wrong. We'll see how Serra responds against a charged up S.I. team coming off their first win of season a nice 38-24 victory over Mitty.
VC as it turns out is the real deal and Mitty coming off the upset to S.I. by 2 scores will have their hands full so to speak. The only question is will there be any kind of let down by VC after the huge win over Serra. Will Mitty have any better success than Serra in attempting to slow down VC's vaunted run game? Will Shamir Bey get the hot hand early or will VC's d-line have Bey running for his life throughout the game?
SHC & Riordan at Kezar with the Irish on a roll coming off 2 consecutive WCAL victories including last week's shut-out of the Bell's. Will the Irish roll or could this be a trap game of sorts? The rivalry, Kezar stadium, Riordan desperate for a win & high emotions on both sides. Irish the heavy favorite unless perhaps like the Serra-VC game...
SF vs Bells at SJCC is the game I'd least like to watch Friday nite as the undermanned Bell's should be easy prey for this large, talented & physical Lancer team. Surely this season cannot end quickly enough for Coach Janda & staff knowing the following week the Bells must travel to VC for their last game of the season [& most assured record of 2-7 for 2018].
Can it get any worse for the Bells football program?
Friday Nite Lites - Note start time for VC-Mitty
Valley Christian at Mitty 4:00 PM Foothill CC
SHC vs Riordan at Kezar 7:00 PM
St. Francis vs Bellarmine at SJJC 7:00 PM
St. Ignatius at Serra 7:00 PM
Looking forward to this week's games there does not appear to be much suspense about the outcomes. Having said that Serra fell victim to the hype that they were "on another level than the rest of the WCAL teams" [as noted by the Mercury News prep sports reporters in weekly video last week]. I can't lay too much blame on the Merc news reporters though as I fell victim to the hype with many others - please see the NorCalPrep's weekly pick 'em contest to see how many fans picked Serra as the top, surest win of the week along with yours truly. The consensus opinion was that Serra was the clear favorite by several scores, with some predicting a blow-out of sorts & others stating if VC could play well they could "keep it close" and maybe have a shot late in the game. Nope, nada, zilch as nothing of that sort happened. It was a simple old fashioned blow-out by the supposed underdog Valley Christian. What remains to be seen is how Serra will bounce back from this humbling loss. Is VC just THAT good? OR was Serra THAT over-rated? Possibly the game was just an anomaly of sorts where Serra experienced a "perfect storm" of VC Warrior execution & motivation vs Serra lack of execution & motivation. VC had lost 4 in a row to the Padres by wide margins so the Warrior's obviously were "up" for this game and lying in wait on home turf for the perhaps over-confidant Padres. Perhaps Serra traveled to VC thinking about the Padre's demolition of Bells', Mitty & Riordan. Would Serra roll over VC as well & would perhaps a running clock come into play? Wrong. We'll see how Serra responds against a charged up S.I. team coming off their first win of season a nice 38-24 victory over Mitty.
VC as it turns out is the real deal and Mitty coming off the upset to S.I. by 2 scores will have their hands full so to speak. The only question is will there be any kind of let down by VC after the huge win over Serra. Will Mitty have any better success than Serra in attempting to slow down VC's vaunted run game? Will Shamir Bey get the hot hand early or will VC's d-line have Bey running for his life throughout the game?
SHC & Riordan at Kezar with the Irish on a roll coming off 2 consecutive WCAL victories including last week's shut-out of the Bell's. Will the Irish roll or could this be a trap game of sorts? The rivalry, Kezar stadium, Riordan desperate for a win & high emotions on both sides. Irish the heavy favorite unless perhaps like the Serra-VC game...
SF vs Bells at SJCC is the game I'd least like to watch Friday nite as the undermanned Bell's should be easy prey for this large, talented & physical Lancer team. Surely this season cannot end quickly enough for Coach Janda & staff knowing the following week the Bells must travel to VC for their last game of the season [& most assured record of 2-7 for 2018].
Can it get any worse for the Bells football program?
Last edited:
that is really going out on a limb there lol
Just be happy that you have Hoops and Wrestling.
Mercury News Top 25 – Oct. 15th, Monday
A few major changes as expected primarily due to outcome of the VC-Serra game. VC moves up 2 spots to #8 while Serra plummets from #6 to #13. Surprisingly [at least to me] they moved M-A up to #7 ahead of Valley Christian [M-A’s biggest win is over Terra Nova while M-A lost to Palma]. Mitty drops from #21 to #25 after loss to S.I.
[as compiled by Prep News reporters for “BANG” Darren Sabedra, Mike Lefkow, Vytas Mazerks, Curtis Pashelka]
No. 1 De La Salle (8-0)
Last week No. 1: Beat Foothill
No. 2 Liberty (8-0)
Last week No. 2: Bye
No. 3 Clayton Valley Charter (7-1)
Last week No. 3: Beat Miramonte 49-14
No. 4 Pittsburg (6-2)
Last week No. 4: Bye
No. 5 St. Francis (6-1)
Last week No. 5: Beat Riordan 38-0
No. 6 Wilcox (8-0)
Last week No. 7: Beat Homestead 42-7
No. 7 Menlo-Atherton (5-2)
Last week No. 8: Beat Menlo School 42-3
No. 8 Valley Christian (5-2)
Last week No. 10: Beat Serra 37-6
No. 9 Palo Alto (7-1)
Last week No. 9: Beat Fremont-Sunnyvale 47-10
No. 10 Bishop O’Dowd (6-2)
Last week No.11: Beat Piedmont 37-7
No. 11 tied Antioch (6-2)
Last week No. 12: Bye
No. 11 tied Monte Vista (6-2)
Last week No. 13: Beat Granada 27-7
No. 13 Serra (4-3)
Last week No. 6: Lost to Valley Christian 37-6
No. 14 Las Lomas (9-0)
Last week No. 14: Beat Ygnacio Valley 63-0
No. 15 tied California (6-2)
Last week No. 16: Beat San Ramon Valley 21-17
No. 15 tied Freedom (5-3)
Last week No. 15: Bye
No. 17 McClymonds (5-2)
Last week No. 17: Beat Castlemont 54-0.
No. 18 Campolindo (6-2)
Last week No. 19: Beat Acalanes 39-7
No. 19 Moreau Catholic (8-0)
Last week No. 20: Beat American 67-0
No. 20 San Ramon Valley (5-3)
Last week No. 18: Lost to California 21-17
No. 21 Sacred Heart Prep (7-0)
Last week No. 23: Beat Half Moon Bay 35-6
No. 22 Terra Nova (6-1)
Last week No. 24 tied: Beat Aragon 49-7
No. 23 The King’s Academy (6-1)
Last week No. 14 tied: Beat Sequoia 51-10
No. 24 Granada (6-2)
Last week No. 22: Lost to Monte Vista 27-7
No. 25 Archbishop Mitty (4-3)
Last week No. 21: Lost to St. Ignatius 38-24
A few major changes as expected primarily due to outcome of the VC-Serra game. VC moves up 2 spots to #8 while Serra plummets from #6 to #13. Surprisingly [at least to me] they moved M-A up to #7 ahead of Valley Christian [M-A’s biggest win is over Terra Nova while M-A lost to Palma]. Mitty drops from #21 to #25 after loss to S.I.
[as compiled by Prep News reporters for “BANG” Darren Sabedra, Mike Lefkow, Vytas Mazerks, Curtis Pashelka]
No. 1 De La Salle (8-0)
Last week No. 1: Beat Foothill
No. 2 Liberty (8-0)
Last week No. 2: Bye
No. 3 Clayton Valley Charter (7-1)
Last week No. 3: Beat Miramonte 49-14
No. 4 Pittsburg (6-2)
Last week No. 4: Bye
No. 5 St. Francis (6-1)
Last week No. 5: Beat Riordan 38-0
No. 6 Wilcox (8-0)
Last week No. 7: Beat Homestead 42-7
No. 7 Menlo-Atherton (5-2)
Last week No. 8: Beat Menlo School 42-3
No. 8 Valley Christian (5-2)
Last week No. 10: Beat Serra 37-6
No. 9 Palo Alto (7-1)
Last week No. 9: Beat Fremont-Sunnyvale 47-10
No. 10 Bishop O’Dowd (6-2)
Last week No.11: Beat Piedmont 37-7
No. 11 tied Antioch (6-2)
Last week No. 12: Bye
No. 11 tied Monte Vista (6-2)
Last week No. 13: Beat Granada 27-7
No. 13 Serra (4-3)
Last week No. 6: Lost to Valley Christian 37-6
No. 14 Las Lomas (9-0)
Last week No. 14: Beat Ygnacio Valley 63-0
No. 15 tied California (6-2)
Last week No. 16: Beat San Ramon Valley 21-17
No. 15 tied Freedom (5-3)
Last week No. 15: Bye
No. 17 McClymonds (5-2)
Last week No. 17: Beat Castlemont 54-0.
No. 18 Campolindo (6-2)
Last week No. 19: Beat Acalanes 39-7
No. 19 Moreau Catholic (8-0)
Last week No. 20: Beat American 67-0
No. 20 San Ramon Valley (5-3)
Last week No. 18: Lost to California 21-17
No. 21 Sacred Heart Prep (7-0)
Last week No. 23: Beat Half Moon Bay 35-6
No. 22 Terra Nova (6-1)
Last week No. 24 tied: Beat Aragon 49-7
No. 23 The King’s Academy (6-1)
Last week No. 14 tied: Beat Sequoia 51-10
No. 24 Granada (6-2)
Last week No. 22: Lost to Monte Vista 27-7
No. 25 Archbishop Mitty (4-3)
Last week No. 21: Lost to St. Ignatius 38-24
M-A is getting healthy, especially at QB. Which can be a major problem for foes going forward. The Bears are stacked with talent. They would compete very nicely vs. the top WCAL teams at this point in the season. The ratings, for the most part, are speculative. But the Bears should give Wilcox and others all they can handle in CCS Open Division I.
While I wrote the post on M-A's returning #1 QB and the great game he had vs Menlo School I am not convinced anywhere close that M-A should be ranked ahead of VC by the Merc News crew [Freeman's has M-A well below VC & Serra as well]. The loss to Palma who barely got by SHC and the close win over Mitty has not quite made me a believer in M-A as of yet. Until M-A faces a quality opponent I would still place well below VC & yes Serra as well IMO.
The Bears have indeed been stacked with talent going back several years, but unfortunately has not translated into team success as one would think. Maybe this season will be different. Let's first see how Mitty does vs Valley Christian in comparison to the close M-A vs Mitty game. Anyone think Mitty will be within 1 score of VC? [M-A won 28-21 over the Monarch's].
The Bears have indeed been stacked with talent going back several years, but unfortunately has not translated into team success as one would think. Maybe this season will be different. Let's first see how Mitty does vs Valley Christian in comparison to the close M-A vs Mitty game. Anyone think Mitty will be within 1 score of VC? [M-A won 28-21 over the Monarch's].
No let down for VC, poor Mitty has to play arguably the two most physical WCAL teams back to back. Both teams may rush for 400 yards. Mitty is in big trouble and will finish 4-6.
As we do too often, we tend to believe that the WCAL is always superior to public schools. That is not the case this season. The WCAL has slipped in 2018, even at the top tier.
WCAL Football 2018 – 6 of 8 WCAL Teams now in CCS Top 20
Freeman’s as opposed to the writer’s of the Mercury News appears to be a bit more accurate ranking of the top CCS teams. I posted the Merc News Top Teams Rankings yesterday, but do not agree that M-A should be ranked higher than Valley Christian, nor that Serra should be dropped 7 spots below teams such as, well M-A for example. On this the Freeman’s rankings & I are in agreement. We do know that M-A defeated Mitty 28-21 in a close game and that Serra defeated Mitty 42-6. This week VC plays Mitty and the question is will it be close such as with M-A or along the lines of the Serra-Mitty game. That should give some insight as to how VC & M-A stack up against each other. Otherwise we’ll have to wait ‘til CCS playoffs to get a more clear picture.
CCS Top 20 as of October 15th:
1. SF 6-1
2. Wilcox 8-0
3. VC 5-2
4. Serra 4-3
5. Paly 7-1
6. M-A 5-2
7. Aptos 7-0
8. Palma 6-1
9. Terra Nova 6-1
10. Carmel 7-0
11. Salinas 5-2
12. SHP 7-0
13. Mitty 4-3
14. SHC 4-3
15. S.I. 1-6
16. King’s Academy 6-1
17. Oak Grove 5-2
18. Live Oak 6-1
19. Independence 7-0
20. Overfelt 6-1
Top 5 Teams with Toughest Schedules to Date:
1. St. Ignatius 1-6
2. SF 6-1
3. VC 5-2
4. Serra 4-3
5. M-A 5-2
* Combined records of opponent teams from above = 150 Wins – 104 Losses
Teams in Top 20 with Weakest Schedules to Date:
1. Independence 7-0 [weakest schedule of all Top 20 teams]
2. King’s Academy 6-1
3. Overfelt 6-1
4. Carmel 7-0
5. Aptos 7-0
* Combined records of opponent teams from above = 93 wins – 155 losses
Freeman’s as opposed to the writer’s of the Mercury News appears to be a bit more accurate ranking of the top CCS teams. I posted the Merc News Top Teams Rankings yesterday, but do not agree that M-A should be ranked higher than Valley Christian, nor that Serra should be dropped 7 spots below teams such as, well M-A for example. On this the Freeman’s rankings & I are in agreement. We do know that M-A defeated Mitty 28-21 in a close game and that Serra defeated Mitty 42-6. This week VC plays Mitty and the question is will it be close such as with M-A or along the lines of the Serra-Mitty game. That should give some insight as to how VC & M-A stack up against each other. Otherwise we’ll have to wait ‘til CCS playoffs to get a more clear picture.
CCS Top 20 as of October 15th:
1. SF 6-1
2. Wilcox 8-0
3. VC 5-2
4. Serra 4-3
5. Paly 7-1
6. M-A 5-2
7. Aptos 7-0
8. Palma 6-1
9. Terra Nova 6-1
10. Carmel 7-0
11. Salinas 5-2
12. SHP 7-0
13. Mitty 4-3
14. SHC 4-3
15. S.I. 1-6
16. King’s Academy 6-1
17. Oak Grove 5-2
18. Live Oak 6-1
19. Independence 7-0
20. Overfelt 6-1
Top 5 Teams with Toughest Schedules to Date:
1. St. Ignatius 1-6
2. SF 6-1
3. VC 5-2
4. Serra 4-3
5. M-A 5-2
* Combined records of opponent teams from above = 150 Wins – 104 Losses
Teams in Top 20 with Weakest Schedules to Date:
1. Independence 7-0 [weakest schedule of all Top 20 teams]
2. King’s Academy 6-1
3. Overfelt 6-1
4. Carmel 7-0
5. Aptos 7-0
* Combined records of opponent teams from above = 93 wins – 155 losses
The recent Bellarmine decline has been a key factor in the WCAL's overall drop in status this year.
Could not agree more with colhenry re: the Bells decline. If one word describes the Bells descend from great to mediocre to that of a struggling public school the word is "shocking" as simply nothing else will suffice. A 3-year spiral from the top of the CCS teams to being ranked among the less successful programs of the CCS leagues.
...what's worse (if you are a die-hard WCAL devotee) is that the Bells' two lower teams are not special this year as well...
WCAL Football 2018 - JV & Frosh Standings
I was a bit surprised to see Mitty as currently the best of the JV teams, which is a positive for the varsity for next season. Also good to see Riordan JV's have some wins. Serra following a pattern where talented soph's are brought up to varsity and the Padres JV team is again the weakest of the 3 Serra teams. In contrast Serra's frosh team apparently is loaded and just rolled over the previous undefeated VC frosh 36-14. St. Ignatius is at the bottom with varsity 1-6, JV 1-5 & frosh 0-6 or combined 2-17. Bells JV record a sign that no relief on the way soon for the faltering Bells program [like other struggling programs Bells will likely grab any of the better sophs next season for varsity].
Across the board SF & VC are solid.
Recent JV Games:
VC 22-8 over Serra
SF 38-7 over Riordan
Mitty 33-14 over S.I.
JV Records:
Mitty 6-1 [undefeated in WCAL]
SF 5-1-1
VC 4-2-1
ARHS 3-4
Bells 1-5
S.I. 1-5
Serra 0-6
Recent Frosh Games:
Serra 36-14 over VC
SF 45-12 over Riordan
Mitty 21-9 over S.I.
SHC 28-21 over Bells
Frosh Records:
Serra 6-0 [undefeated in WCAL]
VC 5-1
SF 5-1
SHC 3-3
Bells 3-3
Mitty 2-4
S.I. 0-6
ARHS 0-6
I was a bit surprised to see Mitty as currently the best of the JV teams, which is a positive for the varsity for next season. Also good to see Riordan JV's have some wins. Serra following a pattern where talented soph's are brought up to varsity and the Padres JV team is again the weakest of the 3 Serra teams. In contrast Serra's frosh team apparently is loaded and just rolled over the previous undefeated VC frosh 36-14. St. Ignatius is at the bottom with varsity 1-6, JV 1-5 & frosh 0-6 or combined 2-17. Bells JV record a sign that no relief on the way soon for the faltering Bells program [like other struggling programs Bells will likely grab any of the better sophs next season for varsity].
Across the board SF & VC are solid.
Recent JV Games:
VC 22-8 over Serra
SF 38-7 over Riordan
Mitty 33-14 over S.I.
JV Records:
Mitty 6-1 [undefeated in WCAL]
SF 5-1-1
VC 4-2-1
ARHS 3-4
Bells 1-5
S.I. 1-5
Serra 0-6
Recent Frosh Games:
Serra 36-14 over VC
SF 45-12 over Riordan
Mitty 21-9 over S.I.
SHC 28-21 over Bells
Frosh Records:
Serra 6-0 [undefeated in WCAL]
VC 5-1
SF 5-1
SHC 3-3
Bells 3-3
Mitty 2-4
S.I. 0-6
ARHS 0-6
You can't put much stock in a JV record predicting Varsity success these days. SF 2015 JV's were 2-8 because the good players in the class of 2017 were on Varsity as Sophs ( Manoa ect) . So you have some players from a 2-8 SF JV team win a State Championship as Seniors . Mitty has only one Soph on Varsity and 3 Jrs. on JV . The strength of Mitty's program is the Class of 2020. The only game breaker at the WCAL JV level this year was the Riordan QB who just got called up to Varsity last week. I still don't understand how Riordan coaching staff could not have used him somewhere on Varsity earlier in the season. The guy is a player. Valley class 2021 was incredible but some of them did not come back this year. Bells have 8 Sophs on Varsity.
As for Serra the class of 2021 their only Frosh win was vs SHC. Their JV is not winless because of missing Soph's on Varsity . Its because SHC has no JV team. Lucky for them they have a great 2022 class.
As for Serra the class of 2021 their only Frosh win was vs SHC. Their JV is not winless because of missing Soph's on Varsity . Its because SHC has no JV team. Lucky for them they have a great 2022 class.
The current state of the WCAL provides a modest window of opportunity for the three San Francisco schools which, for decades, have been regular underdogs in football. It does appear like the 2019 season will be more of the same as the five southern schools re-build, re-load and re-calibrate.
It's been a typical year for WCAL football.
Brutal injuries(Which suck for everyone involved) you want to see these teams play at full potential. These kids do sprints in June giving up vacations to work out because all they care about is a Fall night in Oct/Nov to gain a couple extra yards. You have to respect that! Great win by VC Friday night, SF decimated on offense obviously but D is so good to carry team. Serra is Wild Card because if they beat SF on Nov 3rd it's a 3 way tie......NOT A FAN OF SHARING LEAGUE TITLES!!!! Got a feeling WCAL will send one team to State or Nor Cal Finals this year at best!
Really happy for SHC to see them in the mix and not just posting donuts in the W column. You can feel the momentum rolling up there.
Just your typical WCAL football season.
Brutal injuries(Which suck for everyone involved) you want to see these teams play at full potential. These kids do sprints in June giving up vacations to work out because all they care about is a Fall night in Oct/Nov to gain a couple extra yards. You have to respect that! Great win by VC Friday night, SF decimated on offense obviously but D is so good to carry team. Serra is Wild Card because if they beat SF on Nov 3rd it's a 3 way tie......NOT A FAN OF SHARING LEAGUE TITLES!!!! Got a feeling WCAL will send one team to State or Nor Cal Finals this year at best!
Really happy for SHC to see them in the mix and not just posting donuts in the W column. You can feel the momentum rolling up there.
Just your typical WCAL football season.
Perhaps in league play. But not during the non-league portion of the WCAL schedule. That was not pretty at all.
[QUOTE="colhenrylives, post: 212468, member: 968"]Perhaps in league play. But not during the non-league portion of the WCAL schedule. That was not pretty at all.[/QUOTE]
In regards to the WCAL non-league games earlier this season the overall WCAL record was 11-13. On face value it looks weak, but once you look at the scheduled teams it makes a bit more sense.
In the last several years' the coaches have upgraded their non-leagues games to better opponents with SF & Serra leading the way along with S.I. Of the 13 losses by WCAL teams here are 11 of those opponent teams:
1. Menlo-Atherton over Bells, Mitty [2 games]
2. SRV over Riordan
3. Palma over SHC
4. Serra-Gardena over Serra SM
5. Pitt over Serra
6. De La Salle over SF
7. Palo Alto over S.I.
8. Campolindo over S.I.
9. Gonzaga Prep over S.I.
10. Wilcox over VC
All above are good teams with winning records with DLS & Wilcox being undefeated. Serra-Gardena is 4-4, but then again they play in the Southern Section Mission League with teams such as Bishop Amat.
So as I've asked before: is there such a thing as a "good loss"? What was a better showing by St. Francis - their 35-7 win over Oak Grove or their 33-15 loss to undefeated DLS? In past years' there were a number of "automatic wins" on the WCAL non-league schedules each year which have become less & less [though still a few games such as SHC scheduling Homestead resulting in a 55-7 win]. The Bells played Piedmont Hills for a large number of years' in what I used to refer to as "The Annual Bloodletting Game" in which the mighty Bells trampled Piedmont Hills each season scoring TD's in bunches. Serra was playing SSF for a number of seasons resulting in 50-0 snooze-fests. I've become a believer that the stronger schedules help the teams later in the seasons [barring injuries from getting beat-up by better quality opponents]. Look at Serra the last 3 years: 2016 - start 0-3 and finish playing in a state bowl game losing 42-40, 2017 - start 1-2 and finish winning a state title, 2017 - start 1-2 and season still in question [esp. after VC loss]. As a large number of public school teams have shrunk in roster numbers the WCAL coaches must seek out the better programs that will be more competitive with WCAL teams. While many teams fluctuate in talent year to year there are programs such as DLS, Pitt, SRV & Campolindo above that field solid teams year after year.
In regards to the WCAL non-league games earlier this season the overall WCAL record was 11-13. On face value it looks weak, but once you look at the scheduled teams it makes a bit more sense.
In the last several years' the coaches have upgraded their non-leagues games to better opponents with SF & Serra leading the way along with S.I. Of the 13 losses by WCAL teams here are 11 of those opponent teams:
1. Menlo-Atherton over Bells, Mitty [2 games]
2. SRV over Riordan
3. Palma over SHC
4. Serra-Gardena over Serra SM
5. Pitt over Serra
6. De La Salle over SF
7. Palo Alto over S.I.
8. Campolindo over S.I.
9. Gonzaga Prep over S.I.
10. Wilcox over VC
All above are good teams with winning records with DLS & Wilcox being undefeated. Serra-Gardena is 4-4, but then again they play in the Southern Section Mission League with teams such as Bishop Amat.
So as I've asked before: is there such a thing as a "good loss"? What was a better showing by St. Francis - their 35-7 win over Oak Grove or their 33-15 loss to undefeated DLS? In past years' there were a number of "automatic wins" on the WCAL non-league schedules each year which have become less & less [though still a few games such as SHC scheduling Homestead resulting in a 55-7 win]. The Bells played Piedmont Hills for a large number of years' in what I used to refer to as "The Annual Bloodletting Game" in which the mighty Bells trampled Piedmont Hills each season scoring TD's in bunches. Serra was playing SSF for a number of seasons resulting in 50-0 snooze-fests. I've become a believer that the stronger schedules help the teams later in the seasons [barring injuries from getting beat-up by better quality opponents]. Look at Serra the last 3 years: 2016 - start 0-3 and finish playing in a state bowl game losing 42-40, 2017 - start 1-2 and finish winning a state title, 2017 - start 1-2 and season still in question [esp. after VC loss]. As a large number of public school teams have shrunk in roster numbers the WCAL coaches must seek out the better programs that will be more competitive with WCAL teams. While many teams fluctuate in talent year to year there are programs such as DLS, Pitt, SRV & Campolindo above that field solid teams year after year.
Did the WCAL have a true signature win in the pre-season? Maybe St. Francis over Notre Dame but even that one looks less and less impressive. And that's about it. You can't make a case for the WCAL this year based on the pre-season. We'll have to wait and see about the playoffs.
Somewhat down year for the WCAL. No elite teams this year. All have some flaw. St Francis maybe had best shot at being elite but lost star RB early in season and QB to injury and that is not good with such a conservative and challenged offense. No doubt WCAL is a strong league but not one of the stronger years and Bells look like they are in for many tough years moving forward. The MAs and even Wilcox's probably have a good shot in the playoffs to take out a WCAL team. Sacred Heart Prep versus MA is intriguing. MA looks like they should run over SHP which they will if they play well, but they have had tough games as underclass and SHP coaching is strong so could be a nail biter. Palma defeating MA this year I think could have been a fluke. MA seems to have been thinking about their trip and didn't execute. Not to discount Palma but they are probably a year away of being pretty good. They are good and can win some games, but they need to get better in a few areas. MA also added some people that transferred that were out a few weeks and they look like they are one of those teams that could be oplaying really well at the end of the season when it counts. Still the MA v SHP game is intriguing.
jordan - was surprised to hear Riordan frosh roster is at 57 [if accurate]. That's certainly a good turn-out if it holds up going into year 2. Traditionally in past up to 1/3rd of frosh players call it a day after their frosh year and never suit up again.
Would agree M-A vs SHP could be tight or could also be a derailment of SHP by M-A which is more what I expect with their #1 QB having returned. I'm not sure Palma's win over M-A was a fluke other than M-A missing its starting QB at the time. Looking back at the game & records since it was by far the best game Palma played this season & it was the worst game for M-A. A rematch would likely see a different result as M-A seems to be hitting their stride & could be dangerous in the playoffs.
Would agree M-A vs SHP could be tight or could also be a derailment of SHP by M-A which is more what I expect with their #1 QB having returned. I'm not sure Palma's win over M-A was a fluke other than M-A missing its starting QB at the time. Looking back at the game & records since it was by far the best game Palma played this season & it was the worst game for M-A. A rematch would likely see a different result as M-A seems to be hitting their stride & could be dangerous in the playoffs.
On paper, when you examine the two rosters, M-A vs. SHP should not be close. Not only that, if you check their schedules so far, it's no comparison. M-A has played a tougher schedule for sure. If SHP manages to pull off an upset (or even keeps it relatively close in the final period and loses), it would be a surprise.
Rmbr, 1/3 attrition is about right re Frosh teams. This year’s Crusader Frosh played SRV tough and were handled by Los Gatos. SRV has one 2 OT loss and LG is undefeated. Their WCAL play has them losing by one score in their first defeats before losing to formidable Serra and SF the past few weeks.
WCAL Football 2018 - This Week's Upcoming Games 10/19
* Serra vs S.I. is broadcast on NFHS.network.com
at 7:00 PM tonite
Friday Nite Lites - Note start time for VC-Mitty
Valley Christian at Mitty 4:00 PM Foothill CC
SHC vs Riordan at Kezar 7:00 PM
St. Francis vs Bellarmine at SJJC 7:00 PM
St. Ignatius at Serra 7:00 PM
* Serra vs S.I. is broadcast on NFHS.network.com
at 7:00 PM tonite
Friday Nite Lites - Note start time for VC-Mitty
Valley Christian at Mitty 4:00 PM Foothill CC
SHC vs Riordan at Kezar 7:00 PM
St. Francis vs Bellarmine at SJJC 7:00 PM
St. Ignatius at Serra 7:00 PM
Last edited:
Similar threads
