WCAL FOOTBALL : Omission of WCAL's MVP from NorCal Top 50 list [??]
- Thread starter Rmbr26
- Start date
jordan or any other Riordan fan: Question - there have been numerous posts regarding no creativity & the predictability of Riordan's offense the last 2 seasons - primarily not taking advantage of some of the quality athletes Riordan had. So this year Riordan returns a good portion of the skill players from last season. How do you see the new coach Kevin Fordon and his approach to a new offensive scheme? I like his past credentials & lots of experience so he likely has many ideas of change for this season. Will his past position of Defensive Coordinator hinder any new offense plans?
I just spotted this info about Coach Fordon & he looks to be a regular down to earth guy, which is just what Riordan needs.
http://www.riordanathletics.org/news/2015/8/14/FB_0814155131.aspx
I posted this yesterday, below is the Riordan Media Session at the recent MaxPreps/USA Football Media Day held at Levi's stadium. Serra, Bellarmine, Jesuit and DLS were just some of the schools that participated. Some of the items he touches on are the strength of this year's team, his offensive and defensive philosophy, how he's leveraged his relationships with Serra's Coach Walsh and DLS' Coach Lad and Alumbaugh, his new coaches, roster size and the tie-in with Rugby (a la 49er Jarred Hayne).
http://www.maxpreps.com/high-school...rusaders-(san-francisco,ca)/football/home.htm
FUBO mentioned this when Fordon was first named HC, but the returning players are thrilled to have him on as the new head coach. Bottom line: His ultimate focus is bringing up the entire football program to compete every year for a title as it was done in the 70's, 80's early 90's. Not much "transition" as he was there last season. Administration, New AD, Parents and Alumni like ex Niners Eric Wright and Donald Strickland, BAHOF/Denver Bronco Steve Sewell, USC Track Star Tony Miller, Stanford grad Tyrone McGraw have all stepped up lending support. Also mention of the feeder teams like the SF Warriors and SF Seahawks and incoming frosh who were conditioning/training with the varsity during the summer.
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Nice story with SHC's Ken Peralta and his team using the Shadowman tackling tool. Interesting that this tool was originally used for rugby tackling drills.
http://fb.me/4vPVG3zW7
http://fb.me/4vPVG3zW7
John Devine of the monterey herald tweeted that Wesley Johnson is out for the season for Palma. Says its because of a medical condition. Junior WR Blanco will probably be on the field a lot more now.
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hookup55 - FYI had to google Wesley Johnson as with most fans unless you post the team or follow that team/league most readers of the board will have no idea who you're referring to. So quick question: the Maxpreps website says Wesley Johnson has been added to the Palma JV roster, which I'm guessing is a mistake. Other thing on MaxPreps is the recent Palma rosters have been removed along with all team stats from last season[?].
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Wesley started at WR last season for Palma. He is sitting out of football as precaution and hopefully he will be fine. This seems to be bringing the team even closer as they will be playing for him this season. Junior Blanco will probably move into that position, and he was the leading JV receiver. He has good speed, runs very nice routes and has good hands. He also has some size and a good downfield blocker. Junior Wahl the other candidate is also a very good receiver and they also have some seniors in the equation. I think the juniors would be in the mix anyways so probably not a big overall impact. Not to discount Wesley who is a big possession receiver and good blocker. Many toughts and prayers are with him for a speedy recovery.
WCAL 2015 Football Projected League Finish:
First off I just read "SportsStars" NorCal Top 20 Rankings and night & day different from NCP's [I like NCP's Top 20 better of the 2 rankings]. Now this is simply for the 8 teams of the WCAL and the easy thing would be to go with the projected finishers based upon last season's ending records and which skill players & starters return [which receive the most weight in projecting the teams pre-season]. The WCAL is a different league this season based upon my observations [if they're correct that is]. Before I go further here are the teams ending records for the 2014 season:
Bells 10-3 Finish as highest ranked WCAL team #2 in CCS.
Valley Christian - 9-3 Finish as 2nd highest ranked WCAL team as #3 in CCS.
Serra 7-4 Tied with VC for WCAL Champs, but bad loss in CCS Open round-1, finish #7 in CCS rankings.
St. Francis 9-4 Tied for 4th in WCAL, Won Div. II, ranked as #8 in CCS.
Mitty 8-5 Tied for 4th in WCAL, ranked #9 in CCS.
St. Ignatius 7-6 for 5th place in WCAL, lots of close losses, ends season ranked #11 in CCS.
Riordan 1-9 for 7th plce in WCAL via upset win over SHC ends season ranked #20 in CCS.
SHC 3-7 for 8th place in WCAL with 3 pre-season wins then 0-7 in league, #19 in CCS.
What the conventional projected rankings indicate & forecast:
#1 Bells
#2 VC
#3 Serra
#4 SF
#5 Mitty
#6 SI
#7 SHC
#8 Riordan
Rmbr26 "Unconventional" Prediction of League Finish:
As I mentioned above this is a slightly different WCAL this season. The reason I say that is that in recent years we've seen essentially a 2-tier league with 4 good teams at the top battling for the league title and then 4 not so good teams in the lower tier 4 teams. I don't say that as insulting as generally the 5th & 6th place teams are quite good, just not good enough to finish above 5th & 6th in the WCAL [after all Mitty & SI both did play for Div. II & Div. III titles last year, but unfortunately both lost. There is very little that separates the best teams of the WCAL from the also-rans. There are many close games & the teams that can close out the close ones generally finish at the top [see Bellarmine]. This season I happen to see the WCAL as possibly a 3 tier league this time around, with Bells, VC, Serra, SF at the top tier, then perhaps Mitty and the 6th place team [more on that below] and then the 2 lowest teams at 7th & 8th position/place. Overall the WCAL appears to be stronger this year than the last 2 seasons. OK, so nobody asked for it, but here goes for the 2015 League Predictions:
1] Serra: it is a close call between Serra & the "favored by everyone Bells". In reviewing the stats & players and last year's meeting between the 2 teams they both largely return much of those same teams. All Serra's wins were by double digits incl, the win over the Bells. If Serra can hang onto the ball & not self destruct with 3-5 turn-overs per game they win.
2] Bellarmine: Tons of talent, lots of starters return & speed, speed & more speed. So how could I pick Serra over the Bells? In a straight player by player comparison the Bells appear to have the better offense [as they would against most teams in NorCal]. On the defensive side of the ball Serra appears to have the edge. Bells have a lot, but Serra appears to have just a bit more. Bells won 5 games in 2014 by 3-points in each game.
3] St. Francis: returning QB, good depth and 2 close losses which would have made Lancers 11-2 last season. Closed out 2014 with impressive win over Mitty to win Div. II. My 2015 "Dark Horse" for WCAL crown.
4] Valley Christian: lots of high rankings again this pre-season and only 2nd to Bells in most rankings projections.
This was the case also in 2013 & 2014 which were somewhat disappointing season's for the VC Warrior's. Warrior's had 4 exceptional RB's in 2014 and a 2nd year QB. This season they have 1 of those RB's returning & a new QB. Both JV & Frosh were strong teams at their levels, but can VC be better than 2014?
5] Mitty: by default Mitty comes in between the upper ranked tier teams and possibly the lower 3. There is a question of course of whether the talented QB transfer from Fremont will step in & perform as he did last season. WCAL teams don't pass much & this is a new system for one Philip Tran, so possibly a difficult transition.
6] Riordan: yes I have Riordan Crusader's at #6 and NO I am not drinking [yet]. Riordan has a returning QB who is capable and a number of other talented skill players, a relatively full roster AND a new coach which spells improvement at every level. If the Crusader's are going to turn the corner anytime soon this is it. They must win the close games this time around & want it more than the other team. Mantra this season Crusader players & coaches - "one game at a time, one game a a time, one game at a time".....each one counts, each one counts, each one counts...
7] St. Ignatius: everything points to a rebuilding year for S.I. this season. SI finished 7-6 last season losing many close games [but still losing]. The St. Mary's game was unbelieveable and showed what they were capable at their highest level. SI loses vertually all their skill players including the best throwing QB in the WCAL in Ryan Hagfeldt as well as the WCAL's best kicker. Lack of experience on both O & D are def concerns. As for QB the listed back-up for 2014 is shown as not attempting a single pass - which is 1-less than the projected SHC QB [all coaches note: put back-up QB in whenever possible].
8] SHC: Sorry Irish, but with 2 consecutive losses to Riordan it just doesn;t look like it gets any easier this season. SHC has the least amount of varsity players returning at 14, which is less than 1/2 that of some upper tier teams. SHC has a number of quality returning players particularly at RB [but are there enough of them?]. In a nutshell SHC seems to be lacking in sheer numbers in terms of talent. Logan White will be missed ie: as with Ryan Hagfeldt's back-up as SHC coaches also felt their back-up QB didn't need to attempt more than one pass in 2014. Simply said the Irish need more horses & a QB with varsity experience at this level. I root for the Irish whevever possible so maybe they'll prove me wrong.
First off I just read "SportsStars" NorCal Top 20 Rankings and night & day different from NCP's [I like NCP's Top 20 better of the 2 rankings]. Now this is simply for the 8 teams of the WCAL and the easy thing would be to go with the projected finishers based upon last season's ending records and which skill players & starters return [which receive the most weight in projecting the teams pre-season]. The WCAL is a different league this season based upon my observations [if they're correct that is]. Before I go further here are the teams ending records for the 2014 season:
Bells 10-3 Finish as highest ranked WCAL team #2 in CCS.
Valley Christian - 9-3 Finish as 2nd highest ranked WCAL team as #3 in CCS.
Serra 7-4 Tied with VC for WCAL Champs, but bad loss in CCS Open round-1, finish #7 in CCS rankings.
St. Francis 9-4 Tied for 4th in WCAL, Won Div. II, ranked as #8 in CCS.
Mitty 8-5 Tied for 4th in WCAL, ranked #9 in CCS.
St. Ignatius 7-6 for 5th place in WCAL, lots of close losses, ends season ranked #11 in CCS.
Riordan 1-9 for 7th plce in WCAL via upset win over SHC ends season ranked #20 in CCS.
SHC 3-7 for 8th place in WCAL with 3 pre-season wins then 0-7 in league, #19 in CCS.
What the conventional projected rankings indicate & forecast:
#1 Bells
#2 VC
#3 Serra
#4 SF
#5 Mitty
#6 SI
#7 SHC
#8 Riordan
Rmbr26 "Unconventional" Prediction of League Finish:
As I mentioned above this is a slightly different WCAL this season. The reason I say that is that in recent years we've seen essentially a 2-tier league with 4 good teams at the top battling for the league title and then 4 not so good teams in the lower tier 4 teams. I don't say that as insulting as generally the 5th & 6th place teams are quite good, just not good enough to finish above 5th & 6th in the WCAL [after all Mitty & SI both did play for Div. II & Div. III titles last year, but unfortunately both lost. There is very little that separates the best teams of the WCAL from the also-rans. There are many close games & the teams that can close out the close ones generally finish at the top [see Bellarmine]. This season I happen to see the WCAL as possibly a 3 tier league this time around, with Bells, VC, Serra, SF at the top tier, then perhaps Mitty and the 6th place team [more on that below] and then the 2 lowest teams at 7th & 8th position/place. Overall the WCAL appears to be stronger this year than the last 2 seasons. OK, so nobody asked for it, but here goes for the 2015 League Predictions:
1] Serra: it is a close call between Serra & the "favored by everyone Bells". In reviewing the stats & players and last year's meeting between the 2 teams they both largely return much of those same teams. All Serra's wins were by double digits incl, the win over the Bells. If Serra can hang onto the ball & not self destruct with 3-5 turn-overs per game they win.
2] Bellarmine: Tons of talent, lots of starters return & speed, speed & more speed. So how could I pick Serra over the Bells? In a straight player by player comparison the Bells appear to have the better offense [as they would against most teams in NorCal]. On the defensive side of the ball Serra appears to have the edge. Bells have a lot, but Serra appears to have just a bit more. Bells won 5 games in 2014 by 3-points in each game.
3] St. Francis: returning QB, good depth and 2 close losses which would have made Lancers 11-2 last season. Closed out 2014 with impressive win over Mitty to win Div. II. My 2015 "Dark Horse" for WCAL crown.
4] Valley Christian: lots of high rankings again this pre-season and only 2nd to Bells in most rankings projections.
This was the case also in 2013 & 2014 which were somewhat disappointing season's for the VC Warrior's. Warrior's had 4 exceptional RB's in 2014 and a 2nd year QB. This season they have 1 of those RB's returning & a new QB. Both JV & Frosh were strong teams at their levels, but can VC be better than 2014?
5] Mitty: by default Mitty comes in between the upper ranked tier teams and possibly the lower 3. There is a question of course of whether the talented QB transfer from Fremont will step in & perform as he did last season. WCAL teams don't pass much & this is a new system for one Philip Tran, so possibly a difficult transition.
6] Riordan: yes I have Riordan Crusader's at #6 and NO I am not drinking [yet]. Riordan has a returning QB who is capable and a number of other talented skill players, a relatively full roster AND a new coach which spells improvement at every level. If the Crusader's are going to turn the corner anytime soon this is it. They must win the close games this time around & want it more than the other team. Mantra this season Crusader players & coaches - "one game at a time, one game a a time, one game at a time".....each one counts, each one counts, each one counts...
7] St. Ignatius: everything points to a rebuilding year for S.I. this season. SI finished 7-6 last season losing many close games [but still losing]. The St. Mary's game was unbelieveable and showed what they were capable at their highest level. SI loses vertually all their skill players including the best throwing QB in the WCAL in Ryan Hagfeldt as well as the WCAL's best kicker. Lack of experience on both O & D are def concerns. As for QB the listed back-up for 2014 is shown as not attempting a single pass - which is 1-less than the projected SHC QB [all coaches note: put back-up QB in whenever possible].
8] SHC: Sorry Irish, but with 2 consecutive losses to Riordan it just doesn;t look like it gets any easier this season. SHC has the least amount of varsity players returning at 14, which is less than 1/2 that of some upper tier teams. SHC has a number of quality returning players particularly at RB [but are there enough of them?]. In a nutshell SHC seems to be lacking in sheer numbers in terms of talent. Logan White will be missed ie: as with Ryan Hagfeldt's back-up as SHC coaches also felt their back-up QB didn't need to attempt more than one pass in 2014. Simply said the Irish need more horses & a QB with varsity experience at this level. I root for the Irish whevever possible so maybe they'll prove me wrong.
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It would not be a surprise if sophs had a more significant impact overall in the WCAL this season than normally. Several schools (SHC in particular) will rely on new young players to have an immediate impact.
New Riordan HC Kevin Fordon has stated in recent interviews that he will be using a no-huddle spread this season that takes advantage of Riordan's skill players.
This is bucking the traditional WCAL offensive schemes of grind it out, clock-consuming run offenses. Reading Rmbr's analysis of the other WCAL teams, it seems VC, Mitty and possibly Serra will be taking it to the air a bit more to in order to utilize their offensive strengths.
Here's my take:
Bellarmine: 80/20 Run heavy, full house/wing T backfield at times that also has the qb (Martig) as a running threat. Play action to free up Macauley in space.
Serra: 60/40 Run first, option heavy also taking advantage of Nunn's skillset. Perhaps Piston set used at times?
VC: 70/30 Run vs Pass - utilizing VC's Morian Walker and Akil Jones at RB and using Colin Johnson as possession receiver and in the red zone.
SF: 70/30 using SF's returning RB and speed RBs up from JVs. Akina will be used to keep the other teams honest by well-timed qb runs and throwing deep to Darius Thomas at times as well as using his TE.
Mitty: 80/20 run using the Monarchs bruising returning RBs. 60/40 Pass if Tran earns the starting spot upon eligibility. But who does he throw to with the likes of Dakari Monroe graduated?
SI: 80/20 run conservative offense with not many key returning impact players as it relies on its traditional stout defense to keep the 'Cats in every game.
SHC: 85/15 run using full house/wing T backfield as Peralta did during his days at Riordan. Execute efficiently on a finite set of plays with an occasional pass to keep defense from stacking the box. Excellent RB in Sheppard. Will need other RBs to step up (possibly the soph(s)?) Should use Murphy in the backfield this season if qb situation is problematic.
Riordan: 65/35 Pass No-huddle spread offense with option of using a thunder (Jamarian Caston 6-0 225lbs) or lightning (Raymone Sanders 5-8 160lbs) type of RB in the backfield. Coach Fordon instilled this offense while coaching at Concord High and DVC. Returning alum and UCLA grad Darius Bell will be the QB coach. Brings experience as he ran both the spread and pistol offense and played QB and H-Back for the Bruins. Pistol/Read Option could also be used to exploit Luavasa's skillset.
This is bucking the traditional WCAL offensive schemes of grind it out, clock-consuming run offenses. Reading Rmbr's analysis of the other WCAL teams, it seems VC, Mitty and possibly Serra will be taking it to the air a bit more to in order to utilize their offensive strengths.
Here's my take:
Bellarmine: 80/20 Run heavy, full house/wing T backfield at times that also has the qb (Martig) as a running threat. Play action to free up Macauley in space.
Serra: 60/40 Run first, option heavy also taking advantage of Nunn's skillset. Perhaps Piston set used at times?
VC: 70/30 Run vs Pass - utilizing VC's Morian Walker and Akil Jones at RB and using Colin Johnson as possession receiver and in the red zone.
SF: 70/30 using SF's returning RB and speed RBs up from JVs. Akina will be used to keep the other teams honest by well-timed qb runs and throwing deep to Darius Thomas at times as well as using his TE.
Mitty: 80/20 run using the Monarchs bruising returning RBs. 60/40 Pass if Tran earns the starting spot upon eligibility. But who does he throw to with the likes of Dakari Monroe graduated?
SI: 80/20 run conservative offense with not many key returning impact players as it relies on its traditional stout defense to keep the 'Cats in every game.
SHC: 85/15 run using full house/wing T backfield as Peralta did during his days at Riordan. Execute efficiently on a finite set of plays with an occasional pass to keep defense from stacking the box. Excellent RB in Sheppard. Will need other RBs to step up (possibly the soph(s)?) Should use Murphy in the backfield this season if qb situation is problematic.
Riordan: 65/35 Pass No-huddle spread offense with option of using a thunder (Jamarian Caston 6-0 225lbs) or lightning (Raymone Sanders 5-8 160lbs) type of RB in the backfield. Coach Fordon instilled this offense while coaching at Concord High and DVC. Returning alum and UCLA grad Darius Bell will be the QB coach. Brings experience as he ran both the spread and pistol offense and played QB and H-Back for the Bruins. Pistol/Read Option could also be used to exploit Luavasa's skillset.
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Rmbr26, great breakdown on all the teams.
Rmbr26, great breakdown as usual on all the teams.
Jordan24, I like the 70/30 for SF. SF would be smart to use Akina as a dual threat and to keep other teams off balance. SF has traditionally run the ball and then only started passing when that did not work. SF should pass early to set the tempo and get Akina in the game early with some QB runs. How well the Lancers do this year will come down to their defense. I'm looking forward to the Palma game. It will be my first time back at SF in a number of years.
Rmbr26, great breakdown as usual on all the teams.
Jordan24, I like the 70/30 for SF. SF would be smart to use Akina as a dual threat and to keep other teams off balance. SF has traditionally run the ball and then only started passing when that did not work. SF should pass early to set the tempo and get Akina in the game early with some QB runs. How well the Lancers do this year will come down to their defense. I'm looking forward to the Palma game. It will be my first time back at SF in a number of years.
[QUOTE="WCAL75, post: 36087, member: 1080
Rmbr26, great breakdown as usual on all the teams.
Jordan24, I like the 70/30 for SF. SF would be smart to use Akina as a dual threat and to keep other teams off balance. SF has traditionally run the ball and then only started passing when that did not work. SF should pass early to set the tempo and get Akina in the game early with some QB runs. How well the Lancers do this year will come down to their defense. I'm looking forward to the Palma game. It will be my first time back at SF in a number of years. [/QUOTE]
WCAL75 - Thanks for your comments as always. I think SF will be tough this season and may challenge for the #1 spot in WCAL. Good returning players and lots of depth and help from a very good JV team. As stated previously Akina was an extremely efficient QB last season. Akina completed nearly 60% of his passes, but attempted only 121 passes over a 13-game season or 9 attempts per game. In compariosn between Serra's 2 QB's they attempted 262 passes over an 11 game season or 23 attempts per game. If I were the O coach at SF I'd turn Akina loose this season.
Rmbr26, great breakdown as usual on all the teams.
Jordan24, I like the 70/30 for SF. SF would be smart to use Akina as a dual threat and to keep other teams off balance. SF has traditionally run the ball and then only started passing when that did not work. SF should pass early to set the tempo and get Akina in the game early with some QB runs. How well the Lancers do this year will come down to their defense. I'm looking forward to the Palma game. It will be my first time back at SF in a number of years. [/QUOTE]
WCAL75 - Thanks for your comments as always. I think SF will be tough this season and may challenge for the #1 spot in WCAL. Good returning players and lots of depth and help from a very good JV team. As stated previously Akina was an extremely efficient QB last season. Akina completed nearly 60% of his passes, but attempted only 121 passes over a 13-game season or 9 attempts per game. In compariosn between Serra's 2 QB's they attempted 262 passes over an 11 game season or 23 attempts per game. If I were the O coach at SF I'd turn Akina loose this season.
WCAL 2015 Football Teams Strength of Schedule for Regular Season Games:
1] St. Ignatius 34.3
2] Serra 32.5
3] Bells 31.8
4] Riordan 30.7
5] Mitty 30.2
6] SF 29.9
7] SHC 28.8
8] VC 28.6
All teams have strong pre-season schedules except for a very few games with the worst game scheduled as Serra vs SSF [50-0 last season]. Alternately the highest ranked team would of course be De La Salle whom Serra also plays [so the 2 games somewhat even out Serra's season strength of schedule].
Rating of WCAL Teams:
1] Bells = 42.8 Higher than 2014 [+.4]
2] Serra = 42.5 Higher [+5.1]
3] SF = 37.5 Higher [+.6]
4] VC = 31.9 Lower [-9.7]
5] Mitty = 21.9 Lower [-12.9] * No adjustment made for transfer Philip Tran
6] SI = 21.2 Lower [-11.1]
7] SHC = 18.3 Lower [-.5]
8] Riordan = 17.9 Higher [+2.7]
Pre-Season ratings/rankings are exactly that & whether by computer or human they can be fairly accurate or completely worthless depending on the source & opinion. Serra & Bells ranked somewhat similar though Serra shows a somewhat significant increase in rating. Sf remains about the same while VC, Mitty & SI show significant drops in overall team strength. SHC about the same while Riordan creeps up a bit more. Overall 3 tiers instead of the 2 tier WCAL we're used to seeing [if any of this holds true]. 2 at the top, 2 in the middle and 4 in the lowest tier at the bottom.
Non-League Games against Highest & Lowest rated opponents:
Bells vs Del Oro 44.4
Bells vs Franklin 44.3
Serra vs DLS 87.1 Highest rated opponent
Serra vs Notre Dame 49.2
Serra vs SSF minus -9.8 Lowest rated opponent
Mitty vs Palo Alto 13.4
SI vs Campolindo 47.7
SI vs St. Mary's 43.6
SHC vs Terra Nova 8.5
Riordan vs SHP 41.0
1] St. Ignatius 34.3
2] Serra 32.5
3] Bells 31.8
4] Riordan 30.7
5] Mitty 30.2
6] SF 29.9
7] SHC 28.8
8] VC 28.6
All teams have strong pre-season schedules except for a very few games with the worst game scheduled as Serra vs SSF [50-0 last season]. Alternately the highest ranked team would of course be De La Salle whom Serra also plays [so the 2 games somewhat even out Serra's season strength of schedule].
Rating of WCAL Teams:
1] Bells = 42.8 Higher than 2014 [+.4]
2] Serra = 42.5 Higher [+5.1]
3] SF = 37.5 Higher [+.6]
4] VC = 31.9 Lower [-9.7]
5] Mitty = 21.9 Lower [-12.9] * No adjustment made for transfer Philip Tran
6] SI = 21.2 Lower [-11.1]
7] SHC = 18.3 Lower [-.5]
8] Riordan = 17.9 Higher [+2.7]
Pre-Season ratings/rankings are exactly that & whether by computer or human they can be fairly accurate or completely worthless depending on the source & opinion. Serra & Bells ranked somewhat similar though Serra shows a somewhat significant increase in rating. Sf remains about the same while VC, Mitty & SI show significant drops in overall team strength. SHC about the same while Riordan creeps up a bit more. Overall 3 tiers instead of the 2 tier WCAL we're used to seeing [if any of this holds true]. 2 at the top, 2 in the middle and 4 in the lowest tier at the bottom.
Non-League Games against Highest & Lowest rated opponents:
Bells vs Del Oro 44.4
Bells vs Franklin 44.3
Serra vs DLS 87.1 Highest rated opponent
Serra vs Notre Dame 49.2
Serra vs SSF minus -9.8 Lowest rated opponent
Mitty vs Palo Alto 13.4
SI vs Campolindo 47.7
SI vs St. Mary's 43.6
SHC vs Terra Nova 8.5
Riordan vs SHP 41.0
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WCAL 2015 Football:
"SportsStars" high school sports magazine just published their Pre-Season All NorCal Team Selections which included 3 WCAL players. Collin Johnson 6'5-205 WR from Valley Christian is on the first team offense, while Billy Tuitavake 6'2-225 DL from Serra and Kevin Glajchen 6'3-220 LB from St. Francis are on defense. DLS had most players with 4 while Grant, Del Oro and Pitt each had 2 players.
"SportsStars" high school sports magazine just published their Pre-Season All NorCal Team Selections which included 3 WCAL players. Collin Johnson 6'5-205 WR from Valley Christian is on the first team offense, while Billy Tuitavake 6'2-225 DL from Serra and Kevin Glajchen 6'3-220 LB from St. Francis are on defense. DLS had most players with 4 while Grant, Del Oro and Pitt each had 2 players.
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Streamed via SF's website or one of the others? Some like NFHS network or The Cube are paid networks and require in advance registration. Either way that game will be worth watching.
WCAL 2015 Football - Preview of first games: Mitty vs Los Gatos
Game Friday night Sept. 4th at Los Gatos
Last Year's Game: Los Gatos 21-13 over Mitty
2014 Records = Mitty 8-5, Los Gatos 9-3
Mitty lost to LG with close losses to SF, Bells, VC & loss it Div. II Final to SF by 10.
LG lost to St. Mary's 35-32, Milpitas 27-21 & SHP 28-21
Mittty's JV Record for 2014 = 3-7
Los Gatos JV Rcord for 2014 = 8-1
Mitty's varsity returns more varsity players from last year's roster than LG.
Players to watch for Mitty: Derek Baurle - RB/KR [5'7 - 185] who will be one of the key players on offense for Mitty this season, Blake Flovin - LB/FB [6'1-210] Jacob Dewey - O/D-lines [5'11"-210], Matt Tofano - FB/LB [6'2-215]. On the line Mitty returns a number of good size linemen as well.
Players to watch for Los Gatos: Miles Beach 6'4-235 - TE/DL, Colt Doughty 6'2-235 - RB/LB, Jordan Howell 5'8-175 - RB/DB, Hunter Bigge 6'0-200 - QB [last year's back-up], Ryan Gault 5'11-165 - WR/RB, Harrison Hibbard 6'0-175 - WR/DB, Jake Holton 5'11-210 - LB/RB. LG returns 11 starters of which 7 are on Defense. LG also loses some offensive firepower with the departure of Dru Brown, Joey Wood & Nick Occhipinti. So LG starting out will not be as potent on offense, but retains a very solid D with added help from a very good JV team last season.
This is an important game for both teams taking into consideration what it means towards the rest of their seasons. Los Gatos is projected to win the De Anze League and go 8-2 over the regular season. In contrast Mitty is projected to finish 5th in the WCAL and projected to go 3-7 over the regular season. In 2014 Los Gatos scored an average of 36 points per game [PPG] while allowing just 14. Mitty scored an average of 27 PPG while allowing 17 PPG. So both teams had very good defensive teams last season while Mitty had difficulty scoring points in some games. That LG returns 7 defensive starters is not the best of news for Mitty fans.Who will lead the Monarch's at the QB position is not yet clear or if there is more than one option to go with in the event of trouble early in the game. The Mitty coaching changes may possibly be to Mitty's advantage if they use different formations or offensive schemes than LG saw with them last season. There is no doubt than LG is favored to win this game. Mitty will need to keep the score close with a strong defensive effort and will likely need more than 2 scores to have a chance to win. Certainly special teams and the kicking game could change everything for either team if Baurle of Mitty or Hibbard of LG should have a KO or punt return. LG will likely have an edge in passing with their back-up QB from last year Hunter Bigge who has some varsity experience. LG does have an inexperienced O-line so perhaps Mitty can exploit that and put pressure on Bigge. Should be an interesting game and set the tone for both teams moving forward.
Prediction: Los Gatos 17-14
Next Up: Riordan vs SHP
Game Friday night Sept. 4th at Los Gatos
Last Year's Game: Los Gatos 21-13 over Mitty
2014 Records = Mitty 8-5, Los Gatos 9-3
Mitty lost to LG with close losses to SF, Bells, VC & loss it Div. II Final to SF by 10.
LG lost to St. Mary's 35-32, Milpitas 27-21 & SHP 28-21
Mittty's JV Record for 2014 = 3-7
Los Gatos JV Rcord for 2014 = 8-1
Mitty's varsity returns more varsity players from last year's roster than LG.
Players to watch for Mitty: Derek Baurle - RB/KR [5'7 - 185] who will be one of the key players on offense for Mitty this season, Blake Flovin - LB/FB [6'1-210] Jacob Dewey - O/D-lines [5'11"-210], Matt Tofano - FB/LB [6'2-215]. On the line Mitty returns a number of good size linemen as well.
Players to watch for Los Gatos: Miles Beach 6'4-235 - TE/DL, Colt Doughty 6'2-235 - RB/LB, Jordan Howell 5'8-175 - RB/DB, Hunter Bigge 6'0-200 - QB [last year's back-up], Ryan Gault 5'11-165 - WR/RB, Harrison Hibbard 6'0-175 - WR/DB, Jake Holton 5'11-210 - LB/RB. LG returns 11 starters of which 7 are on Defense. LG also loses some offensive firepower with the departure of Dru Brown, Joey Wood & Nick Occhipinti. So LG starting out will not be as potent on offense, but retains a very solid D with added help from a very good JV team last season.
This is an important game for both teams taking into consideration what it means towards the rest of their seasons. Los Gatos is projected to win the De Anze League and go 8-2 over the regular season. In contrast Mitty is projected to finish 5th in the WCAL and projected to go 3-7 over the regular season. In 2014 Los Gatos scored an average of 36 points per game [PPG] while allowing just 14. Mitty scored an average of 27 PPG while allowing 17 PPG. So both teams had very good defensive teams last season while Mitty had difficulty scoring points in some games. That LG returns 7 defensive starters is not the best of news for Mitty fans.Who will lead the Monarch's at the QB position is not yet clear or if there is more than one option to go with in the event of trouble early in the game. The Mitty coaching changes may possibly be to Mitty's advantage if they use different formations or offensive schemes than LG saw with them last season. There is no doubt than LG is favored to win this game. Mitty will need to keep the score close with a strong defensive effort and will likely need more than 2 scores to have a chance to win. Certainly special teams and the kicking game could change everything for either team if Baurle of Mitty or Hibbard of LG should have a KO or punt return. LG will likely have an edge in passing with their back-up QB from last year Hunter Bigge who has some varsity experience. LG does have an inexperienced O-line so perhaps Mitty can exploit that and put pressure on Bigge. Should be an interesting game and set the tone for both teams moving forward.
Prediction: Los Gatos 17-14
Next Up: Riordan vs SHP
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New alternate Riordan home sites updated at WCAL.org.
http://wcalsports.org/docs/schedules/FB Composit.pdf
Sat 10/10 Riordan- Serra @ CCSF 1pm
Sat 10/17 Riordan-Bells @ Terra Nova 5pm
Sat 11/7 Riordan-SHC @ Terra Nova 5pm (Stanfel Cup)
Sat 11/14 Riordan-SF @ CCSF 1pm
http://wcalsports.org/docs/schedules/FB Composit.pdf
Sat 10/10 Riordan- Serra @ CCSF 1pm
Sat 10/17 Riordan-Bells @ Terra Nova 5pm
Sat 11/7 Riordan-SHC @ Terra Nova 5pm (Stanfel Cup)
Sat 11/14 Riordan-SF @ CCSF 1pm
Jordan - Did your jackrabbits ever play at CCSF (just across the street) in previous years? I'd figure it would be a much better venue than what you've got like SJCC (Bells) and Foothill (Mitty). Bells used to play at Buck Shaw at SCU back in the 80's.
By the way, from what I recall, your viewing stand/bleachers (single side only) appear to be much further away from the field than your typical HS stand. Is this correct? From a few years ago, I just remember I wanted to "clock" one particular parent/fan for being rather "obnoxious"...Yes, he was wearing purple.
Here's an earler post regarding 3 WCAL players on "SportsStars" All NorCal list. Below is a link to see the entire selection list. There is a slide bar at bottom of article to enlarge if too small.
http://issuu.com/sportstars/docs/baxaugx20/25?e=1796071/14900276
They've played at CCSF before. SHC played them in 2009 and either 2001 or 2002.
Los Gatos lost quite a bit to graduation on the offensive side of the ball. Their starting QB Brown, their leading rusher Wood, and their leading receiver Wilcox so it is definitely reload time on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively they return a majority of their LBs and defensive linemen from a defense that allowed 168 rushing yards to Mitty last year. Out of the returning defensive starters Doughty was the LB of the year in the DeAnza and second team all Merc definitely a player to watch this year. Three others were all league so look for LG to be pretty stingy giving up rushing yards this year.
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Ted,
Yes. The "jackrabbits" used to play their home games in the late 70's, possibly into 1980, as my cousin played their home games @ City College. We used to tailgate at Buck Shaw when we played Bellarmine before they moved to SJCC. Mitty will be playing some of their home games on campus this season including the WCAL opener with the Crusaders, err Jackrabbits. I understand the Riordan Administration is looking at a cork-based infill alternative for its proposed new field on the Phelan Ave. campus as there is concern of the potential hazardous emissions from the rubber pellet-based-infill made up of recycled tires that are present at most field turf sites.
Yes, the stands remain the same @ CCSF (single-sided), but the field is now field turf. I'm sure with the single sided stands there will be plenty of obnoxious fans from both sides you can "clock". Hey, maybe you'll luck out and have PurpleHaze sitting in front of you! Lol!
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Bay Area Edition SportsStars - "CCS Preview of WCAL"
Not able to provide a link for article which was not big, but thought worth posting a few key comments from the article.
The Serra program sanctioned by now former Commissioner Nancy Lazenby-Blaser after a Serra forfeit of a post-season consolation game [a game that would have been Serra's 14th of the season & one that had no real post season significance].
Bellarmine coach Janda has the luxury of returning 13 starters from last season's 10-3 team with new talent up from last season's 9-1 JV team.
St. Francis returns its QB, leading rusher, leading tackler & their top 2-way player from last season.
More than one WCAL coach interviewed expressed concern about an up & coming Riordan of S.F. team this season.
Serra features a dynamic tailback in 3-year player Kelepi Lataimua and returns its starting QB from the first half of last season in junior Siteleki Nunn.
Nunn will have some big targets in returning WR's Brandon Monroe [6'2], Rory Uniacke [6'3], Hunter Bishop [6'4] and Charlie Quinn [6'4]. Serra will feature one of the WCAL's best DE tandems in Billy Tuitavake [6'3-240 and Kwami Jones [6'3-225].
Not able to provide a link for article which was not big, but thought worth posting a few key comments from the article.
The Serra program sanctioned by now former Commissioner Nancy Lazenby-Blaser after a Serra forfeit of a post-season consolation game [a game that would have been Serra's 14th of the season & one that had no real post season significance].
Bellarmine coach Janda has the luxury of returning 13 starters from last season's 10-3 team with new talent up from last season's 9-1 JV team.
St. Francis returns its QB, leading rusher, leading tackler & their top 2-way player from last season.
More than one WCAL coach interviewed expressed concern about an up & coming Riordan of S.F. team this season.
Serra features a dynamic tailback in 3-year player Kelepi Lataimua and returns its starting QB from the first half of last season in junior Siteleki Nunn.
Nunn will have some big targets in returning WR's Brandon Monroe [6'2], Rory Uniacke [6'3], Hunter Bishop [6'4] and Charlie Quinn [6'4]. Serra will feature one of the WCAL's best DE tandems in Billy Tuitavake [6'3-240 and Kwami Jones [6'3-225].
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WCAL 2015 Football - Preview of first games: Riordan vs SHP
Game Friday Sept. 11th at SHP 3:00 p.m.
Last Year's Game: SHP 14-7 over Riordan
2014 Records = Riordan 1-0, SHP 13-0
Riordan also had close losses to Menlo Atherton by 21-20, St. Francis 25-23 and a win over SHC 14-7
SHP besides the Riordan game only had 2 other close games, by 27-21 over Salinas & 28-21 over Los Gatos - all other wins in 10 games by double-digits.
Riordan JV Record for 2014 = 2-8
SHP JV Rcord for 2014 = 3-7
Players to watch for Riordan: QB Jack Luavasa [6'2-220] both a capable passer and solid runner, Payton Ilalio - FB/G [5'11-230], Rocco Russell O/DL [5'10-195], Isiah Davis - WR [6'0-170], Mario Giusto - O/DL [6'0-280] and Aiden Verba-Hamilton - WR/KR [5'8-165], Raymone Sanders - RB/CB [5'8-160], Jamarian Caston RB/LB [6'0-225.
Players to watch for SHP: QB Mason Randall 6'2-185 one of the top passer's last season in the CCS completing 64% for over 2,000 yards,
RB Lapitu Mahoni 5'11-190 who rushed for 700 yards with a 5.2 APC. SHP's returns its 2 top WR's in Nick O'Donnell 6'4-190 [36/622 -17.3 APC] along with Andrew Daschbach 6'3-215 TE/LB [32/622 - 21.1 APC]. On defense Milan Baldini 6'3-210 O/DL & Cameron Dulsky 6'2-210 DE [Baldini & Dulsky accounted for 12 QB sacks between them]. SHP returns a number of other varsity players on defense who saw regular playing time as well. 9 starters from last season's undefeated team return.
Game Review: SHP will have one game already under their belts against Leland of San Jose which will likely be a slight advantage in its play execution. Riordan comes in rated slightly better than 2014 and SHP comes in rated slightly down. The difference however is still sunstancial with Riordan rated at 17.9 and SHP at 39.8. Riordan scored on average 14 points per game in '14 while allowing double that at approx. 28 PPG. SHP is the opposite having scored 32 PPG while allowing 15 PPG. Riordan is projected at 2-8 for the 2015 season while SHP is projected to run the table again in the rgular season at 10-0. There is no mystery as to what Riordan has to do in this game, which is score points. Riordan must score at least 20 points to have a shot in this game and pressure SHP's Randall when on defense. Of SHP's returning starters which is 9, 7 of these starters are on offense. SHP loses Ben Burr-Kirven to graduation so the primary RB is now Mahoni who Riordan should be able to contain.
Riordan's bigger concern is SHP's passing game with an accurate QB in Randall & several good & experienced WR's. SHP's defense lost a lot to graduation and should be susceptible if Riordan can establish a ground game against them early on. Then possibly that will open up the short passing game for the Crusader's. Riordan's returns its kicker from last seasoin in Dylan Ennis so perhaps that could play an important part in the game in regards to FG's & field position. This is rated as a "David & Goliath" game with one of the CCS top teams projected to go undefeated & the other projected to finish last in league and finish 2-8. As a side note I projected Riordan to finish 5th in WCAL this season and should give SHP a good game. In terms of a good game would be a game within 1 score or under double digits. This is a big challenge for Riordan and will resemble many of the WCAL league games they will play this season. Riordan's also returns a good core of players and with a year's varsity experience that will need to step up their game. QB Luavasa of course is the key in matching Randall in moving his team on the offensive side of the ball. Luavasa needs to be on target & avoid INT's which plagued him last season and run when the opportunity presents itself. Riordan must pressure Randall in pass situations & contain him when scrambling if under pressure.
Prediction: SHP 21 - 17
Next Up: Bells vs Franklin [Elk Grove]
Game Friday Sept. 11th at SHP 3:00 p.m.
Last Year's Game: SHP 14-7 over Riordan
2014 Records = Riordan 1-0, SHP 13-0
Riordan also had close losses to Menlo Atherton by 21-20, St. Francis 25-23 and a win over SHC 14-7
SHP besides the Riordan game only had 2 other close games, by 27-21 over Salinas & 28-21 over Los Gatos - all other wins in 10 games by double-digits.
Riordan JV Record for 2014 = 2-8
SHP JV Rcord for 2014 = 3-7
Players to watch for Riordan: QB Jack Luavasa [6'2-220] both a capable passer and solid runner, Payton Ilalio - FB/G [5'11-230], Rocco Russell O/DL [5'10-195], Isiah Davis - WR [6'0-170], Mario Giusto - O/DL [6'0-280] and Aiden Verba-Hamilton - WR/KR [5'8-165], Raymone Sanders - RB/CB [5'8-160], Jamarian Caston RB/LB [6'0-225.
Players to watch for SHP: QB Mason Randall 6'2-185 one of the top passer's last season in the CCS completing 64% for over 2,000 yards,
RB Lapitu Mahoni 5'11-190 who rushed for 700 yards with a 5.2 APC. SHP's returns its 2 top WR's in Nick O'Donnell 6'4-190 [36/622 -17.3 APC] along with Andrew Daschbach 6'3-215 TE/LB [32/622 - 21.1 APC]. On defense Milan Baldini 6'3-210 O/DL & Cameron Dulsky 6'2-210 DE [Baldini & Dulsky accounted for 12 QB sacks between them]. SHP returns a number of other varsity players on defense who saw regular playing time as well. 9 starters from last season's undefeated team return.
Game Review: SHP will have one game already under their belts against Leland of San Jose which will likely be a slight advantage in its play execution. Riordan comes in rated slightly better than 2014 and SHP comes in rated slightly down. The difference however is still sunstancial with Riordan rated at 17.9 and SHP at 39.8. Riordan scored on average 14 points per game in '14 while allowing double that at approx. 28 PPG. SHP is the opposite having scored 32 PPG while allowing 15 PPG. Riordan is projected at 2-8 for the 2015 season while SHP is projected to run the table again in the rgular season at 10-0. There is no mystery as to what Riordan has to do in this game, which is score points. Riordan must score at least 20 points to have a shot in this game and pressure SHP's Randall when on defense. Of SHP's returning starters which is 9, 7 of these starters are on offense. SHP loses Ben Burr-Kirven to graduation so the primary RB is now Mahoni who Riordan should be able to contain.
Riordan's bigger concern is SHP's passing game with an accurate QB in Randall & several good & experienced WR's. SHP's defense lost a lot to graduation and should be susceptible if Riordan can establish a ground game against them early on. Then possibly that will open up the short passing game for the Crusader's. Riordan's returns its kicker from last seasoin in Dylan Ennis so perhaps that could play an important part in the game in regards to FG's & field position. This is rated as a "David & Goliath" game with one of the CCS top teams projected to go undefeated & the other projected to finish last in league and finish 2-8. As a side note I projected Riordan to finish 5th in WCAL this season and should give SHP a good game. In terms of a good game would be a game within 1 score or under double digits. This is a big challenge for Riordan and will resemble many of the WCAL league games they will play this season. Riordan's also returns a good core of players and with a year's varsity experience that will need to step up their game. QB Luavasa of course is the key in matching Randall in moving his team on the offensive side of the ball. Luavasa needs to be on target & avoid INT's which plagued him last season and run when the opportunity presents itself. Riordan must pressure Randall in pass situations & contain him when scrambling if under pressure.
Prediction: SHP 21 - 17
Next Up: Bells vs Franklin [Elk Grove]
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Prediction: SHP 21 - 17
Rmbr, Great analysis and fair prediction, especially with the game @ SHP on a what should be a 80+degree afternoon. I believe you meant Ben Burr-Kiven as the departed senior, not Joey Wood. Both were beasts!
SHP will have a leg up in playing Leland the week before. Riordan could be at an advantage with the Crusaders now running a no-huddle spread offense as well as being able to scout the Gators-Leland game. SHP will have to respect the run as Sanders gained 140 yards on the ground last year and the entire starting O-line returns Limiting turnovers and execution will be the keys to this game. SHP was at Riordan scouting last year's scrimmage against Burlingame, I am sure SHP's coaching staff will be there tomorrow night.
Rmbr, Great analysis and fair prediction, especially with the game @ SHP on a what should be a 80+degree afternoon. I believe you meant Ben Burr-Kiven as the departed senior, not Joey Wood. Both were beasts!
SHP will have a leg up in playing Leland the week before. Riordan could be at an advantage with the Crusaders now running a no-huddle spread offense as well as being able to scout the Gators-Leland game. SHP will have to respect the run as Sanders gained 140 yards on the ground last year and the entire starting O-line returns Limiting turnovers and execution will be the keys to this game. SHP was at Riordan scouting last year's scrimmage against Burlingame, I am sure SHP's coaching staff will be there tomorrow night.
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Randall vs. Riordan's pass defense will be the key for SHP. In last year's game, down 14-7 late in the 4th quarter, Riordan needed a stop to get the ball back. But Randall made a completion on a crucial 4th down play to keep the chains and clock moving, enabling them to hold on for the win. Check out the highlights from last year :
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I am going to go with Riordan in this matchup with SHP. I have alot of respect for SHP in how they performed last year and the previous year. I thought there would be no way possible for them to win the open, which they did. I think Burr Kirven was more important to that team than you could imagine. He will be missed big time and while still talented, they are not even close to the same without him. Riordan has some experience coming back, mainly in the trenches that can take pressure off the qb and get Sanders loose. I see Riordan pulling this one out 28-21.
Seriously....What the hell are you jackrabbits smoking these days?????
The delusions just get worse year after year...
The delusions just get worse year after year...
Ted Smithers, the origin of the "Riordan Rabbit" err Jackrabbit nickname - A cartoon back in the day called Crusader Rabbit:
https://www.facebook.com/Archbishop...81779061262/10152981776616262/?type=1&theater
I remember watching that cartoon. Today, the ACLU would be screeching "church & state" at us.
