As part of the first week of the Central Coast Section playoffs, Prep2Prep will be previewing each playoff bracket, releasing our previews throughout the week. This feature focuses on the Open Division III bracket.
OVERVIEW
Half Moon Bay has won back-to-back Division V titles as a member of the PAL Ocean Division. Moving up to the Bay Division presented a new set of challenges, and the Cougars passed every test. Half Moon Bay became the first team to complete an undefeated season in the Bay Division after being promoted, and will now look to run to the Division III title.
That being said, Division III presents a new set of challenges for the Cougars. Not only is the competition going to be incredibly fierce, Half Moon Bay’s running game has taken a hit as star running back Chase Hofmann’s workload has been limited due to a broken hand. The Cougars responded by opening up the passing game on Friday, with Gavin Tomberlin completing 15 of 21 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. Since a 3-for-13 performance against Menlo-Atherton, Tomberlin has excelled, completing over 65 percent of his passes while running a complex option as well.
As difficult as knocking off Half Moon Bay could be, the rest of the field is likely elated that Valley Christian is now large enough for Division II. Aptos won section titles from 2013 to 2015, but has not won one of the three Open Divisions. Having finished second in their first year in the MBL Gabilan Division, the Mariners have claimed the second seed.
The 4-5 matchup should be particularly intriguing as it has potential to be one of the closest in the region. Sacred Heart Cathedral went 6-4 in Barry McLaughlin’s first year as head coach and capped off WCAL play with an impressive win over Mitty. Live Oak travels to meet the Fightin’ Irish at Kezar Stadium on Friday.
The Division III field includes a pair of league matchups. Half Moon Bay hosts eighth-seeded Burlingame and will try to replicate its performance against one of the section’s best defenses. Burlingame has only allowed two teams over 20 points all year, but one of those was the Cougars, who pulled away late to score 39. Palma will host Seaside at Rabobank Stadium in a rematch of a 31-23 Palma victory from October 27.
HMB and Burlingame aren’t the only Bay Division teams in the field. Terra Nova, which snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Burlingame last Thursday, will travel to Aptos. Terra Nova owns a 28-17 win over Salinas, and Salinas beat Aptos to win the MBL Gabilan title.
Click here for the full printable bracket.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Half Moon Bay RB/SS Chase Hofmann, Half Moon Bay QB Gavin Tomberlin, Half Moon Bay WR/K/KR Dylan Williams, Half Moon Bay CB Sean Fitzgerald, Half Moon Bay WR/FS Hayden Von Almen, Half Moon Bay OLB/T Arron Baird, Aptos RB/S Will Murphy, Aptos CB Blake Wheeler, Aptos QB/FS Marcos Reyes, Aptos RB/ILB Shane Modena
Palma RB Anthony Villegas, Palma QB Grant Sergent, Palma TE/LB Dominic Scattini, Palma WR/CB Jon-Jon Berring, Sacred Heart Cathedral QB Will Irons, Sacred Heart Cathedral WR/CB Areon Mitchell, Sacred Heart Cathedral WR/K Ronan Orford, Sacred Heart Cathedral RB/CB Anthony Heard
Live Oak QB Jonathan Singleton, Live Oak RB/DB AJ Gustaveson, Live Oak LB/TE Jaime Martinez, Live Oak CB/RB Cole Davis, Seaside RB/DE/OLB DeMarcus Hawkins, Seaside QB/CB James Davis, Seaside WR Roderick Gaskins, Seaside CB Daniel Sayre
Terra Nova QB Nathan Gordon, Terra Nova WR Jackson Kubal, Terra Nova RB/SS Brandon Auelua, Terra Nova CB/WR Richard Walls, Burlingame RB/CB Savaun Brown, Burlingame FB/MLB Alec Meredith, Burlingame WR/CB Dimitri Rally, Burlingame TE/DE Dylan Neeley, Burlingame G/MLB John Dryden
SLEEPER TEAM
Considering the strength of the top two teams and the difficulty of ever referring to a WCAL team as a sleeper, Palma is the team that’s most likely to fly under the radar. The Chieftains’ early-season win over Menlo looks impressive as Palma won that game on the road in dominant fashion against a team that went on to win the PAL Ocean. Since a loss to Salinas, Palma has developed the ability to win tight games, including against first-round opponent Seaside, in which the Chieftains erased a ten-point deficit.
In a season-finale win over San Benito, Grant Sergent connected with Dominic Scattini on a 22-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds to win a back-and-forth affair, 29-27. The rugged competition that Palma faced at the start of the season is paying dividends for a Chieftains team that is heating up at the right time.
TITLE GAME PREDICTION
Half Moon Bay over Aptos
