With just two weeks left in the regular season, much of the focus around the Central Coast Section will be on games with league title implications, including the huge showdown between Palma and Aptos, which is included in Harold Abend’s NorCal Games of the Week feature. The battles for first place aren’t the only things to watch, though, as there are also playoff spots up for grabs and a handful of games that should entertain regardless of what’s at stake.
No. 19 Los Gatos (6-3, 3-2 SCVAL De Anza) @ No. 6 Palo Alto (7-1, 3-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
With Wilcox atop the SCVAL De Anza Division, second place comes down to this game. A Palo Alto win would secure the spot for the Vikings and likely drop Los Gatos to fourth due to the Wildcats’ loss to Milpitas, but should LG win this matchup for a sixth straight year, there’s room for a three-way tie that could create all kinds of chaos in the playoff picture. Our latest projections have all three teams in the Division I field, though there is a possibility that a domino effect sends Palo Alto down to Division II. Regardless, the winner of this one will have a better seed, and will likely open the postseason at home.
No. 17 Lincoln (6-1, 5-0 BVAL Mt. Hamilton) @ Oak Grove (5-3, 4-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Oak Grove’s Senior Night has been earmarked as a huge game ever since Lincoln started to rise in the Mt. Hamilton Division, but few would have expected the host Eagles to be the ones looking up in the standings. After last week’s surprising homecoming loss to Leland, Oak Grove now needs a victory to tie Lincoln atop the standings. Justin Munday completed 10 of 17 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns in that loss, and the Eagles will almost certainly end up throwing for far more yardage than the Lions, as Lincoln likes to ground and pound to victory. That being said, Oak Grove can run as well, as Isaiah Fernandez did for a 48-yard touchdown in the final minutes last week before a two-point conversion was stopped to give the Chargers the win. Simultaneously, Lincoln was squeaking out a 27-24 win over Live Oak, with Josiah Villegas forcing a goal-line fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Xavian Turner for a game-sealing touchback.
No. 14 Sacred Heart Prep (7-1, 2-1 PAL Bay) @ No. 11 Terra Nova (7-1, 2-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
The battle for second place in the PAL Bay Division and a better seed in the CCS Division III bracket will go down Friday night in Pacifica between two teams that have put up extremely similar results despite playing wildly contrasting styles. Both have early-season wins over Carlmont (21-6 for SHP and 21-10 for Terra Nova), both beat Aragon comfortably (SHP 36-14, Terra Nova 49-7) and both have their lone loss against Menlo-Atherton (SHP 30-0 last week, Terra Nova 30-8). Not only is a higher seed on the line, but that better seed may also mean avoiding Aptos until the championship. Of course, if Valley Christian ends up in Division III, the bracket becomes an entirely different can of worms, but the winner of this showdown will certainly have a better shot at home field against some of the southern powers of the section. SHP has won four straight meetings, including the Gators’ lone league win last year.
No. 25 Piedmont Hills (4-4, 4-1 BVAL Mt. Hamilton) @ No. 25 Leland (4-4, 3-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Fresh off of facing Live Oak’s Jonathan Singleton and Oak Grove’s Justin Munday, the Chargers will have to face a third straight outstanding quarterback when Piedmont Hills rolls into the neighborhood, led by reigning league MVP Gabriel Reclusado. Since putting the kibosh on plans to turn him into more of a running back, the Pirates have excelled, winning four of five league games. What once looked like a disappointing season for Piedmont Hills has now turned into one where the Pirates have a chance at a share of the league title, should they beat the Chargers and close out the season with a victory over Lincoln. To do so, the recipe is simple: they have to score. Piedmont Hills has put up at least 46 points in each win, while being held to 39 or fewer in four losses. While Reclusado has quite the reputation, junior Carson Yates has been established as a heck of a player for Leland. In last week’s win at Oak Grove, he delivered a coming-of-age performance with 170 passing yards and 106 rushing yards, with all four of his team’s touchdowns coming on runs.
Willow Glen (5-3, 3-2 BVAL Santa Teresa) @ No. 22 Del Mar (6-2, 3-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
With Independence currently atop the Santa Teresa Division standings, the battle for the next three spots is wide-open, and as of late, Willow Glen has come on strong. Yes, the Rams did lose last week to Overfelt, but both of their league losses have been tight games, and no team in the league has kept Independence closer than WG did, falling 28-15. Even in last week’s loss to Overfelt, running back Tyler Hawkins was stellar, with 141 yards on 23 carries. Del Mar, on the other hand, was riding high before running into Independence, falling 35-0 as the Dons were unable to get their usual ground attack going.
San Benito (5-3, 4-1 PCAL Gabilan) @ No. 8 Salinas (6-2, 5-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
The top four in the Gabilan Division has been cemented, but the order of those teams has yet to be established. San Benito seems to be something of a wild card, with perhaps no game summing it up better than a 34-28 win over Christopher in which the Haybalers raced out to a 27-point lead but had to hold on for dear life at the end. Salinas, on the other hand, has been rolling since an 0-2 start, including four straight wins by 30-plus points. The last two of those have come by identical 49-0 scores, with no player accounting for more than two touchdowns in each of those games.
Alisal (5-3, 3-1 PCAL Mission) @ No. 7 Carmel (8-0, 5-0), Saturday, 2 p.m.
With Kai Lee, Dakota Mornhinweg and Rashaan Ward, Carmel might be not only one of the best teams in Monterey County, but in the entire section. Last week’s 35-point output against North Salinas was the Padres’ second-lowest point total of the year, but Alisal has been a defense-first team all season. The only teams to exceed 20 points against the Trojans were prolific offensive units in Live Oak (38) and Terra Nova (31).
No. 4 Serra (5-3, 4-1 WCAL) @ No. 13 Sacred Heart Cathedral (5-3, 3-2), Friday, 7 p.m. at Kezar Stadium
With the WCAL ruled by three giants, the rest of the teams are often evaluated by how they perform against that top three. For three halves, Sacred Heart Cathedral has looked pretty good, losing just 14-0 to St. Francis and going into the Kezar locker rooms trailing Valley Christian just 10-7. That second half against the Warriors turned ugly, as Valley ran away with a 45-7 victory, but overall, the Fightin’ Irish have held their own against the best in the region. Still, to beat Serra is a different task entirely. The Padres have won 14 straight meetings, including all ten since SHC rejoined the WCAL, and it was at Kezar Stadium two years ago where Patrick Walsh’s son first wore the Chewbacca suit that quickly became a fixture on the sidelines, and has since been seen at consecutive state championship games.
Best of the Rest
The other three WCAL games should have some interest. Top-ranked St. Francis (7-1, 5-0) hosts Mitty (4-4, 2-3) on Friday for Senior Night in what always seems to be a tight matchup regardless of where the teams stand. In order for that to hold up, though, the Monarchs will have to reverse course after back-to-back losses. Kezar Stadium will also be in use on Saturday night as St. Ignatius (1-7, 1-4) takes on Riordan (1-7, 0-5). Though the teams are a combined 2-14, the Wildcats are likely headed for the postseason if they can win their final two games. No. 2 Valley Christian (6-2, 4-1) will host Bellarmine (2-6, 1-4) on Friday night as the Warriors look for a third straight win over their crosstown rivals.
While it’s not quite a do-or-die game, Menlo (4-4, 1-2 PAL Bay) travels to Aragon (1-7, 1-3) in a game that should play a huge part in determining the final automatic playoff bid from the Bay Division. Aragon has played arguably the best schedule in the entire section, while Menlo is a tremendous team when healthy, but with just 21 players available last week against Terra Nova, injuries quickly wore the Knights down.
