There was no debate who was going to receive the top seed in the North Coast Section Division IV playoff seedings, not after Moreau Catholic went 10-0 in the regular season and steamrolled all competition in the Mission Valley Athletic League. It must be a familiar feeling for Mariners’ head coach Rob Gatrell, who is 24-0 all-time as a head coach, after leading Windsor to a perfect 14-0 mark and a NCS Division II title back in 2011, his only previous year at the helm before this season. Whether he leads Moreau to a section crown or not remains to be seen, but the Mariners certainly have a large bulls-eye on their chests entering the 2018 post-season.
OVERVIEW
Del Norte’s late-season wins over Fortuna and St. Bernard’s, coupled with Kennedy’s loss to Salesian, got the Warriors slotted into the two seed, where they will face either Piedmont or Justin-Siena in the quarterfinals. That first-round game is a rematch of the season opener, when Piedmont beat the Braves 28-7. The Highlanders could certainly be considered a dark-horse, with wins over teams such as Menlo and Salesian, and having played in a Division I heavy league.
Kennedy, meanwhile, dropped to the three seed, where the Eagles will face either defending champion Fortuna or El Molino in the quarterfinals. Fortuna has been racked with injuries this season, but the Huskies will get no sympathy from Kennedy if that is the quarterfinal match-up; the Eagles were down to fewer than 25 healthy players in their game against Salesian.
The top half of the bracket features the top-seeded Mariners, who face either St. Patrick-St. Vincent or Saint Mary’s, which is another regular-season rematch. St. Pat’s got the home game in the first round after having beaten Saint Mary’s 42-40 in a TCAL-Rock thriller. The two-time defending Division V champion Bruins have had at least four season-ending injuries this season, but remain dangerous as long as senior quarterback Akil Edwards is on the field, and he was not on the field during an earlier losing streak.
As for Moreau, however, the Mariners are focused on staying sharp even with a first-round bye and the lack of any real competition since beating James Logan in the MVAL season opener. Moreau finished the regular season with five consecutive shutout victories, winning those five games by a combined score of 332-0.
“We are going to make sure that we keep doing what we have been doing and don’t let anything get in our way,” said Moreau Catholic junior running back Fresh Ison. “We need to stay focused in practice and work hard. We need to trust each other and play the way we know how to play.”
Below that will be potential semifinal between San Marin and either St. Bernard’s or Albany. San Marin’s seven-point loss to Moreau Catholic and three-way tie for the MCAL crown are feathers in the cap for the Mustangs, but they would no doubt like another shot at St. Bernard’s, who ousted San Marin 64-21 in last year’s playoffs.
For the complete Division IV printable bracket, click here.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Moreau Catholic RB/DB Fresh Ison, Moreau Catholic WR/DB Max Anderson, Moreau Catholic QB Bowen Dickstein, Moreau Catholic WR/DB Lovelace Rufus, Del Norte ATH Ethan Price, Del Norte RB/LB Sebastian Puente, Del Norte QB OJ Calleja, Kennedy QB Camron Young, Kennedy ATH Freddie Butler, Kennedy RB/LB Tyrik Daniels, San Marin RB Zak Cunningham, San Marin QB Matthew Sargent, San Marin WR Julian Alcouffe, St. Bernard’s QB Will Omey, St. Bernard’s WR/LB Justin Hagler, St. Bernard’s OL/DL Connor Chase, St. Bernard’s WR/DB Lane Thrap, Fortuna QB Zac Claus, Fortuna RB/DB Joey Pontes, Fortuna TE/LB Adam Medeiros, Fortuna OL/DL Sheaden Kadle, Piedmont QB Marshall Petty, Piedmont TE/LB Jack Evelkrog, Piedmont RB/DB Kahman Smith
SPSV QB Akil Edwards, SPSV WR/DB Murvin Kenion, SPSV WR/DB Nolan Fey, SPSV OL/DL Nathan Olmes, Saint Mary’s QB Nick Gaspardone, Saint Mary’s WR/DB Antoine Morales, Saint Mary’s WR/DB Malcolm Clemons, Saint Mary’s WR/DB Trenton Johnson, Justin-Siena QB Barrett Donohoe, Justin-Siena WR/LB John Horn, Justin-Siena RB/DB Solomone Anitoni, El Molino ATH Sam Wilson-Mietz, El Molino QB Jalen Hall, Albany RB Dameon Potts, Albany LB Gianni Galaviz
SLEEPER TEAM
Despite being the six seed, no one would consider defending champion Fortuna as a sleeper team, as everyone in this field knows how dangerous a veteran Huskies team will be if they are healthy and the veer is working. Piedmont, on the other hand, comes in after struggling in league play, but the Highlanders were playing much larger schools and had a lot of success in non-league play under new head coach John Trotman. It would not be a complete shock to see these two teams meet in the semifinals with a berth to the title game on the line.
TITLE GAME PREDICTION
Moreau Catholic over Fortuna
