There is no question that the Central Coast Section Division II playoff field is loaded, but it could have been even more stacked had Serra and Los Gatos landed in Division II as was forecast at one time during the projection process. The inclusion of Menlo-Atherton into the field at the expense of Menlo also deprived Division II of Pioneer, which came within a whisker of capturing the BVAL-Mount Hamilton title.
As it stands, WCAL powers St. Francis and Archbishop Mitty always make for an imposing bracket. No. 3 seed Christopher was a three-point loss to Carmel away from a perfect season and Wilcox is one of the most athletic teams in the CCS.
Here's a look at the first-round matchups:
No. 8 Mt. Pleasant at No. 1 St. Francis, Friday (7 pm)
For the third season in a row, the Lancers open by hosting a representative of the BVAL-West Valley "C" Division, but for one of the rare times in CCS history, this year's entry comes in as an at-large participant.
Mt. Pleasant lost just once during the regular season, but that came at Branham in a game that decided the BVAL-WV championship. The Cardinals, who are led by junior quarterback George Landeros (926 yards passing, 15 TDs) figure to be overmatched by the WCAL power, but no outcome will diminish what Mt. Pleasant has accomplished this season.
St. Francis lost four games, but they came by a total of 31 points against teams that will be participating in the Open Division playoffs.
The Lancers have received a spark from junior QB Kamalii Akina and junior running back Lutoviko Ahoia.
PREDICTION: St. Francis 44, Mt. Pleasant 6
No. 5 Leland at No. 4 Westmont, Friday (7 pm)
Leland defeated Santa Teresa, 28-21, in the season finale behind three touchdowns from Chuck Culberson, who finished the regular season with 1,064 yards rushing and 12 scores. Kevin Cance is an athletic quarterback who threw for 785 yards and rushed for 1,187 and 19 touchdowns.
Westmont, which counts on bruising running back Jakob Good, finished in a tie for first in the BVAL-Santa Teresa Division.
PREDICTION: Westmont 27, Leland 21
No. 6 Wilcox at No. 3 Christopher, Friday (7 pm)
When the season started, Wilcox had visions of an SCVAL championship and trip to the Open Division championship, but those hopes were dashed in a 28-0 loss to Milpitas that was much closer than the score indicated.
With their championship hopes flushed, the Chargers went on to lose two more games, including a stunning loss to SCVAL-El Camino tri-champ Fremont.
However, Wilcox is a talented enough team to make a run. Senior Matt Alquetra (734 yards rushing, 11 TDs) is an outstanding running back and junior Julian Jones can impact the game in multiple ways.
Christopher dominated the MBL-Pacific Division, out-scoring its opponents 243-60 during league play. Junior quarterback Matt Adamkiewicz has been consistently excellent all season, throwing for 2,991 yards and 32 touchdowns.
PREDICTION: Christopher 27, Wilcox 24
No. 7 Willow Glen vs. No. 2 Archbishop Mitty at Foothill College, Friday (7 pm)
The Rams offense, led by senior running back Hakeem Mays (1,415 yards rushing, 21 TDs), is a handful, as it comes in averaging over 40 points per game. Josh Landers is an excellent dual threat at quarterback, having thrown and run for nearly 1,000 yards and accounting for 25 touchdowns.
Mitty's defense will be tested, but the Rams will have to find an answer for senior speedster Dakari Monroe and physical quarterback Brett Foley, an outstanding runner.
PREDICTION: Archbishop Mitty 33, Willow Glen 14
