With a number of teams idle this week before starting league play next weekend, the quantity of games may be down, but there are still some high quality matchups.
Monte Vista (4-0) at Clayton Valley (3-1), Friday, 7 pm: The Mustangs are riding high at 4-0, with a win over Pittsburg this season. They will face an Ugly Eagles team ranked two spots above them, with just a strong one point loss to Folsom as their only blemish.
Junior quarterback Jake Haener leads a strong aerial attack for Monte Vista, with Noah Sol and Trae Banda as his top targets. Albert Smith and Shane Perry provide some balance in the backfield.
Clayton Valley is led on the ground by senior Ray Jackson III and quarterback Luis Ramos. Jake Peralta leads a secondary tasked with stopping the potent Mustangs' passing game.
Moreau Catholic (5-0) vs American (4-1) at Washington TAK, Friday, 7 pm: Many preseason projections expected Moreau Catholic and American to each be improved and in the mix for the MVAL title this season. With the Eagles' win over defending champion Kennedy last week, this game could potentially decide the upper hand in the race for the top.
Running back Jared Luty returned to the field for American last week after missing two games, and paired with quarterback Junior Diala to run for over 350 yards combined against the Titans. Things get more difficult this week, though, against a Mariners' defense that has yet to allow more than 14 points.
Moreau's offense, meanwhile, has been rolling. The Mariners have scored at least 50 points in four consecutive games. Jullen Ison has 1,004 yards rushing despite limited second half carries, and Ryan Regner has been highly efficient at quarterback.
Campolindo (4-1) at Dougherty Valley (5-0), Friday, 7 pm: The four-time defending champion Cougars head to San Ramon to take on the upstart Wildcats, who just matched their league win total over the last four years by beating Las Lomas last Friday.
Campolindo extended its DFAL streak to 25 games by winning a battle with Dublin last week. Max Flower had over 100 yards receiving in the win, while Matt Ringquist was the team's leading rusher with 90 yards against the Gaels.
Dougherty Valley used a third-quarter touchdown by Teni Adeoti and two crucial defensive stops in their red zone to preserve the 21-14 win over the Knights.
Justin-Siena (2-2) at San Marin (4-1), Saturday, 2 pm: The Braves and the Mustangs square off with a potential MCAL runner-up spot hanging in the balance, after both teams have already lost to Marin Catholic.
San Marin should benefit this week from the return of quarterback Collin Moore, who missed the team's win over San Rafael last week. Backup Sam Weber threw four touchdowns in Moore's absence, three of those to prolific receiver Nick Nazarian.
Justin-Siena will look to control the ball and the tempo, with the backfield combination of quarterback Aidan Willard and running back Dominique Shelton. The Braves held a 2-0 lead with four minutes to go in the first half last weekend against Marin Catholic, but succumbed to the big-play ability of the Wildcats.
De La Salle (3-1) at Granite Bay (3-1), Friday, 7 pm: The Spartans continue their string of enticing out-of-section match-ups against the Grizzlies, who saw a three-game winning streak in their league opener against Folsom last week.
De La Salle has been playing its best football in recent weeks, blowing out Trinity League teams Servite and Orange Lutheran in consecutive games.
Andrew Hernandez has gotten untracked in the backfield over the last two games, while Anthony Sweeney's passing numbers are extremely efficient. And the defense has shown much improved tackling from that season opening loss to Trinity-Texas. The Spartans have allowed just 18 points in the last two games combined.
Best of the Rest . . . James Logan (4-1) travels to Bishop O'Dowd (2-2), as the Colts continue their freelance schedule and attempt to put another quality win under their belt. Logan has already picked up wins over San Ramon Valley and San Leandro.
Best of the Rest 2 . . . Fortuna (5-0) heads to Crescent City to face defending HDN-Big 5 champion Del Norte (2-3). Both teams won their league openers last week. The Huskies have not won a league title since 2011, losing twice to Del Norte last season, and are looking to break a string of three straight runner-up finishes in the league.
Best of the Rest 3 . . . Amador Valley (3-1) makes the short trek to Livermore to face Granada (3-2). The Dons will be playing their first EBAL game, while the Matadors lost to Foothill last week. Amador Valley has won two straight, and its only loss was that stunning 31-28 setback in the final seconds against Freedom.
Best of the Rest 4 . . . Middletown (1-2) picked up an emotional first win of the season last week and heads north to face undefeated Willits (4-0). The Mustangs and the Wolverines are among a handful of teams currently tied for the NCL I lead.
