Our featured game of the week went by itself in a separate earlier post but we still have four other games, three from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and one from the CIF Central Coast Section that should tickle your fancy.
Grant-Sacramento (4-0) at Elk Grove (3-1), Friday, 7:15 pm
The fact Elk Grove inexplicably fell apart last week in a 16-14 road lass at previously winless Davis should have taken some luster off this game but it’s unlikely the fan interest of either team, the Delta League or the entire Sacramento metro area for that matter would diminish because of the Thundering Herd imploding last week.
Because of the loss Elk Grove dropped to No. 7 from No. 3 in the Prep2Prep CIF Sac-Joaquin Section rankings, two spots below a Grant team that is higher in the Sacramento Bee rankings at No. 2 behind Del Oro.
After what they did to Franklin in a 56-0 shellacking we thought about jumping the Pacers up over Folsom and possibly Sacramento but wanted to wait and see what happens against Elk Grove.
Grant can pass or run and will likely use both against Elk Grove. Last week Cam Davis passed for 341 yards on only eight completions but five went for TDs with three going to Lawrence Hardy who also had an interception on defense. Primary running back Tyree Marcelle saw limited action last week but likely will need to be closer to the 282 yards and four TDs had had again Oregon’s Clackamas three weeks ago.
As for Elk Grove if they are dwelling on the loss last week it could spell disaster. They will need a balanced attack against Grant that produces more than two scores if they are to win. Quarterback Jayden Machado and primary running back Zion Thomas will need to be on and get some help from others this week, including a defense that will have to stop the high-powered Pacers.
Valley Christian-San Jose (4-0) hosting Archbishop Mitty-San Jose (3-1), Friday, 7 pm at Foothill College
Both teams are 1-0 in West Catholic Athletic League play but the difference is Valley Christian opened with a hard fought 35-28 home victory over a Serra-San Mateo team expected to be a contender despite a horrendous start. Mitty trounced Sacred Heart Cathedral-San Francisco, 41-0 in a game they were expected to win.
Prep2Prep CIF Central Coast Section No. 3 Valley Christian has also played a much tougher schedule that includes a solid win over Campolindo-Moraga and a 17-14 victory on the road at CIF Northern Section power and very solid Pleasant Valley-Chico.
P2P CIFCCS No. 6 Mitty does have a game under its belt against a tough team when they opened the season with a 41-14 loss to P2P CIFNCS No. 2 Pittsburg but their other wins are 21-12 against a so-so P2P CIFCCS Aptos team and 41-7 against a Palo Alto team that isn’t on any rankings lists.
Veteran Valley Christian Coach Mike Machado is going to want to control the clock with a punishing ground game led by running back Javon Sturns. Mitty Coach Keith Burns counters with a combination passing/running attack led by quarterback Philip Tran, who is finally coming into his own as a Monarch. Tran has passed for five TDs and run for six more.
This game likely won’t be a blowout but Valley Christian is favored even though they have a long bus ride from south San Jose to Foothill College.
Jesuit-Carmichael (3-1) at Davis (1-3), Friday, 7:15 pm
If at the beginning of this feature that started prior to last week’s games, there was a possibility that this would be a featured game would have been a long shot of long shots, but that all changed when Davis humbled Elk Grove last week. Now, the question is can the Blue Devils turn the trick using a home-cooked meal two straight weeks.
Prep2Prep CIFSJS No. 6 Jesuit has a lone loss to a No. 4 Folsom team that was knocked out of the top spot in the rankings by P2P SJS No. 3 Sacramento. Jesuit didn’t blow out Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove last week but their strength of schedule is much better than a Davis team that was shut out 33-0 by P2P SJS No. 10 Whitney-Rocklin and has losses to Vintage-Napa and Woodcreek-Roseville, and neither of those last two teams are close to being ranked.
If Jesuit plays its game behind quarterback Calvin Brownhlotz and the running game led by Lorenzo Burkes, and doesn’t even think about last week and being on the road, they should win, but if they make mistakes and give up a big game to Davis running back Ismael Perez, the Marauders could be a second straight upset victim for the upstart Blue Devils.
Sheldon-Sacramento (4-0) hosting Franklin-Elk Grove (3-1), Friday, 7:15 pm
With first year Coach Joe Cattolico getting the Huskies mushing out to their first 4-0 start since 2009 and only second since the school known for boys basketball and softball opened in 1997, P2P SJS No. 14 Sheldon is more than on the radar screen of its upcoming Delta League opponents.
They face a reeling Franklin team that is coming off the thrashing by Grant that dropped them to No. 21 in the P2P SJS pecking order.
That big loss by Franklin is a factor the P2P Caravan talked about with Cattolico and the players on Wednesday in a visit to the school, and the quotes will be in the Cattolico/Sheldon feature out on Friday morning.
Based on the way they’ve been playing like getting a first win since 2006 over P2P SJS No. 18 Monterey Trail last week in 27-22 road victory, and if they can run the ball the way Cattolico likes with a smattering of passing, Sheldon appears to have the players like Washington-bound slotback Alex Cook. He had a touchdown rushing and two receiving last week against the school down the street.
Franklin on the other hand has shown some offense in its three wins and although they were not against a team like Monterey Trail Coach Mike Johnson has lots of running backs he can use with junior Jalen Lampley with the most yards coming into the game.
Sheldon is the favorite and has the home field advantage, but it likely will not be a lopsided game no matter who wins.
