With two weeks of playoff action in the books, the cream has now clearly risen to the top. Let's take a look back at the weekend that was around the North Coast Section.
- With Pittsburg and De La Salle winning their semifinal games in the Open Division, both teams are virtually assured of berths in the CIF playoffs. Meanwhile, the season ends for Clayton Valley and San Ramon Valley. For those who don't like this idea, stay tuned for a proposal in the next couple weeks.
- We said all year that the Bay Valley Athletic League was the class of the section, and the league has not disappointed in the post-season. Four of the league's six teams are still alive, including three of the four Division I semifinal teams. Antioch and Freedom face off in one semifinal, meaning that at least one BVAL team will be finished but at least one will be in the title game.
Meanwhile, the other team remaining in the Division I semifinals is San Leandro, who accomplished the difficult task of beating a Matt Sweeney-coached Foothill team twice in one season. The second victory, in the quarterfinals, was more impressive considering that Foothill QB Ben Wooldridge did not play in the first meeting beyond the first series, but did play the entire game in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
- The Humboldt-Del Norte League continued to flex muscle, even as Arcata, Ferndale, and Eureka were eliminated. The other two teams from that league, who will both be in the same division next year with Eureka under the league's new competitive equity realignment, rolled this past weekend. St. Bernard's was very impressive in a rout over San Marin, but Fortuna dominated up front to rout Moreau Catholic. Those two teams face off in the Division IV semifinals, while Eureka's season came to an end in excruciating fashion against Division III three-seed Rancho Cotate, falling 38-35 on a last-second field goal.
- Speaking of Division III, Bishop O'Dowd built a 36-7 lead over Acalanes before winning by 15 points. That margin of victory is nearly identical to the margin of Acalanes' loss to Clayton Valley. Meanwhile, the San Leandro team which was routed by the Dragons is also still playing. O'Dowd is anything but a typical four seed, but you don't need to tell that to Marin Catholic, its opponent in the Division III semifinals. After all, the Dragons dominated the Wildcats in last year's final, 27-7.
Marin Catholic captured a thrilling back-and-forth affair against Miramonte, rallying again from an 11-point deficit in the second half, this time winning 49-39. MC won't want to get into a track meet with O'Dowd, however.
- The Division II semifinals have a familiar look, as all four teams remaining were also in the semifinals last season. The match-ups are different this year, however. Last year's finalists, Campolindo and Windsor, square off in one semifinal, while Ukiah and Granada, the losers in last year's semifinals, play in the other game.
- The story of the year so far might be Harker. The Eagles have still not played a close game this season, and that now includes a 38-12 dismantling of Piedmont in the Division IV quarterfinals. Now, Harker will face upstart Hercules, who beat Kennedy for the first time in three tries, 35-29 in overtime. If Fortuna can beat St. Bernard's in the other semifinal, the Eagles could even find themselves playing close to home in the championship game.
