The Central Coast Section Division III playoffs open Friday night and while a lot of attention has been paid to the loaded field in Division II, we shouldn't overlook the depth of talented teams in D-III.
In fact, with the exception of Saratoga, all the teams in the Division III field are in the Prep2Prep CCS Top 25, led by No. 10 St. Ignatius, No. 11 Aptos and No. 13 Monterey.
The bracket features three outright league champions - Aptos, Aragon and Branham - not to mention WCAL power St. Ignatius, which lost its five league games by a total of 28 points and defeated Sac-Joaquin Section power St. Mary's-Stockton in the preseason.
Here's a look at the first-round matchups:
No. 8 Saratoga at No. 1 Pioneer, Friday (7 pm)
Pioneer was a whisker away from qualifying for the CCS Open Division playoffs, but the Mustangs had their eight-game winning streak snapped by Oak Grove for the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton championship and fell just short of an at-large berth.
Pioneer features a balanced attack led by senior quarterback Zach Silva, who threw for 1,957 yards and 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The rushing attack is led by sophomores Raul Villatuligasenoa (585 yards rushing, 5 TDs) and senior Adrian Cervantes (540, 5).
The Falcons qualified for the CCS playoffs on the final day of the season with a win over Palo Alto. Saratoga finished 5-5, but lost all four of its games against playoff teams by a combined score of 180-31. The Falcons offense is a pass-oriented attack led by sophomore QB William Liddle (1,984 yards passing, 16 TDs, 18 INTs).
PREDICTION: Pioneer 38, Saratoga 16
No. 5 Monterey at No. 4 St. Ignatius, Saturday (1 pm)
Both teams have major wins on their resumes, as Monterey boasts wins over Half Moon Bay, Alvarez and San Benito while St. Ignatius has knocked off top teams Marin Catholic and Terra Nova.
St. Ignatius senior quarterback Ryan Hagfeldt is a proven leader and capable passer while Monterey features dynamic junior signal-caller Carter Aldrete.
This one figures to come down to the final possession.
PREDICTION: St. Ignatius 27, Monterey 24
No. 6 Aragon at No. 3 Burlingame, Friday (7 pm)
Aragon's perfect season was spoiled by Hillsdale on the final day of the season, but the Dons are fully capable of bouncing back against their local rivals in what should be a wild atmosphere.
The Dons are led by senior quarterback Billy Mason and sophomore running back V.A. Wilson.
Burlingame is a run-oriented team led by senior Griffin Intrieri (975 yards rushing, 14 TDs) and junior Laipeli Palu (715 yards rushing, 10 TDs).
PREDICTION: Burlingame 31, Aragon 19
No. 7 Branham at No. 2 Aptos, Friday (7 pm)
It has been a magical season for the Bruins, who own the longest active CCS winning streak (15 games). Senior quarterback Luke Morin is a capable passer (1,136 yards passing, 17 TDs, 4 INTs) and an excellent runner (751 yards rushing, 10 TDs).
Junior Larry Atkins led the Bruins with 1,048 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. Senior Sean McPherson led all Branham receivers with 25 catches for 417 yards and eight touchdowns.
While the Bruins have racked up an impressive streak, they haven't faced a team as physically imposing as Aptos, which features an imposing running game. The Mariners capped an undefeated SCCAL season with 341 yards rushing and six touchdowns in a 43-7 win over Santa Cruz that featured 16 ball carriers.
PREDICTION: Aptos 37, Branham 14
