Prep2Prep CCS Rankings
THROUGH WEEK 7
There was not a ton of movement at the top, but Salinas has established itself as the team to beat in the PCAL-Gabilan and moved up to No. 6. Meanwhile, undefeated Menlo inched up to No. 9 in the latest Prep2Prep CCS Top 25.
Note: Last week's rankings in parentheses
The dominant Padres picked up their second shutout in three WCAL games with a 42-0 blowout at Archbishop Mitty. Serra has outscored WCAL opponents 148-17. We don't expect much to change Saturday afternoon when Bellarmine (0-3 WCAL) pays a visit to San Mateo.
The Crusaders put up nearly 500 yards of total offense in a 55-41 win over Bellarmine, with sophomore QB Mike Mitchell Jr (18-of-27, 273 yards, 5 TDs) once again leading the way. Riordan hosts Mitty Saturday afternoon before the big showdown October 21 at Serra.
Saint Francis continued to lay its claim as the second best WCAL team with a 21-6 win over St. Ignatius. The Lancers travel to San Francisco Friday night to take on Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The Wildcats pulled away with a dominant second half to run past Sacred Heart Prep, 37-7, in its PAL-Bay opener. Los Gatos should be heavily favored in its next two matchups at home against Mountain View and at Burlingame before a trip to Wilcox that will likely settle to PAL-Bay title race.
It wasn't easy, but Valley Christian picked up a hard-earned 21-16 win at Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Warriors had to make two trips to San Francisco after Friday night's game experienced a power outage shortly after kickoff. Valley hosts St. Ignatius in a key matchup between teams looking to finish in the upper half of the WCAL standings.
Salinas established itself as the team to beat in the PCAL-Gabilan with an impressive 45-26 win over Aptos behind 161 yards rushing and 3 TDs from Nolan Borel. The Cowboys host reeling Monterey, which has dropped its last two after a strong 4-0 start.
Wilcox broke the string of dramatic matchups with Menlo-Atherton by thrashing the Bears, 41-3. QB Tyson Bonilla accounted for 3 TDs and senior Elijah Walker led a powerful running attack with 93 yards and a touchdown. Wilcox visits Burlingame Friday night.
Mitty is not the first team to take a beating against Serra and it won't be the last. The Monarchs face another massive challenge this weekend when they travel to Archbishop Riordan Saturday afternoon
Menlo improved to 6-0 by shutting out Palo Alto, 14-0. The Knights host fellow unbeaten Hillsdale with the PAL-De Anza division lead on the line.
Aptos had a two-game winning streak snapped in a 45-26 loss to Salinas. The Mariners host Palma Thursday night in a key PCAL-Gabilan matchup.
SI fell short, losing 21-6 at Saint Francis. The Wildcats now find themselves at a pivotal point of the season where they will either be struggling for a playoff position or jockeying at the upper half of the WCAL standings. A big test awaits Friday night at Valley Christian.
After suffering a heartbreaking one-point overtime loss at SI, the Bells put on a massive rally to scare Archbishop Riordan before ultimately falling, 55-41. Bellarmine now finds its playoff hopes in major jeopardy; after a trip to Serra Saturday afternoon, the Bells finish needing two wins against Mitty, Sacred Heart Cathedral and Saint Francis.
Hillsdale improved to 6-0 with a 35-0 win at Homestead. The Knights visit Menlo in their biggest test to date, pitting a pair of 6-0 (2-0 PAL-De Anza) teams in a battle for league supremacy.
The Cougars improved to 6-0 with a 35-14 win at Oak Grove. Christopher hosts Santa Teresa in a battle of teams who won their BVAL-Mount Hamilton openers.
Sacred Heart Prep's up-and-down season continued with a 37-7 loss at Los Gatos. It was just 14-7 at the half when the Wildcats pulled away. The Gators travel to Menlo-Atherton Friday night.
Menlo-Atherton suffered a surprising 41-3 rout at home in a PAL-Bay opener against Wilcox last week to drop to 2-4 overall. M-A hosts Sacred Heart Prep in a pivotal matchup Friday night.
Palma was off last week and travels to Aptos Thursday in the unpredictable PCAL-Gabilan. The winner will stake a claim for the second spot behind frontrunner Salinas.
The Acorns, who visit Leland Thursday night, appear to be on a collision course with Christopher for the BVAL-MH title on the final day of the season. Both teams remain undefeated, while none of their league mates are above .500.
Carmel improved to 7-0 with a 42-27 win at Rancho San Juan. The Padres are off this week and will be big favorites in their next two games at home against King City and Soledad before a potential league-title showdown with Pacific Grove to close out the season.
Soquel's only losses this season have come to two of the top six teams in CCS (Los Gatos, Salinas). The Knights face a key PCAL-Gabilan test Friday night at home against Hollister.
After a pair of narrow losses to open the PCAL-Gabilan season - including a stunning defeat against Alvarez - the Balers righted the ship with a surprisingly easy 31-6 win at Monterey. The Balers travel to upstart Soquel Friday night.
After dispatching Milpitas last week, undefeated Capuchino faces a potentially tricky test at home this Friday against San Mateo.
At one point, it looked like Monterey might challenge for the PCAL-Gabilan title, but back-to-back losses to Soquel and Hollister have shattered those hopes. The offense has gone missing the past two weeks, accounting for just 13 points. It won't get easier for the Toreadores, who travel to Salinas Friday night.
North Salinas clobbered King City, 46-6, to remain alive in the PCAL-Mission South chase. The Vikings host undefeated Pacific Grove Friday night.
Once again, we defend putting a winless team in the top 25, but we ask the question: how many teams in CCS can hang within a touchdown of Valley Christian, as the Irish did last week? Next up is a home game Friday night against Saint Francis, and once again SHC will be a huge underdog.
