Prep2Prep CCS Rankings
THROUGH WEEK 9
A pair of WCAL powers trade places in the rankings, but Saint Francis and Archbishop Riordan will decide who is No. 2 on the field this week in Mountain View. Meanwhile, continued strong play by Scotts Valley and Aragon sees those teams move into the latest Prep2Prep CCS Top 25
Note: Last week's rankings in parentheses
There really isn't much more that can be said about Serra other than it doesn't look like any team in Northern California can touch the Padres. Certainly not in the CCS, where they have been completely destroying even the finest teams the section has to offer. The latest victim was Archbishop Riordan in what was a battle of league unbeatens Saturday in San Mateo. The Padres rolled out to a 36-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 53-7 running-clock victory over the Crusaders. Serra finishes the WCAL season at Valley Christian and home to St. Ignatius; only Saint Francis has been within four TDs of Serra in WCAL play.
Junior Aaron Knapp completed 7 of 13 passes for 130 yards and 2 TDs in a 24-14 win over Valley Christian to propel the Lancers back to the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Saint Francis hosts Archbishop Riordan Friday night in a battle for second place in the WCAL.
We will know dropping the Crusaders below Saint Francis right away, as the two teams meet Friday night in Mountain View. Riordan came into the game at Serra with hopes of pulling out a colossal upset, but the Crusaders never had a chance in a 53-7 defeat.
It was a little more difficult than anticipated but Los Gatos did remain unbeaten in the PAL-Bay with a 19-6 win at Burlingame. The Wildcats travel to Santa Clara to take on Wilcox in a battle for the league title.
Salinas moved another step closer to the PCAL-Gabilan title with a 44-14 win at Alvarez. The Cowboys have a one-game lead over Soquel in the loss column, but have already defeated the Knights, so a win against either Palma or Hollister in the next two weeks will cinch the title.
St. Ignatius has a shot at finishing in the upper half of the WCAL following a 38-14 win over rival Sacred Heart Cathedral in the annual Bruce-Mahoney game. The Wildcats host Archbishop Mitty in a pivotal matchup of two teams that could wind up in the Open/Division 1 playoff bracket.
Senior QB Tyson Bonilla rushed for 173 yards and 1 TD in a tighter-than-expected 28-21 win over Sacred Heart Prep. The Chargers host Los Gatos Friday night with the PAL-Bay title on the line.
Senior QB Mikey McGrath completed 9 of 12 passes for 151 yards and rushed for 122 yards and 3 TDs in a 34-21 win at The King's Academy. The Knights look to remain undefeated Friday night at Half Moon Bay.
Valley Christian lost for the second week in a row against upper-echelon WCAL teams, but once again it was close in a 24-14 defeat at Saint Francis. The Warriors host Serra Friday night before closing out the regular season at Archbishop Mitty.
The Monarchs dealt a huge blow to Bellarmine's playoff hopes, shutting out their rivals 19-0 to move two full games ahead of the Bells and Sacred Heart Cathedral. The top six teams in the WCAL will advance to the playoffs and it is looking like Mitty has secured a berth. The Monarchs travel to San Francisco to take on St. Ignatius Friday night
Soquel continued to roll as sophomore QB Sam Whelan completed 10 of 12 passes for 148 yards and 2 TDs in a 14-7 win over Palma to solidify the Knights' position in second place in the PCAL-Gabilan. Soquel is off this week before finishing the regular season November 3 at Aptos.
Christopher remained on a collision course with fellow unbeaten Live Oak with a 42-0 win at Lincoln. Junior QB Jaxen Robinson completed 9 of 15 passes for 154 yards and 2 TDs for the Cougars, who visit Leland Friday night.
With an opportunity to move into second place in the PCAL-Gabilan, Palma fell short in a 14-7 loss at home against Soquel. The Chieftains host first-place Salinas Friday night.
The Mariners lost another wild one last week, falling 48-43 to Monterey. Their previous defeat was a 52-41 shootout at home against Palma. Aptos will look to get back on track with a pivotal game at Hollister Friday night with a potential CCS playoff bid on the line
Bellarmine fell to 0-5 in the WCAL and effecitvely had its playoff hopes dashed in a 19-0 loss at rival Archbishop Mitty. The Bells will need to win their final two to have any shot at the playoffs. They should be favored at home against Sacred Heart Cathedral Friday night, but they finish the season at home against second-ranked Saint Francis.
Hillsdale continued its dream season by grinding out a 16-13 win over Palo Alto. Senior QB Erick Waugh completed 11 of 20 passes for 134 yards and 1 TD for the Fightin' Knights, who face another tough opponent at The King's Academy Friday night.
The Acorns moved one step closer to a pending battle of unbeatens for the BVAL-MH title with a 35-0 trouncing of Santa Teresa. Live Oak visits Oak Grove Thursday night before the aforementioned showdown at Christopher November 2.
Junior Jarious Hogan ran for 96 yards and 2 TDs, but Sacred Heart Prep's upset bid fell short in a 28-21 loss at home against Wilcox. SHP hosts Mountain View Saturday afternoon and is in good shape for one of the PAL-Bay's four automatic CCS playoff berths.
Carmel remained undefeated with a 50-20 victory over King City. The Padres appear to be headed for the PCAL-Mission South championship with games against Soledad Saturday afternoon and a season finale November 4 at Pacific Grove.
Senior RB Jordan Masuisui rushed for 217 yards and 3 TDs in a 33-14 win over Mountain View. It was the first PAL-Bay win of the season for the Bears, who face a must-win situation Friday night at home against Burlingame if they want to secure a top-4 finish and automatic berth in the CCS playoffs.
Hollister was off last week and desperately needs a win at home against Aptos Friday night. A loss would leave the Balers in no better than a tie for sixth place and they would lose the tiebreaker to Alvarez and thus be eliminated from playoff consideration.
Senior QB Kai Ceralde completed 6 of 11 passes for 157 yards and 4 TDs in a 52-20 win over Rancho San Juan. The Vikings close out the regular season Thursday night at home against Alisal.
Monterey broke a mystifying three-game losing streak with an impressive bounce-back 48-43 win at home agasinst Aptos. The Toreadores erupted for 48 points after scoring a total of 31 points in losses to Soquel, Hollister and Salinas. Next up is a home game Friday night against Alvarez.
Scotts Valley improved to 4-0 in the PCAL-Mission North with a 52-7 thrashing at Seaside in what appeared to be the battle for the league title. Scotts Valley hosts North Monterey County, which is 3-1 with the loss coming against the same Seaside team that the Falcons just hammered.
Aragon joins the rankings on the strength of a 4-0 start in the PAL-Ocean including a 42-13 win at Terra Nova. The Dons host Capuchino with first place on the line Thursday night.