Nine local teams will be playing in the semifinal round during what’s set to be a wet and rainy weekend across Northern California.
A look at how Press Democrat sportswriters did in picking last week’s winners:
Open/D1: No. 5 Cardinal Newman 20, No. 4 Marin Catholic 7
Kienan O’Doherty: Cardinal Newman
Gus Morris: Cardinal Newman
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley 49, No. 6 Hayward 12
O’Doherty: Sonoma Valley
Morris: Sonoma Valley
Division 5: No. 4 Maria Carrillo 28, No. 5 Tamalpais 20
O’Doherty: Maria Carrillo
Morris: Maria Carrillo
Division 6: No. 5 Petaluma 39, No. 4 Montgomery 33
O’Doherty: Petaluma
Morris: Petaluma
Division 2: No. 3 Windsor 34, No. 6 Casa Grande 14
O’Doherty: Casa Grande
Morris: Windsor
Prediction records
O’Doherty: 40-20
Morris: 44-16
SEMIFINAL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Friday’s games
Open/Division 1: No. 5 Cardinal Newman (10-1) at No. 3 San Ramon Valley (10-1), 7 p.m.
Division 2: No. 3 Windsor (8-3) at No. 2 Amador Valley (7-4), 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 1 Ukiah (8-3) vs. No. 5 Redwood (7-4), 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 2 American Canyon (9-2) vs. No. 3 Granada (7-4), 7 p.m.
Division 6: No. 5 Petaluma (5-6) at No. 1 Arcata (10-1), McKinleyville High School, 7 p.m.
8-person Division 2: No. 2 Elsie Allen (7-4) at No. 1 Cornerstone Christian (10-1), Heritage High School, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Division 5: No. 1 St. Vincent (10-1) vs. No. 4 Maria Carrillo (8-3), 1 p.m.
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley (11-0) at No. 2 Salesian (11-0), 1 p.m.
Nine local teams will be playing in the semifinal round of the North Coast Section prep football playoffs during what’s set to be a wet and rainy weekend across Northern California.
Weather will almost certainly be a factor as teams look to punch their tickets to NCS title games on Thanksgiving weekend.
Coming off a marquee win over Marin Catholic last week, Cardinal Newman (10-1) travels to NCS powerhouse San Ramon Valley (10-1) in the Open/Division 1 semifinal round. That will be The Press Democrat’s Game of the Week and a full game preview will be out Thursday.
Also keep an eye out this week for a preview of Elsie Allen’s upcoming NCS title game appearance. The Lobos, in the midst of their best season in program history, have a chance to capture the NCS eight-person Division 2 title on Friday against Cornerstone Christian in the East Bay.
For now, let’s take a quick look at the seven other local teams in action this week.
Division 2: No. 3 Windsor (8-3) at No. 2 Amador Valley (7-4), 7 p.m. Friday: The competition ratchets up a notch for the Jaguars, who head down to Pleasanton to face a Dons team that plays in the ultracompetitive East Bay Athletic League Mountain division.
The Dons possess a high-powered offense led by one of the top playmakers in the state in Oregon State-bound quarterback Tristan Tia, who has accounted for more than 4,000 total yards this year and 44 touchdowns. Those numbers rank him near the top of all players in the state. His top weapon is junior wide receiver Anthony Harrington, who ranks fifth in the state with 1,371 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The EBAL-Mountain is considered the top league in the NCS and features other regional juggernauts like De La Salle, San Ramon Valley and California. The Dons gave SRV (29-28) and California (54-48 OT) close games in losses and have wins over other high-quality NCS teams like Acalanes (24-23), Monte Vista (32-28), Campolindo (37-7) and Las Lomas (42-21).
Battle-tested and incredibly talented, the Dons will be a very difficult team for the Jaguars to get past, but they may have a few things going in their favor.
With the weather conditions, this game may come down to who can run the ball the best, and Windsor may have the edge in that department. Not to mention Windsor is also a battle-tested group and has grinded out some tight games this year. It will be a huge challenge, but the Jaguars are not a group that backs down.
CalPreps computer projection: Windsor 31, Amador Valley 28
Press Democrat sportswriter predictions:
Kienan O’Doherty: Windsor
Gus Morris: Amador Valley
Division 4: No. 1 Ukiah (8-3) vs. No. 5 Redwood (7-4), 7 p.m. Friday: There may be no game this week where rain will be a larger factor, since Ukiah plays on a grass field. Head coach Paul Cronin said that the school is going to cover the field throughout the week to attempt to minimize the impacts of the weather, but a mud bowl should be expected nonetheless.
The Giants will head to Mendocino County as winners of four in a row, while the Wildcats have won three in a row and six of their last seven.
Ukiah proved earlier this season that it can succeed despite the elements after beating Maria Carrillo 40-14 in a rain-soaked game at the start of the month.
Last week’s 35-0 win over Alameda was Ukiah’s first playoff win since 2018 and a win this week would send the Wildcats into their first NCS title game since 1999 — the only year they’ve won a section title.
CalPreps computer projection: Ukiah 28, Redwood 14
Press Democrat predictions:
O’Doherty: Ukiah
Morris: Ukiah
Division 4: No. 2 American Canyon (9-2) vs. No. 3 Granada (7-4), 7 p.m. Friday: The Wolves scratched out a 7-0 first-round victory over College Park last week with starting quarterback Mason Harris sidelined with an injury. He’s a game-time decision this week.
The College Park game was the Wolves’ second straight scoring in single digits after averaging nearly 50 points per game through their first eight games of the year.
Granada, the league champions out of the EBAL-Valley, have won five in a row and have faced some heavy hitters this year, like San Ramon Valley, California and Monte Visa. Those games accounted for three of their four losses this year, the other coming against Heritage.
The Matadors are a balanced group offensively, averaging 150 rushing yards and 175 passing yards per game. Junior quarterback Jack Badger has passed for 924 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptions since taking over the starting job in mid-October. He’s also rushed for a team-high 416 yards with seven touchdowns.
The Wolves have often relied on their rushing attack this season, led by junior Andre Lopez (1,507 yards, 19 touchdowns), and will likely do the same this week with rain set to be a factor and Harris likely limited if he plays.
CalPreps computer projection: Granada 26, American Canyon 21
Press Democrat predictions:
O’Doherty: American Canyon
Morris: Granada
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley (11-0) at No. 2 Salesian (11-0), 1 p.m. Saturday: The Dragons will head down to Richmond on Saturday to face one of the premier small-school programs in the Bay Area. The Pride have won six NCS titles since 2010.
Technically, Salesian is not undefeated, like the Dragons, but have a retroactive forfeit win over El Cerrito. The Gauchos won the game on Oct. 19, but Salesian was awarded a victory after El Cerrito had to forfeit a number of games due to NCS violations that were discovered late in the season.
Regardless, the Pride have had a stellar season that includes wins over playoff teams Piedmont (46-14), Moreau Catholic (41-27), College Park (26-21), Vallejo (63-28) and Oakland Tech (35-14).
Offensively, they’re led by senior quarterback Marcus Burke (2,175 total yards, 37 total touchdowns) and junior wide receiver Carlton Perrilliat (1,002 yards, 15 touchdowns).
A win for Sonoma Valley would send the Dragons into their first NCS title game since 1990.
CalPreps computer projection: Salesian 31, Sonoma Valley 27
Press Democrat predictions:
O’Doherty: Sonoma Valley
Morris: Salesian
Division 5: No. 1 St. Vincent (10-1) vs. No. 4 Maria Carrillo (8-3), 1 p.m. Saturday: A rematch from two weeks ago, the Mustangs and Pumas will now duke it out for a spot in an NCS championship game.
Carrillo, in the midst of its best season in program history, hasn’t been to an NCS title game since 2005. The Mustangs, meanwhile, are looking for their fourth straight trip and a chance to head back to the CIF state playoffs in hopes of claiming a second straight state title.
St. Vincent has won its last nine games, with the closest margin of victory over that span being 11 points. The Mustangs are 3-0 all-time against the Pumas and beat them 48-21 in their Redwood Empire Conference Bay division finale Nov. 8.
Like Marin Catholic found out last week against Cardinal Newman, it’s hard to beat a good team twice — much less twice in two weeks. The Mustangs will be heavy favorites again this week, but wet conditions could play into the Pumas’ strengths.
CalPreps computer projection: St. Vincent 42, Maria Carrillo 22
Press Democrat predictions:
Kienan O’Doherty: St. Vincent
Gus Morris: St. Vincent
Division 6: No. 5 Petaluma (5-6) at No. 1 Arcata (10-1), McKinleyville High School, 7 p.m. Friday: The Trojans have a four-hour road trip north this week to face the co-champions of the Humboldt-Del Norte Little 4 league. The Tigers won their first nine games of the season before dropping their regular-season finale to Ferndale (27-21) to split the league
The Tigers average nearly 40 points per game behind electric junior quarterback Luke Lemke, who has passed for more than 2,000 yards and run for more than 1,100 with 41 total touchdowns.
The Tigers will also be familiar with facing a run-heavy team like Petaluma. Most of the schools they’ve faced up north run similar offenses, so the Trojans’ smashmouth approach should face some sturdy opposition up front.
That being said, Petaluma has faced tougher competition this season and is currently playing its best ball of the year. The Trojans have averaged nearly 300 rushing yards per game over their last five contests and ran for 398 in their playoff opener against Montgomery.
Petaluma is also seeking its first trip to an NCS title game since 1999.
CalPreps computer projection: Arcata 44, Petaluma 26
Press Democrat predictions:
O’Doherty: Arcata
Morris: Petaluma
You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JustGusPD.
A look at how Press Democrat sportswriters did in picking last week’s winners:
Open/D1: No. 5 Cardinal Newman 20, No. 4 Marin Catholic 7
Kienan O’Doherty: Cardinal Newman
Gus Morris: Cardinal Newman
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley 49, No. 6 Hayward 12
O’Doherty: Sonoma Valley
Morris: Sonoma Valley
Division 5: No. 4 Maria Carrillo 28, No. 5 Tamalpais 20
O’Doherty: Maria Carrillo
Morris: Maria Carrillo
Division 6: No. 5 Petaluma 39, No. 4 Montgomery 33
O’Doherty: Petaluma
Morris: Petaluma
Division 2: No. 3 Windsor 34, No. 6 Casa Grande 14
O’Doherty: Casa Grande
Morris: Windsor
Prediction records
O’Doherty: 40-20
Morris: 44-16
SEMIFINAL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Friday’s games
Open/Division 1: No. 5 Cardinal Newman (10-1) at No. 3 San Ramon Valley (10-1), 7 p.m.
Division 2: No. 3 Windsor (8-3) at No. 2 Amador Valley (7-4), 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 1 Ukiah (8-3) vs. No. 5 Redwood (7-4), 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 2 American Canyon (9-2) vs. No. 3 Granada (7-4), 7 p.m.
Division 6: No. 5 Petaluma (5-6) at No. 1 Arcata (10-1), McKinleyville High School, 7 p.m.
8-person Division 2: No. 2 Elsie Allen (7-4) at No. 1 Cornerstone Christian (10-1), Heritage High School, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Division 5: No. 1 St. Vincent (10-1) vs. No. 4 Maria Carrillo (8-3), 1 p.m.
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley (11-0) at No. 2 Salesian (11-0), 1 p.m.
