Sonoma Valley, Maria Carrillo and Montgomery are also among local teams hosting first-round games.
A look at how Press Democrat sportswriters did in picking last week’s winners:
San Marin 17, Rancho Cotate 16
Gus Morris: San Marin
Kienan O’Doherty: Rancho Cotate
Sonoma Valley 35, Healdsburg 7
Gus Morris: Sonoma Valley
Kienan O’Doherty: Sonoma Valley
Cardinal Newman 33, Vintage 0
Gus Morris: Cardinal Newman
Kienan O’Doherty: Cardinal Newman
St. Vincent 48, Maria Carrillo 21
Gus Morris: St. Vincent
Kienan O’Doherty: St. Vincent
Casa Grande 61, Petaluma 36
Gus Morris: Casa Grande
Kienan O’Doherty: Casa Grande
Prediction records
Morris: 39-16
O’Doherty: 36-19
FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Friday’s games:
Division 2: No. 8 Vintage at No. 1 Liberty, 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 1 Ukiah at No. 8 Alameda, 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 2 American Canyon vs. No. 7 College Park, 7 p.m.
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley vs. No. 6 Hayward, 7 p.m.
Division 5: No. 4 Maria Carrillo vs. No. 5 Tamalpais, 7 p.m.
Division 6: No. 3 Piner vs. No. 6 Benicia, 7 p.m.
Division 6: No. 4 Montgomery vs. No. 5 Petaluma, 7 p.m.
8-Person Division 2: No. 2 Elsie Allen vs. No. 3 Round Valley, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games:
Open/D1: No. 5 Cardinal Newman at No. 4 Marin Catholic, 1 p.m.
Division 2: No. 3 Windsor at No. 6 Casa Grande, 7 p.m.
Division 5: No. 1 St. Vincent vs. No. 8 Arroyo, 1 p.m.
8-person Division 1: No. 3 Roseland University Prep at No. 2 Branson, 1 p.m.
The North Coast Section playoffs are finally here.
Fourteen local football teams made the cut for the postseason and the first round features several exciting matchups. Two of the region’s top teams will square off in The Press Democrat’s Game of the Week on Saturday night when Casa Grande hosts Windsor in the Division 2 opener. The sixth-seeded Gauchos host the No. 3 Jaguars due to being champions of the Redwood Empire Conference Valley division. Keep an eye out for a full preview later this week.
In other top action, Cardinal Newman will get another shot at Marin Catholic in the first round of the Open/D1 playoffs. The Wildcats handed the Cardinals their only loss this year and went on to clinch the REC-Adobe title.
Sonoma Valley and Maria Carrillo will also host first-round games this week in Division 5, while Montgomery will host Petaluma in another rematch in the 4-5 seed matchup in Division 6.
Here’s a closer look at the top games to watch around the region in the first round of the NCS playoffs.
Open/D1: No. 5 Cardinal Newman (9-1) at No. 4 Marin Catholic (8-2), 1 p.m. Saturday: Here we go again, Cardinal Newman vs. Marin Catholic. Two weeks after the Wildcats stymied the Cardinals in a 13-3 game, the Cardinals will get another shot at revenge this week. Marin Catholic has won the last four meetings and eight of the last nine since 2012 — and we may have said this when they played two weeks ago — but the Cardinals may have the edge this time.
Marin Catholic quarterback Caedan Afsharipour reportedly broke the thumb of his non-throwing hand last week in their 24-21 win over Windsor. His status is up in the air for Saturday.
Newman bounced back well from that loss with a 33-0 shutout of Vintage. The Cardinals held the Crushers to just three yards per play and forced a pair of turnovers, while their offense returned to its brutally efficient form with 383 total yards on just 31 plays.
The Cardinals’ defense has never wavered this year, but their offense had issues in their first meeting with the Wildcats. We’ll see if they’ve made the necessary adjustments for this rematch.
CalPreps computer projection: Marin Catholic 19, Cardinal Newman 14
Press Democrat sportswriter predictions:
Kienan O’Doherty: Cardinal Newman
Gus Morris: Cardinal Newman
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley (10-0) vs. No. 6 Hayward (6-4), 7 p.m. Friday: The Dragons became the first public school in Sonoma County to complete an undefeated regular season since Analy in 2015. Now, they’ll look to continue their historic season in the NCS playoffs as the No. 3 seed in Division 5.
The Dragons have made the playoffs three times since 2013 but have not won a playoff game since 2007. The Farmers, their first-round opponent, should provide a tough challenge.
Hayward won its final four games of the year to finish in second place in the West Alameda County-Mission League. The Farmers have played some juggernauts this year, like Windsor, American Canyon, San Ramon Valley and Piedmont — all games they lost, but opponents that certainly left them battle-tested.
The Farmers are led offensively by a dynamic running back in Maurice Hall, a junior who has 1,189 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the year and boasts a team-high 436 receiving yards with five touchdowns. Hall is in the top 10 in the NCS in rushing yards and total touchdowns.
CalPreps computer projection: Sonoma Valley 40, Hayward 24
Press Democrat predictions:
Kienan O’Doherty: Sonoma Valley
Gus Morris: Sonoma Valley
Division 5: No. 4 Maria Carrillo (7-3) vs. No. 5 Tamalpais (3-7), 7 p.m. Friday: The Pumas just completed their best regular season in program history and secured the No. 4 seed in Division 5 and a first-round home game.
After starting the year 7-1, the Pumas dropped their final two games of the regular season to Ukiah (40-14) and St. Vincent (48-21), but their victories include two wins over other playoff teams (Petaluma and Montgomery).
Carrillo’s running attack wasn’t as prolific in its final two games as it was in its first eight, but the potential for big numbers is certainly still there. The Pumas averaged nearly 50 points per game in their seven wins this year.
Tam comes in having secured a playoff spot with a 26-14 win over Napa last week. The Red-tailed Hawks finished fifth in the REC-Valley and dropped three of their final five games of the year. That’s not to say, however, that Tam won’t be a tough matchup for Carrillo. The Hawks played Casa Grande and American Canyon tough and knocked off a playoff team in Redwood during league play.
Tam is led offensively by one of the top receivers in the North Bay in junior Timo Ural, who has 1,049 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns this year.
CalPreps computer projection: Maria Carrillo 31, Tamalpais 21
Press Democrat predictions:
Kienan O’Doherty: Maria Carrillo
Gus Morris: Maria Carrillo
Division 6: No. 4 Montgomery (4-6) vs. No. 5 Petaluma (4-6), 7 p.m. Friday: The Vikings and Trojans will square off in another first-round rematch of a game played earlier this season. The Vikings took down the Trojans 18-7 in their season opener back in late August, the first of three wins they secured early on.
Since that opening stretch, however, both teams have had very different second halves of their seasons. After their 3-1 start, the Vikings dropped five in a row before edging out Santa Rosa 19-18 in their regular-season finale last week. Petaluma, after starting 1-4, won three of its last five, including an upset over Tamalpais 32-27. Even their 61-36 loss to Casa Grande last week was competitive until the second half.
The Trojans like to ground and pound while the Vikings have enjoyed taking to the air behind sophomore quarterback Thor Boswell (1,905 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, six interceptions), so this could be a clash of styles. That may suit the Trojans, as the Vikings’ run defense has been susceptible at times this year, like last week when Santa Rosa ran for 343 yards.
CalPreps computer projection: Petaluma 31, Montgomery 30
Press Democrat predictions:
Kienan O’Doherty: Petaluma
Gus 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:
San Marin 17, Rancho Cotate 16
Gus Morris: San Marin
Kienan O’Doherty: Rancho Cotate
Sonoma Valley 35, Healdsburg 7
Gus Morris: Sonoma Valley
Kienan O’Doherty: Sonoma Valley
Cardinal Newman 33, Vintage 0
Gus Morris: Cardinal Newman
Kienan O’Doherty: Cardinal Newman
St. Vincent 48, Maria Carrillo 21
Gus Morris: St. Vincent
Kienan O’Doherty: St. Vincent
Casa Grande 61, Petaluma 36
Gus Morris: Casa Grande
Kienan O’Doherty: Casa Grande
Prediction records
Morris: 39-16
O’Doherty: 36-19
FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Friday’s games:
Division 2: No. 8 Vintage at No. 1 Liberty, 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 1 Ukiah at No. 8 Alameda, 7 p.m.
Division 4: No. 2 American Canyon vs. No. 7 College Park, 7 p.m.
Division 5: No. 3 Sonoma Valley vs. No. 6 Hayward, 7 p.m.
Division 5: No. 4 Maria Carrillo vs. No. 5 Tamalpais, 7 p.m.
Division 6: No. 3 Piner vs. No. 6 Benicia, 7 p.m.
Division 6: No. 4 Montgomery vs. No. 5 Petaluma, 7 p.m.
8-Person Division 2: No. 2 Elsie Allen vs. No. 3 Round Valley, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games:
Open/D1: No. 5 Cardinal Newman at No. 4 Marin Catholic, 1 p.m.
Division 2: No. 3 Windsor at No. 6 Casa Grande, 7 p.m.
Division 5: No. 1 St. Vincent vs. No. 8 Arroyo, 1 p.m.
8-person Division 1: No. 3 Roseland University Prep at No. 2 Branson, 1 p.m.

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