By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
A pair of big rivalry games highlight the Northern Section football schedule this weekend with the Chico Panthers hosting the Pleasant Valley Vikings in the annual Almond Bowl and the Enterprise Hornets hosting the Shasta Wolves in the River Bowl clash.
The Vikings have had their way with the Panthers over the past decade, winning nine of the last 10 meetings between the two schools. That run of success has allowed Pleasant Valley to take the all-time lead in the series at 18-17-1. The Vikings broke the tie last year with a thrilling 20-14 win that saw quarterback Jordan Rodgers hit Blake Page with a 55-yard scoring pass in the final seconds - just minutes after the Viking defense had stopped the Panthers with a goal-line stand.
Both teams enter this year's game with outstanding records. Pleasant Valley is one of only two unbeaten Division 1 teams in the section with a 6-0 mark. Meanwhile Chico is just a game behind in the standings at 5-1. The winner could go on to claim one of the top two seeds in the Northern Section Division 1 playoffs. It wouldn't be surprising to see these two teams hook up again in the postseason.
Meanwhile less is at stake for Shasta and Enterprise. Shasta is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Eastern Athletic League while Enterprise is 3-3 overall with a 1-2 league mark. The Wolves feature the league's leading rusher, sophomore Evan Taylor, who has gained 648 yards on the season. The Hornets counter with Jeremy Sain, who has rushed for 392 yards and scored eight touchdowns.
Both teams can throw the ball with Enterprise quarterback Virgil Woods completing 19 of 38 passes for 470 yards and Shasta quarterback Brooks Beaudette completing 59 of 111 passes for 541 yards. Shasta always seems to have one of the section's top receivers, and this year is no different. Anthony Halbersma leads the section with 31 catches for 509 yards and seven touchdowns.
The list of outstanding quarterbacks Red Bluff High School has produced over the years is a long one. Starting with Cliff Wingo in 1955, the roster includes Gary Musick (1956), Stan Williams (1958), Bob Grim (1962), John Rajanen (1964), Dennis Poultin (1968), Rich Gilbert (1975), Gale Gilbert (1979), Chris DeFreece (1982), Steve Cappel (1984), Josh Caylor (1993), Wayne Bell (1996), and Justin McKim (1999). The Spartans will soon add another name to that long list once junior quarterback Collin Ramirez graduates. In his first year as the starting varsity quarterback, Ramirez has thrown for 1,150 yards in just six games. He had his highest yardage total of the season last week against Chico, throwing for 255 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-27 loss. He also threw for 232 yards in a 38-8 win over Anderson and 201 yards in an 18-13 loss to Yreka. He has 13 touchdown passes on the season with five interceptions.
McKim holds the school record for passing yardage in a season with 2,307 yards. He is also the school's career passing leader with 5,262 yards. Two former Spartans, Bob Grim and Gale Gilbert, have played in the NFL, although Grim switched from quarterback to receiver after high school.
The Maxwell Panthers, at 6-0, are comfortably driving toward a second straight Northern Section Division 5 championship, but that team coming up quickly in the rearview mirror is the Fall River Bulldogs.
Since losing to Maxwell 48-14 in the first round of last year's playoffs, the Bulldogs have gone 5-0 with lopsided wins each week. The Bulldogs opened Shasta Cascade League play last week with a 42-6 win over Weed and has also defeated Burney 42-0, Quincy 50-8, Portola 42-18 and Hayfork 38-13. The Bulldogs might have the best backfield duo at the small school level with Nick Lakey and Garrett Barnett. Lakey is a 6-0, 245-pound junior who has gained 841 yards on 72 carries with 12 touchdowns. Meanwhile Barnett is a 6-4, 180-pound senior who has 821 yards on 82 carries with 13 touchdowns. Barnett currently leads the Northern Section in scoring with 92 points on the season. Barnett is also a dangerous receiver, catching 10 passes for 170 yards and a score.
The Bulldogs are quarterbacked by Taylor Sloat, the son of coach Todd Sloat, who once quarterbacked the UC Davis Aggies during the 1980s. The Bulldogs don't throw the ball much, which is why the younger Sloat has just 219 yards in five outings.
When the CIF bowl games were first passed, many coaches and administrators in the Northern Section felt that it would be tough for one of their teams to qualify for a bowl berth. However the latest NorCal bowl rankings by CalPreps, which are used to help make the selections for the bowl teams, has several Northern Section schools on the verge of qualifying for a state championship bid.
In Division 2, Foothill is ranked No. 5 behind No. 1 Del Oro, No. 2 St. Mary's, No. 3 St. Francis of Mountain View and No. 4 Novato. The good news for Foothill is that a team must win a section championship in order to qualify for a bowl berth. For that reason, both St. Mary's and St. Francis will have a tougher time winning a section title. St. Mary's plays at the Division 1 level in the Sac Joaquin Section playoffs while St. Francis often plays in the Open Division in the Central Coast Section. The bad news is that both Del Oro and Novato are expected to win their respective division championships.
Meanwhile, Sutter is ranked No. 3 in the NorCal Division 3 rankings by CalPreps. The Huskies rank behind Cardinal Newman and Central Catholic, who tied in a game earlier this year. Cardinal Newman traditionally plays in the Redwood Empire Class 3A bracket, which means it will face some tough competition in the postseason. Central Catholic, however, is favored to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 title again this year.
Cal-Hi Sports also compiles NorCal rankings that the CIF uses to help select bowl teams. The website has Foothill ranked fourth in Division 2 (ahead of Novato) while Sutter is ranked fourth in Division 3 (behind Palma).