By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
You won't find the matchup between Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Birmingham on this list, since they played Thursday night in a nationally televised broadcast. You will find 10 intriguing matchups in this week's Top 10 Games to Watch, including the battle for Ventura County between Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure.
Palma at De La Salle
The Chieftans (2-0) face their toughest test of the season, but a strong showing against the De La Salle Spartans could put Palma in the running for the NorCal berth to the Division 3 Bowl Game. With frontrunners Cardinal Newman and Central Catholic each suffering a tie and a loss, a defeat at the hands of De La Salle (2-0) will not substantially hurt Palma in the final playoff rankings. Spartan quarterback Mike McGillivray has a perfect passing rating of 158 after completing all 13 of his attempts over the first two games of the season. Seven of his 13 completions have gone for touchdowns.
Oak Grove at Palo Alto
The Eagles (1-1) rebounded from a week one loss to St. Francis with a closer-than-expected 27-21 win over Gilroy last week. Nevin Gardner ran for 217 yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns for Oak Grove. Palo Alto (2-0) topped Burlingame last week, 23-6, to remain undefeated on the season. Will Brandin had 144 yards passing (8 of 19), but did throw three interceptions to go with his one TD pass.
Clovis West at Bullard
Bullard (3-0) made a statement last week with a 24-19 win over Clovis East, a squad that was picked as the team to beat in the Central Section this year. The Knights hope to make it a clean sweep of the Clovis-named schools after beating Clovis and Clovis East the past two weeks. Bullard would also love to avenge a 70-14 loss to the Eagles from last year. Clifton Rogers has been spectacular for Bullard, rushing for 327 yards in a win over Clovis. Meanwhile Clovis West, fresh off a tie game with Edison, is led by highly-regarded quarterback Beau Sweeney and returning league MVP running back Matt Jelmini; however, Jelmini is currently nursing an ankle sprain and may be questionable for tonight's game, according to the Fresno Bee.
St. Bonaventure at Oaks Christian
One of the most anticipated games of the season last year, the matchup between the Seraphs and Lions turned into a 59-13 rout for Oaks Christian. The Lions (2-0) are less explosive this year, but they are still dangerous with Chris Potter and Malcolm Jones leading the way. Potter has thrown for 206 yards and four touchdowns in replacing the departed Jimmy Clausen. Jones has run 27 times for 284 yards and four scores in replacing Marc Tyler. The Seraphs (3-0) would love to end Oaks Christian's 48-game winning streak, but more importantly tonight's game could determine what team gains the SoCal berth for the CIF Division 3 Bowl Game. St. Bonaventure has the playmakers this year with Tony MacArena having thrown for 524 yards this year and Darrell Scott rushing for 575 yards and seven touchdowns.
Ferndale at St. Patrick/St. Vincent
The Wildcats (2-0) make the list again due to their matchup with the St. Patrick's/St. Vincent Bruins (2-0), which could be a preview of the North Coast Section small schools championship. The two teams almost played last year, but Ferndale lost to Salesian in the semifinals. St. Patrick's defeated Salesian in the championship game to claim the section crown. St. Patrick's currently ranks No. 1 in the MaxPreps rankings among Division A teams in the NCS while Ferndale is No. 5. The Bruins belted Benecia last week, 48-2, while the Wildcats topped Fortuna 15-7.
Casa Grande at Montgomery
Two of the top 3A teams in the North Coast Section clash tonight when Casa Grande meets Montgomery. Casa Grande is ranked No. 4 in the division by MaxPreps while Montgomery is two spots behind at No. 6. The Gauchos have yet to surrender a point after beating San Rafael 21-0 and Carrilllo 35-0. Anthony Biasi, one of the top running backs in the North Coast Section, leads Casa Grande with 239 yards and three touchdowns this year. The Vikings are 1-1 after losing to Sonoma Valley last week, 12-3. Jeff Marks leads the Montgomery rushing attack with 284 yards and three scores.
Cardinal Newman at Oakdale
Now it gets serious for the Cardinals. Cardinal Newman still had a shot at a NorCal berth for the Division 3 Bowl Game after tying Central Catholic, but a 48-28 loss to Del Oro last week dropped CN to the No. 3 spot behind Palma and Central Catholic in the MaxPreps NorCal Division 3 rankings. Now Cardinal Newman must play Oakdale, ranked No. 17 in the NorCal Division 2 rankings with a 49-28 win over Turlock and a 47-7 win over Beyer.
Paradise at Pleasant Valley
The Bobcats (2-1) haven't lost two games in a regular season in over five years, but that could change tonight when they face the Pleasant Valley Vikings. Last year Paradise routed the Vikings 44-28 in the regular season, but only squeaked by 20-16 in the playoffs. Paradise lost to Las Lomas two weeks ago and then escaped with a 39-33 win over Lassen last week. The Vikings (3-0) have not been challenged, especially the past two weeks when they beat Las Plumas 50-0 and Eureka 43-14.
Granite Bay at Vacaville
The Vacaville Bulldogs (2-0) went 13-1 last year and won the Sac-Joaquin Section. The one loss came against tonight's opponent, the Granite Bay Grizzlies (2-0). Both teams are undefeated this year with Vacaville averaging 55 points a game thanks to a 74-6 win over Pioneer in the season opener. Terrance Dailey leads the Bulldogs with 427 yards and seven touchdowns in two games. Granite Bay, which won last year's game 36-22, defeated highly-regarded Napa 37-26 last week. Thomas Moss has thrown for 400 yards for the Grizzlies while Ronnie Thomas has gained 227 yards on the ground.
Servite at Edison
The Chargers were down to their third quarterback last week, but didn't seem to miss a beat in whipping Los Angeles Jordan 45-0 last week. UCLA-bound Nick Crissman has not played since having his appendix out on Sept. 4. According to the Huntington Beach Independent, backup Garrett Heckel played just one game before suffering an ankle sprain. That left it up to sophomore Matt Viles to lead the Chargers to their last two wins. Servite counters with two of the top recruits in the country in receiver D.J. Shoemate and offensive lineman Matt Kalil, both of whom will attend USC next year. The Friars are 2-0 after beating St. Paul 33-0 and Santiago of Corona 17-7.