By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
St. Bonaventure, Oak Grove, Vacaville, Bullard and Pleasant Valley all avenge 2006 losses with wins last weekend in the Top 10 Games to Watch.
De La Salle 55, Palma 0
The big news in this game isn't that De La Salle (3-0) won so easily against a team that was ranked No. 1 in the CalPreps Division 3 NorCal rankings. The big news was that quarterback Mike MacGillivray had an incomplete pass. Two of them, in fact. The senior quarterback missed a target for the first time in three games after entering the contest 12-for-12 in the Spartans' first two outings. He still managed to go 6 for 8 for 124 yards and a touchdown. Palma (2-1) had been averaging 43.5 points per game in building a 2-0 record, but managed only 141 yards of total offense against the Spartans. Tito Pica led the Spartan rushing attack with 97 yards on 10 carries with three touchdowns.
Oak Grove 27, Palo Alto 7
The Eagles (2-1) avenged a 23-21 loss to Palo Alto (2-1) in last year's Central Coast Section final with a 27-7 victory on Friday. Nevin Gardner ran 31 times for 113 yards and scored two touchdowns for Oak Grove. Stacy Long added 175 all-purpose yards, according to the San Jose Mercury News, and Jabari Carr had a 22-yard touchdown reception. The defense also limited 270-pound Palo Alto fullback Sione Mataele to just 13 yards on 10 carries.
Bullard 28, Clovis West 25
If no one on the Bullard football team can remember the last time the Knights (4-0) defeated Clovis West (2-2), there's a good reason. None of them were even born. Bullard defeated the Golden Eagles 28-25, ending a 20-game losing streak that dated back to 1981, according to the Fresno Bee. The Knights also avenged a 70-14 loss to Clovis West last year. Bullard got 117 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Clifton Rogers and pulled off a sweep of Clovis East, Clovis and Clovis West with the victory. The Golden Eagles played without injured running back Matt Jelmini, along with several other players who had been suspended from the team. Clovis West had a chance to tie the game in the waning seconds, but Bullard blocked a 38-yard field goal.
St. Bonaventure 41, Oaks Christian 33
The Seraphs (4-0) ended the Lions' 48-game winning streak behind Darrell Scott's 246 yards rushing and five touchdowns. See Story.
St. Patrick's 27, Ferndale 21
If Friday's game between Ferndale (2-1) and St. Patrick's (3-0) was a preview of the North Coast Section Class A championship game, then there is definitely something to look forward to come December. "You couldn't ask for a better game," St. Patrick's Robbie Souza told the Vallejo Times-Herald. "That's the best football game I have ever been a part of." Ferndale held a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, but St. Patrick's scored 27 straight points to grab the lead. Ferndale added a late touchdown and ended the game on the St. Patrick's 5-yard line when a pass into the end zone fell incomplete. Souza ran seven times for 173 yards and two touchdowns for the Bruins. Jake Morris of Ferndale completed 11-of-20 passes for 113 yards.
Casa Grande 17, Montgomery 17
Montgomery (2-1) rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final eight minutes to tie Casa Grande 17-17. The North Coast Section does not allow overtime for nonleague ties. Playing without running back Jeff Marks, who was sideline with a knee injury, Montgomery got a touchdown from Noah Feeney and then recovered a Casa Grande (2-1) fumble following the kickoff to set up the tying touchdown. Jaime Kelm scored the final TD for the Vikings and Cameron Loomis kicked the extra point.
Cardinal Newman 42, Oakdale 39
Oakdale (2-1) made a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, but fell short of the Cardinals, 42-39. Oakdale scored three touchdowns in the final quarter, but Joe Ferguson scored the deciding touchdown for Cardinal Newman late in the game to keep Oakdale at bay. Max Pond had a huge game for the Cardinals (1-1-1). He ran 21 times for 180 yards and completed 12-of-20 passes for 133 yards. Ferguson added 121 yards on 18 crries while Nicky Batteate led Oakdale with 28 carries and 182 yards.
Pleasant Valley 22, Paradise 13
The Bobcats (2-2) haven't had two regular season losses in five years, but that changed Friday when Pleasant Valley upended Paradise 22-13 in Eastern Athletic League play. Junior running back Brandon Nickas rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries to lead the Vikings (4-0). The Bobcats were unable to run the ball against the Vikings, but quarterback Jon Hays did manage to complete 15-of-24 passes for 158 yards.
Vacaville 40, Granite Bay 21
The Bulldogs (3-0) avenged their loan defeat last year by knocking off Granite Bay 40-21. Terrance Dailey rambled for 153 yards and two touchdowns while teammate Johnny Fester gained 155 yards and scored once. Thomas Moss was 10-of-15 passing for 120 yards and a touchdown and also ran 17 times for 91 yards in the Grizzly loss.
Servite 6, Edison 0
In a game with plenty of offensive stars, the Servite defense took center stage, shutting out Edison of Huntington Beach 6-0 in a Pac-5 matchup. Edison quarterback Nick Crissman returned after missing two weeks due to an appendectomy. He completed 11-of-25 passes for 138 yards, but he was also sacked five times by the Friar defense. D.J. Shoemate scored the only touchdown of the game on a 12-yard pass from John McEntee just before halftime.