Football Game Preview: San Leandro Pirates vs. Berkeley Yellowjackets

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Previous Games

10/04/24 - Home	13-12 W
11/01/19 - Home	40-0 W
10/26/18 - Away	14-6 W
11/10/17 - Neutral	68-14 W
10/20/17 - Home	56-14 W
+ 2 more games

San Leandro is a perfect 7-0 against Berkeley since October of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Pirates will head out to square off against the Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. San Leandro's defense has only allowed 8.2 points per game this season, so Berkeley's offense will have their work cut out for them.

Last Friday, San Leandro came up short against Foothill and fell 14-7. The loss was the Pirates' first of the season.

Meanwhile, after only 13 points in their last matchup, Berkeley made sure to put some points up on the board against Moreau Catholic on Saturday. The Yellowjackets blew past the Mariners 48-20. The Yellowjackets pushed the score to 35-6 by the end of the third, a deficit the Mariners cut but never quite recovered from.

A big part of Berkeley's victory came down to the chemistry between IDAN WADE-CURIEL and his top target JAYCEON ATKINS. WADE-CURIEL threw for 259 yards and three TDs on only 19 passes while ATKINS picked up 197 receiving yards and four scores. ATKINS' longest reception was for an impressive 68 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per catch total. DAILEN CLARK was another key player, picking up 73 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Berkeley didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of CLARK and ATKINS. Berkeley received some extra help from XAVIER RUFFIN, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.

Berkeley's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for San Leandro, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.

San Leandro barely slipped by Berkeley in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, winning 13-12. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was WADE-CURIEL, who threw for 197 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 76.9% of his passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Pirates still be able to contain WADE-CURIEL? There's only one way to find out.