Top-ranked De La Salle plays No. 2 Pittsburg for the North Coast Section Open Division championship with Pitt looking for its first win over the Spartans since 1991, and the Spartans seeking their 32nd consecutive NCS crown.
The loser Friday? Their season will not end. The loser will take on the winner of the bottom half of the NCS Open/Division I bracket for that crown. It's a nod to the decades of dominance of De La Salle, thus allowing other schools a chance to win a crown.
Senior Dominic Kelley averages 9.6 yards per carry with 15 touchdowns this season for No. 1 De La Salle. (Photo: Dennis Lee)
Section: North Coast
Last week: Beat San Marin, 42-10
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Pittsburg
The top-ranked team by the Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Chronicle, the Spartans rolled behind
Toa Faavae,
Dominic Kelley and
Landon Cook. Earlier wins were over Grant, Serra, Saint Francis and St. Mary's.
2. (2) Pittsburg, (10-1)
Section: North Coast
Last week: Beat Clayton Valley Charter, 35-14
Next: Nov. 22 vs. De La Salle
The Pirates are the last NCS team to defeat mighty De La Salle, doing so in 1991. They get another chance this week. The loss this season was to national power St. John Bosco.
3. (3) Folsom, (10-1)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Downey (Modesto), 68-28
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Inderkum
The top-ranked team by The Sacramento Bee and a nine-time section champion since 2010, including three in a row, the Bulldogs rolled in an SJS Division I opener as
Ryder Lyons passed for eight touchdowns and 513 yards, hitting
Rob Larson three times for scores. The loss was early, by a point to Serra early in non-league play.
4. (4) Clovis East (Clovis), (12-0)
Section: Central
Last week: Beat Clovis, 47-13
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Central (Fresno)
The Timberwolves in Division I-AA action rolled behind
Tyus Miller's four touchdown passes, two to
Harold Duvall, to set up a championship showdown with Central.
5. (5) St. Mary's (Stockton), (9-2)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Vacaville, 43-7
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Grant
The Rams advanced to another SJS D-II semifinal behind
Anthony Alexander, who rushed for 194 yards and three scores. The No. 2 seed in the SJS D-II bracket suffered its one in-state loss to De La Salle, 38-35.
6. (6) San Ramon Valley (Danville), (10-1)
Section: North Coast
Last week: Beat California, 35-7
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Cardinal Newman
The Wolves were again led by QB ace
Rhett Thompson, who passed for 280 yards and four scores, two to
Owen Scott. A win this week pits San Ramon Valley against the loser of the NCS Open final between De La Salle and Pittsburg for the NCS D-I crown. An early big win was over St. Ignatius, and the loss was to De La Salle.
7. (7) St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco), 9-2
Section: Central Coast
Last week: Beat Salinas, 45-7
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Saint Francis
The top seed in the CCS Open Division, the Wildcats earned a rematch against West Catholic Athletic League rival Saint Francis, which beat SI earlier this season. Against Salinas,
Jarious Hogan led the charge with two rushing scores.
8. (8) Saint Francis (Mountain View), (9-2)
Section: Central Coast
Last week: Beat Valley Christian (San Jose), 24-14
Next: Nov. 22 vs. St. Ignatius
The Lancers, an 18-time CCS champion, opened CCS Open/Division I play with a satisfying effort over one WCAL rival and now prepare for another. The loser Friday takes on the loser of the Riordan-Los Gatos D-I loser.
9. (13) Central (Fresno), (10-2)
Section: Central
Last week: Beat Clovis North, 27-10
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Clovis East
The Grizzlies beat defending Central Section Division I-AA champion Clovis North and now prepare for another revenge/rematch game against unbeaten Clovis East in the section finals. Clovis East won the first meeting this season, 34-26 in league play.
10. (10) Grant (Sacramento), (8-3)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Jesuit, 49-7
Next: Nov. 22 vs. St. Mary's
Ranked third by The Sacramento Bee and seeking a section three-peat and a third successive trip to a CIF state final, the Pacers as the No. 3 seed in the SJS D-II field rolled behind
Brandon Lambert's 114 yards and three scores and the steady passing of
Luke Alexander. The losses were to De La Salle, Clovis East and San Diego No. 1-ranked Lincoln.
11. (11) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), (7-4)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Monterey Trail, 45-20
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Turlock
Ranked second by The Sacramento Bee, the Trojans as the SJS No. 2 seed in D-I rolled behind
Joaquin Graves-Mercado's 252 yards passing and two scores and
Jasen Womack, who scored on the ground and through the air. Three losses were to out-of-section powers and the other to Folsom.
12. (12) Rocklin, (9-2)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Elk Grove, 49-14
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Manteca
The Thunder as the top seed in the SJS D-II bracket stormed to a 35-7 halftime lead as the defense dominated and playmakers such as
Josiah Andrews returned a punt for a score. The losses were in Sierra Foothill League play, to Folsom and Oak Ridge.
13. (14) Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco), (7-4)
Section: Central Coast
Last week: Beat Soquel, 41-7
Next: Nov. 23 vs. Los Gatos
The Crusaders in CCS Open/D-I play blasted the Knights as
Michael Mitchell passed for 250 yards and five TDs, four to
Chris Lawson. Early non-league losses were to Pittsburg, St. Bonaventure.
14. (9) Clovis North (Fresno), (8-4)
Section: Central
Last week: Lost to Central, 27-10
Next: Season complete
The defending Central Section Division I champions lost to Central, ending another big season. Two losses were to state-ranked JSerra and Los Alamitos.
15. (17) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), (10-1)
Section: North Coast
Last week: Beat Marin Catholic, 20-7
Next: Nov. 22 vs. San Ramon Valley
The Cardinals in NCS Open/Division I play avenged their only loss, falling 13-3 to Marin Catholic before beating those Wildcats, pouncing on two fourth-quarter fumbles. The winner Friday plays the loser of the De La Salle-Pittsburg game for the NCS D-I crown.
16. (20) Manteca, (10-1)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Rodriguez (Fairfield), 58-18
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Rocklin
A nine-time section champion since 2001, the Buffaloes as the No. 4 seed in the SJS D-II bracket rolled an 11-0 team, sparked by a fumble-return score by
Mathieu Evans and a 70-yard punt return by
Quinn Martinez. The loss was 29-28 early to Marin Catholic.
17. (NR) Inderkum (Sacramento), 9-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Granite Bay, 35-20
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Folsom
The Tigers of Natomas have a QB star in
Ricky Cole, who has accounted for 103 TDs in two seasons, and the team is fired up for a shot at redemption in the SJS D-I field. Folsom edged Inderkum a year ago in the section semifinals. One early win was over Marin Catholic and one loss was to higher-ranked Grant.
18. Los Gatos, 9-2
Section: Central Coast
Last week: Beat Serra (San Mateo), 14-7
Next: Nov. 23 at Riordan
The Wildcats can win another section crown with a big effort this week, having bounced back from a 19-14 league loss to Wilcox (Santa Clara) on Nov. 1 and then eliminating powerhouse Serra in a CCS D-I contest.
19. Turlock, 9-3
Section: Sac-Joaquin
Last week: Beat Central Catholic, 43-42 (OT)
Next: Nov. 22 at Oak Ridge
The Bulldogs have played championship football since the 1950s and are coming off a spirited rally to earn a shot against an Oak Ridge program that has been too good to clear in recent playoff meetings. This will be for a shot to land in the SJS D-I finals.
20. Wilcox (Santa Clara), 9-2
Section: Central Coast
Last week: Beat Santa Teresa, 36-3
Next: Nov. 22 vs. Menlo-Atherton
The Chargers have a 7-game winning streak and seek a CCS D-II crown this week. The team has rushed for nearly 300 yards a game, led by senior RB
Brayden Rosa, who has 1,340 yards and 24 scores.
Joe Davidson has covered high school sports in Northern California since 1984, including at The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow his work on sacbee.com, on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and on Instagram: JoeDavidsonMedia
