By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
The Foothill Cougars saw their chances at reaching the CIF Division 2 Bowl Game get a little better last week with Del Oro's loss to Granite Bay in the Sierra Foothill League final for both schools. At one time the clear favorite to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 championship, Del Oro now looks vulnerable. Don't be surprised if Del Oro wins the title, but now it is much more feasible that a team like Burbank, Grant or Granite Bay could win the championship and none of those teams qualify for the CIF Division 2 Bowl Game.
Foothill still has to beat Enterprise and then the winner of the Pleasant Valley-Shasta matchup on Wednesday in order to even be considered. Neither of those games will be easy wins, but at 10-0 and already holding wins over all three of those teams, the Cougars are the clear favorite.
So how realistic is Foothill's chance of reaching the Division 2 Bowl Game? The best answer is that it is possible. Teams like St. Mary's of Stockton, Mitty of San Jose and Valley Christian of Cerritos stand in the way, but all three are playing in the toughest division in their section and may not win a section championship. That would preclude any of those teams from even being chosen. The best guess is that the CIF Bowl committee will have to choose between Oakdale, Foothill and Novato for the bowl berth and Foothill currently has a higher ranking than any of the other schools in both the CalPreps rankings and the Cal-Hi Sports Bowl rankings.
Road Warriors
Only two road teams won in the first round of the Northern Section playoffs last week, Enterprise and Willows. The Honkers had one of the wilder finishes, defeating a Trinity team it had lost to earlier in the season, 28-22. Willows led 21-0 at halftime, but saw Trinity take the lead with three minutes remaining following a blocked punt and a 25-yard scoring pass. The Honkers drove 75 yards in two minutes, however, and scored on a fourth down and 18 play when quarterback Brandon Boyd hit Ricardo Mata with a 30-yard touchdown pass.
The Honkers reach the semifinals for the third year in a row, as do the Live Oak Lions, who host Willows on Friday. Live Oak has reached the championship game the past two seasons, losing to Rio Vista in 2005 and Mt. Shasta last year.
One team that will really be a road warrior this week is the Modoc Braves. Shaun Wood's club will take the 8-hour trek to Clarksburg to take on the No. 1 seeded Delta Saints in a Division 4 matchup.
8-man league grows
According to Jerry Clark of Elk Creek in the California Conference, the Northern Section 8-man league is expected to grow to at least 10 teams next year, possibly 11. Happy Camp, Big Valley, Butte Valley, and Champion currently make up the North division while Princeton, Loyalton and Herlong constitute the South. Westwood and Greenville will join that group next year with Dunsmuir also possibly in the mix. Elk Creek would also be included if it is able to field a team. The Elks have not fielded a team the past two seasons due to a lack of boys in the school.
Sutter's bowl bid
While Foothill is eyeing a possible berth in the Division 2 Bowl, Sutter is doing the same in Division 3. The Huskies are currently ranked No. 2 in the CalPreps rankings behind Central Catholic of Modesto and just above Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa. The good news for Sutter is that West Valley is ranked No. 6. If Sutter faces the Eagles in the finals and wins, that could bolster Sutter's status in the eyes of the committee. The bad news is that Central Catholic is a heavy favorite to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 playoffs and would thus, likely, be the first choice.
Closing in on Brody
With his 190-yard effort against Gridley, Wheatland's Andrew McCleary closed in on the No. 2 all-time rushing spot in the Northern Section with 4,532 yards. Brody Angley of Enterprise currently holds the No. 2 spot with 4,748 yards.
McCleary is not the only Pirate with a record-breaking season. Defensive back Malcolm Webb has 11 interceptions on the season. The Northern Section record for interceptions is believed to be 17 by Bobby Todd of Tulelake in the early 1970s. Todd was an outstanding all-around athlete who was being recruited by Notre Dame. Todd reportedly had 17 interceptions during his junior year, according to a newspaper article previewing his senior season. However exact game-by-game interception totals for Todd are not available to confirm the total.
Getting his kicks
Hamilton's Oscar Pineda set a regular season kick scoring record in the Northern Section with 75 kicking points. His total would rank fifth in state history according to the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book. He needs just 10 extra points to break the section record for extra points and he needs two field goals to tie the section field goal record. He currently has 82 kicking points, which leads the state by three points.
