Elsewhere, teams will play semifinals in hopes of reaching next week’s section championship games.

The biggest of the games Friday are De La Salle against San Ramon Valley for the North Coast Section Open Division title at Dublin High and Serra facing Wilcox for the Central Coast Section Open Division championship at San Jose City College.

But there should be plenty more drama throughout the Bay Area.

Los Gatos at St. Ignatius in the CCS and California at Pittsburg in the NCS fall into the must-see column, as does Cardinal Newman at Las Lomas and Christopher at Menlo School, the latter four a combined 44-4 on the season.

The Bay Area News Group will have complete coverage throughout. If you have not already, please sign up for a digital subscription. Your contributions keep us going.

Here are this weekend’s top matchups and schedule:

NCS Open/Division I

Open championship game

No. 2 San Ramon Valley (10-1) vs. No. 1 De La Salle (9-2) at Dublin HS, Friday, 7 p.m.: The first game this season between these schools was an all-time classic, won by De La Salle 33-27 in overtime on a walk-off touchdown run by Derrick Blanche. Both teams have not lost since then but San Ramon Valley almost did last week. The Wolves survived in overtime against Campolindo 38-31, but only after the seventh-seeded Cougars erased a 21-0 deficit in the first quarter to take a seven-point lead in the fourth. De La Salle has won 30 consecutive NCS championships and 39 overall. The Spartans have not lost to an NCS opponent in 32 years, improving their record over that span to 269-0-1 with an opening-round victory last week over James Logan. SRV was bumped up to the NCS’s top division this season after winning the section’s Division II championship last year. SRV QB Luke Baker passed for 204 yards and three TDs last month against DLS but was most effective scrambling out of the pocket. Despite being sacked five times, he ran for 179 yards. As he did last week, RB Matthew Garibaldi could take some of the workload from Baker. The junior had a big game rushing and receiving in the win over Campo. The winner Friday advances to a NorCal regional. The runner-up will play California or Pittsburg for the NCS’s D-I title and a second regional berth next week. – Darren Sabedra

Division I semifinal

No. 4 California (7-4) at No. 3 Pittsburg (11-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: The winner will play the De La Salle-San Ramon Valley runner-up for the NCS’s Division I title next week. PIttsburg rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit in its 38-35 regular season victory over California. The Pirates defeated Amador Valley 41-14 in the first round of the playoffs last week as junior quarterback Marley Alcantara threw 44- and 85-yard touchdown passes to Makari Kenion in the second half to pull away from the Pleasanton school. The Pirates defense, led by junior safety Jadyn Hudson and pass rusher Jewelous Walls, has not allowed more than 20 points in any of its last six games. California showed in the first game against Pittsburg that it could score against the Pirates. Quarterback Jayden Macedo and receivers Nick Fox and Chase McGill are capable of putting up points in a hurry. California rallied from a 17-3 deficit in the second quarter against Clayton Valley Charter in the first round. CalPreps.com’s computer predicts Pittsburg to win 34-21. – Joseph Dycus

CCS Open/Division I

Open championship game

No. 7 Wilcox (8-3) vs. No. 1 Serra (11-0) at San Jose City College, Friday, 7 p.m.: Serra is the section’s most dominant team, maybe its most dominant team of all time. The Padres have won all but two games this season by no fewer than 28 points and have outscored opponents 456-91. They beat Folsom and De La Salle to open the year and powered through the West Catholic Athletic League with only one somewhat close call, a 24-13 victory at Valley Christian on Oct. 27. The Padres are aggressive and well-coached on defense – with seniors such as Jabari Mann, Joseph Bey and Danny Niu leading the way – and explosive on offense behind the likes of Oklahoma State-bound quarterback Maealiuaki Smith. Serra has won 10 consecutive CCS playoff games, including a 27-14 victory over Wilcox in 2019. Wilcox reached the Open final by stunning second-seeded St. Francis 52-28 last week. The victory bought the Chargers at least two more games because of the CCS’s new playoff format. The Open Division runner-up now plays for the section’s D-I title the following week. For Wilcox to have any shot to keep the score close against Serra, its veer option will have to be flawless both in yards and time consumption. Last week, Elijah Walker ran for four TDs and scored on a kickoff return. Calpreps.com’s computer says Serra wins 42-12. – Darren Sabedra

Division I semifinal

No. 4 Los Gatos (9-2) at No. 3 St. Ignatius (8-4), Friday, 7 p.m.: Los Gatos “broke the curse” and defeated West Catholic Athletic League opponent in the first round of the playoffs last week with its 28-14 victory over Archbishop Riordan. That was a role reversal from the past two years when the storied South Bay public school lost to Bellarmine and Archbishop Mitty in dramatic finishes. Senior quarterback A.J Minyard, running back Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung and linebacker Henry Masters keyed a 14-0 second half that helped Los Gatos pull away from Riordan. Los Gatos will aim to do it again when it travels to San Francisco to face another WCAL school, St. Ignatius. SI edged out Valley Christian to advance past the first round. Soren Hummel threw a five-yard touchdown pass back over the middle to Monroe Barnum with 7.8 seconds for the winner. Like Los Gatos, St. Ignatius also has an effective running game, keyed by offensive lineman John Mills and running back Jarious Hogan. The winner will advance to play the Serra-Wilcox runner-up for the CCS’s Division I championship next week. CalPreps.com’s computer predicts Los Gatos will win 27-17 in the programs’ first matchup since 2006. – Joseph Dycus

CCS Division II

Semifinals

No. 8 Christopher (10-1) at No. 5 Menlo School (10-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.: Three of the top four seeds in this division are out. Among them were the two teams with the worst records in the eight-team bracket. Menlo sacked unbeaten No. 4 seed Live Oak and Christopher surprised top seed Archbishop Mitty 32-28, rallying from a 28-19 deficit with two touchdowns in the game’s final five minutes. Menlo’s 30-28 triumph over Live Oak was just as dramatic. Andres Gonzalez Combera kicked a 21-yard field goal with three seconds left. Christopher comes into Saturday’s contest against the Knights as the slight favorite, according to the calpreps.com computer. The Cougars do have an edge in marquee talent with explosive receiver Amari Bluford, who began Christopher’s comeback against Mitty with a 95-yard kickoff return. RB William Rizqallah then scored the winning touchdown with 42 seconds to go on a 7-yard run. Bluford and Rizqallah are attracting some college attention, as is MLB Evan Vernon, who has 117 tackles. Junior QB Jaxen Robinson is flying under the radar, but he goes 6-5, 220, and has thrown for 1,871 yards and 20 TDs. Menlo is led by dual-purpose QB Mikey McGrath, who has passed for 1,563 yards and rushed for 641 more. He has accounted for 27 touchdowns. Sophomore Jack Freehill also sees his share of playing time. He has thrown for 790 yards. Both teams slightly favor the pass over the run. Menlo has a trio of solid receivers in Brady Jung, Harry Housser and Nicholas Scacco. Jung is the favorite target with 48 catches for 861 yards. College scouting services are checking him out. David Mhatre, with seven sacks, will need to be kept in check by the Christopher offensive line. – Mike Lefkow  

NCS Division III

Semifinals

No. 3 Cardinal Newman (10-1) at No. 2 Las Lomas (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: If Las Lomas coach Doug Longero had been asked in September if his team would be playing Friday night, it’s likely his answer would have been no. The Knights are a young team, with a roster that numbers less than 10 seniors. But the schedule provided time for the Knights to develop. Their first two games were at home. They had to play a non-league contest against eventual Diablo Athletic League Valley champion Alhambra, but the Knights, who are in the DAL Foothill, led 28-7 in the second quarter. The toughest part of the season didn’t occur until back-to-back games against Campolindo and Acalanes last month. The Knights split, with Acalanes handing them their only defeat. Another key for Las Lomas was going 4-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Sophomore QB Dylan Thomas has been a big part of Las Lomas’ growth with 1,802 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Junior WR Roman Mercado has 55 catches for 975 yards and 11 TDs. He also has four interceptions. One senior making a huge contribution is Sava Pourides. He has run for 712 yards and nine scores and also leads the defense with 79 tackles. The Knights struggled past Ukiah 17-7 in the first round of the playoffs while Cardinal Newman walloped American Canyon 49-14. Lately, 5-8 junior Wyatt Knechtle appears to be getting more and more time at quarterback. The key to the offense is 6-4, 200-pound RB Zachary Homan, who has 1,959 yards and 32 touchdowns. He has gone over 100 yards in nine games, including 273 against American Canyon. Cardinal Newman is physical up front, where DE Jesse Myers and NG Kahlio Vaetoe have combined for 15 sacks. – Mike Lefkow  

CCS Division IV

Semifinals

No. 5 Leigh (8-3) at No. 1 Palo Alto (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.: Palo Alto is seeking its second consecutive appearance in a CCS championship game after routing Seaside 55-21 in the opening round last week. The Vikings won the Division V title last season. Leigh advanced to the semifinals with a 21-20 victory on the road over North Salinas. The Longhorns have not reached a CCS final since 2000. Palo Alto has heated up offensively since a midseason drought in which the Vikings were held scoreless in three consecutive games by Los Gatos, Menlo-Atherton and Menlo School. They have averaged 43.7 points in the past three weeks, all victories. Jeremiah Madrigal ran for four touchdowns and Jason Auzenne added two against Seaside. Leigh qualified for the playoffs in its final regular season game with a win over Westmont. In last week’s victory over North Salinas, Charlie Lyon passed for two TDs and Shayan Shariat ran for one to lead the Longhorns. Leigh and Palo Alto have met just once in the MaxPreps era (2004-present). Palo Alto won 48-0. Calpreps.com’s computer projects it to be much closer this time. It says Palo Alto wins 21-14. – Darren Sabedra

No. 3 Branham (9-2) at No. 2 Mountain View (5-6), Friday, 7 p.m.: The first team to 40 points could win this game featuring two potent offenses. Branham defeated Mountain View 66-45 in a CCS Division IV semifinal last year. Last week, Branham routed Greenfield 41-14 behind another big game from quarterback Jack Lewis. He has thrown for 31 touchdowns and run for another 10 this season. Running back Elias Antillon rushed for a 53-yard touchdown against Greenfield and is also a capable receiver. Branham might need defensive lineman Francis Mone to dominate the line of scrimmage for a second week in a row to beat Mountain View. Arturo Hernandez, a powerful senior running back, rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown in Mountain View’s 49-21 rout against Burlingame last week. Receiver Lex Silver is also a threat. He caught three passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns last week. The winner will play Palo Alto or Leigh for the championship next week. CalPreps has Mountain View winning Friday, 38-35. – Joseph Dycus

NCS Division V

Semifinals

No. 4 Alhambra (8-3) at No. 1 Miramonte (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.: Alhambra won the DAL Valley with a 4-0 record, outscoring its opponents by an average of 42 points. Miramonte finished fourth in the DAL Foothill, losing by an average of 34 points in its three defeats. So how will this semifinal matchup shake out on Friday night? The calpreps.com computer is picking Miramonte by 13 points. What this game could come down to is how the favored Matadors handle Alhambra QB Beau Blau. The 6-0, 165-pound senior has passed for 1,760 yards, run for 1,237 more and accounted for 42 touchdowns. Contain him, and Miramonte can begin planning ahead for next week. But if Blau is allowed to run free, anything can happen. Bulldogs coach Alan Hern said Blau is beginning to get some attention from the junior colleges and lower division four-year schools. Blau does get some help. Receiver Luke Beatty has 36 catches for 771 yards and 13 touchdowns. Miramonte also has a dual-threat QB in sophomore Carson Blair. He has 1,247 passing yards and has run for 364 yards. His three top receivers won’t be easy for Alhambra to contain. Finn McManus, Jack Quinnild and Andrew Bjornson. all stand at least 6-2, and have caught at least 22 passes for well over 300 yards apiece. Only McManus graduates. Miramonte has won seven in a row and 11 of the last 12 against the Bulldogs dating back to 2010. None of those games were decided by less than two touchdowns. – Mike Lefkow 

Schedule

Central Coast Section

Open/Division I

Open championship game

No. 7 Wilcox (8-3) vs. No. 1 Serra (11-0) at San Jose City College, Friday, 7 p.m.

Division I semifinal

No. 4 Los Gatos (9-2) at No. 3 St. Ignatius (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Note: The first-round winners in the top half of the bracket will play for the Open Division championship in Week 2 of the playoffs. The loser of the Open Division championship will play the winner of the bottom half of the bracket for the Division I championship in Week 3 of the playoffs.

Division II

Semifinals

No. 6 Monterey (8-3) at No. 2 Soquel (9-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 8 Christopher (10-1) at No. 5 Menlo (10-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Division III

Semifinals

No. 7 Alisal (10-1) at No. 6 Scotts Valley (10-1), Saturday, time TBA

No. 4 Palma (4-7) at No. 1 Menlo-Atherton (5-6), Friday, 7 p.m.

Division IV

Semifinals

No. 3 Branham (9-2) at No. 2 Mountain View (5-6), Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 5 Leigh (8-3) at No. 1 Palo Alto (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.

Division V

Semifinals

No. 7 Leland (4-7) at No. 3 South San Francisco (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 4 Santa Teresa (5-6) at No. 1 Woodside (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

North Coast Section

Open/Division I

Open championship game

No. 2 San Ramon Valley (10-1) vs. No. 1 De La Salle (9-2) at Dublin HS, Friday, 7 p.m.

Division I semifinal

No. 5 California (7-4) at No. 3 Pittsburg (11-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Note: The first-round winners in the top half of the bracket will play for the Open Division championship in Week 2 of the playoffs. The loser of the Open Division championship will play the winner of the bottom half of the bracket for the Division I championship in Week 3 of the playoffs.

Division II

Semifinals 

No. 5 Heritage (5-6) at No. 1 El Cerrito (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 6 Rancho Cotate (7-4) at No. 2 Windsor (8-1-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Division III

Semifinals

No. 5 Tamalpais (8-3) at Marin Catholic (10-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.

No. 3 Cardinal Newman (10-1) at No. 2 Las Lomas (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Division IV

Semifinals

No. 4 Maria Carrillo (6-5) at No. 1 San Marin (11-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 3 Vallejo (8-3) at No. 2 Acalanes (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Division V

Semifinals

No. 4 Alhambra (8-3) at No. 1 Miramonte (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 3 Analy (7-4) at No. 2 St. Bernard’s (8-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Division VI

Semifinals

No. 4 Fortuna (8-3) at No. 1 St. Vincent de Paul (9-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.

No. 3 Salesian (9-2) at No. 2 Moreau Catholic (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.

Division VII

Semifinals

No. 5 Ferndale (7-4) at No. 1 Clear Lake (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

No. 3 Kelseyville (8-3) at No. 2 Willits (8-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

Oakland Section

Semifinal

Oakland Tech (5-5) at Castlemont (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

The game will be played at 7 p.m. on Nov. 25. McClymonds will play the winner of Oakland Tech and Castlemont.

Oakland Section commissioner Franky Navarro told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday morning that Skyline dropped out after it fired first-year head coach Jonathan Carroll on Monday.

Navarro said the school informed the section of its decision on Tuesday afternoon. 

It is unclear why Carroll was dismissed.

Skyline did not immediately respond to the Bay Area News Group’s request for comment.

Fremont-Oakland tied Skyline for fourth place in the OAL standings but lost a coin flip on Saturday for the right to play McClymonds.

Given that Skyline didn’t make its coaching decision until midweek, replaying McClymonds’ opponent was not an option.

“At that time, it was too late to get Fremont in the fold,” Navarro said. 

Navarro said teams in the OAL agreed to allow McClymonds, an overwhelming favorite, to play the Silver Bowl at home. 

Mack had planned to celebrate the career of longtime coach Michael Peters, who announced he will be stepping down at the end of the season, by inviting former players and assistant coaches to his last home game. 

“Peters means a lot to us and the league, and it’s only right that he’s able to be honored the way he’d planned to,” Navarro said. 

The Silver Bowl will be an all-day event. Consolation bracket girls flag football games start at 2 p.m. and the flag championship is set to begin at 4 p.m.

The traditional Silver Bowl will kick off at 7 p.m. 

NorCal Division I

No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep 9, No. 8 Davis 4

Top-seeded Sacred Heart Prep, playing at home in Atherton, scored two goals in the first quarter, added three more in the second to take a 5-2 lead into halftime and went on to defeat Davis in the opening round of the CIF NorCal regional.

Andrew Spencer, Nelson Harris and Oliver Marcin each scored two goals for SHP, which advanced to play  No. 4 seed De La Salle on Friday night at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Luke Kirincich, Tyler Hogan and Clay Carrington also scored for SHP against Davis. Harris and Carrington added two assists apiece as SHP improved to 22-7.

Murdock Baker-Matsuoka had 11 saves and a steal for SHP.

NorCal Division II

No. 3 San Ramon Valley 15, No. 6 Clovis West 9

On a day in which seven San Ramon Valley players put the ball in the cage, Julius Martell led the way with four goals and Toby John added three as the Wolves won at home over Clovis West to advance to the NorCal regional semifinals on Friday against second-seeded Buchanan at St. Mary’s-Stockton High.

SRV also got two goals each from Grayson Konigsberg and Chase King. Nico Berger, Sawyer Jones and Drew Arney added one goal apiece for the Wolves.

Nick Tovani contributed eight saves and made four steals as SRV improved to 20-7.

Girls water polo

NorCal Division I

No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep 6, No. 6 Carondelet 5

Third-seeded Sacred Heart Prep built a 6-3 advantage through three periods and held off Carondelet’s comeback bid to advance to the semifinals of the NorCal regional.

Megan Newby scored two goals and Casey Coleman, Margaret Brandin, Vivan Golub and Kiernan Hogan each added one to lead SHP, which also got 10 saves and a steal from Ellison Brush.

Abigail Roder scored two goals and Josie Haast, Ainsley Swann and Reagan Fullerton had one goal apiece for Carondelet, which finished the season 16-9.

Carondelet goalkeeper Sarah Wright had eight saves and an assist.

SHP (26-3) will play No. 2 seed Campolindo in the semifinals on Friday at UOP.

Scoreboard

Girls volleyball

NorCal Open Division

Tuesday’s final

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty def. No. 2 St. Francis 25-12, 25-21, 19-25, 25-20 (story here)

Saturday’s state final

Archbishop Mitty (33-4) vs. Mater Dei-Santa Ana (42-2) at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, 6:30 p.m.

NorCal Division I

Tuesday’s final

No. 6 Valley Christian def. No. 4 Rocklin 25-16, 25-17, 25-23

Friday’s state final

Valley Christian (25-10) vs. Palos Verdes (25-11) at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, 6:30 p.m.

NorCal Division II

Tuesday’s final

No. 3 Sacred Heart Cathedral def. No. 5 Clovis North 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-18

Saturday’s state final

Sacred Heart Cathedral (26-14) vs. Campbell Hall (35-5) at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, 4 p.m.

NorCal Division V

Tuesday’s final

No. 4 Crystal Springs Upland def. No. 2 Bradshaw Christian 25-18, 26-24, 25-20

Friday’s state final

Crystal Springs Upland (26-4) vs. Oceanside (24-11) at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, 4 p.m.

Girls water polo

NorCal Division I

Tuesday’s first round

No. 1 Miramonte 13, Clovis 7

No. 5 Acalanes 9, No. 4 Soquel 7

No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep 6, No. 6 Carondelet 5

No. 2 Campolindo 12, No. 7 Arroyo Grande 9

Friday’s semifinals at UOP in Stockton

No. 1 Miramonte vs. No. 5 Acalanes, 3:50 p.m.

No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep vs. No. 2 Campolindo, 2:40 p.m.

NorCal Division II

Tuesday’s first round

No. 1 Leland 14, No. 8 Marin Academy 5

No. 5 Archie Williams 10, No. 4 Davis 9

No. 3 St. Francis 8, No. 6 Clovis West 7

No. 2 Clovis North 11, No. 7 Granite Bay 8

Friday’s semifinals at St. Mary’s-Stockton

No. 1 Leland vs. Archie Williams, 2:15 p.m.

No. 3 St. Francis vs. No. 2 Clovis North, 1 p.m.

NorCal Division III

Tuesday’s first round

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 18, No. 8 Christian Brothers 6

No. 4 Stevenson 12, No. 5 El Capitan 8

No. 3 Buhach Colony 15, No. 6 Ripon 10

No. 2 Garces Memorial 24, No. 7 Sierra 3

Friday’s semifinals at UOP in Stockton

No. 1 Archbishop Mitty vs. No. 4 Stevenson, 11:10 a.m.

No. 3 Buhach Colony vs. No. 2 Garces Memorial, 10 a.m.

Boys water polo

NorCal Division I

Tuesday’s first round

No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep 9, No. 8 Davis 4

No. 4 De La Salle 17, No. 5 Los Gatos 12

No. 3 Miramonte 17, No. 6 St. Francis 12

No. 2 Bellarmine 11, No. 7 Rio Americano 6

Friday’s semifinals at UOP in Stockton

No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep vs. No. 4 De La Salle, 6:10 p.m.

No. 3 Miramonte vs. No. 2 Bellarmine, 5 p.m.

NorCal Division II

Tuesday’s first round

No. 1 Campolindo 14, Rocklin 9

No. 5 San Luis Obispo 12, No. 4 Redwood 9

No. 3 San Ramon Valley 15, No. 6 Clovis West 9

No. 2 Buchanan 18, No. 7 Ripon 16

Friday’s semifinals at St. Mary’s-Stockton

No. 1 Campolindo vs. No. 5 San Luis Obispo, 4:45 p.m.

No. 3 San Ramon Valley vs. No. 2 Buchanan, 3:30 p.m.

NorCal Division III

Tuesday’s first round

No. 1 Clovis 25, No. 8 San Joaquin Memorial 9

No. 4 Ponderosa 10, No. 5 Piedmont 8

No. 6 Garces Memorial 12, No. 3 Soquel 10

No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 17, No. 7 Nevada Union 6

Friday’s semifinals at UOP in Stockton

No. 1 Clovis vs. No. 4 Ponderosa, 1:30 p.m.

No. 6 Garces Memorial vs. No. 2 Archbishop Mitty, 12:20 p.m.

The three of us in this all-in-fun Bay Area News Group high school football picks competition went a combined 21-27 last week, largely because of the Central Coast Section’s competitive-based brackets.

I led the way at 8-8. Joseph Dycus was 7-9. Mike Lefkow went 6-10.

Nearly all our losses were in the CCS because the section does not use enrollment to separate teams into its five eight-team divisions.

It’s all strength-based.

As a result, we saw eighth-seeded Christopher beat top-seeded Archbishop Mitty in Division II, seventh-seeded Wilcox stun second-seeded St. Francis in Open/Division I and seventh-seeded Alisal upset No. 2 seed Capuchino in Division III.

The North Coast Section blends enrollment and competitive equity to separate teams, choosing its playoff divisions during the off-season. Playoff results over the previous three seasons determine whether a team moves up or down or stays put.

For what we do here, the NCS’s system makes it easier to predict.

But aren’t playoff games better when they’re unpredictable?

“No system is flawless,” Lefkow said on this week’s video show. “But I think the CCS has closed the gap a little bit more than NCS. I hope that North Coast Section eventually does something similar to CCS. It makes for a better playoff. You don’t have these 48-0 games and you have upsets.”

If calpreps.com’s computer is on point, we won’t have many blowouts among the 15 games we picked this weekend. Only two of the games — Serra over Wilcox and Acalanes over Vallejo — are projected to have at least a 30-point margin of victory.

Check out the video for all of the picks, analysis and much more.

We discuss the rematches between San Ramon Valley and De La Salle and California and Pittsburg. We address how Wilcox might approach the Serra game. We also rehash the drama from last weekend, including the epic SRV-Campolindo overtime game.

If you want just the predictions, keep scrolling.

Also, if you haven’t already, please subscribe here for digital access. Your contributions keep us going.

Enjoy the video.

WEEK 13 PICKS

Central Coast Section

Open/Division I

Open championship game

No. 7 Wilcox (9-3) vs. No. 1 Serra (11-0) at San Jose City College, Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Serra

Dycus: Serra

Lefkow: Serra

Division I semifinal

No. 4 Los Gatos (9-2) at No. 3 St. Ignatius (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Los Gatos

Dycus: Los Gatos

Lefkow: Los Gatos

Division II

Semifinals

No. 8 Christopher (10-1) at No. 5 Menlo School (10-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Sabedra: Christopher

Dycus: Menlo School

Lefkow: Menlo School

Division III

Semifinals

No. 4 Palma (4-7) at No. 1 Menlo-Atherton (5-6), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Palma

Dycus: Palma

Lefkow: Palma

Division IV

Semifinals

No. 3 Branham (9-2) at No. 2 Mountain View (5-6), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Branham

Dycus: Mountain View

Lefkow: Mountain View

No. 5 Leigh (8-3) at No. 1 Palo Alto (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Palo Alto

Dycus: Palo Alto

Lefkow: Palo Alto

Division V

Semifinals

No. 7 Leland (4-7) at No. 3 South San Francisco (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: SSF

Dycus: SSF

Lefkow: SSF

No. 4 Santa Teresa (5-6) at No. 1 Woodside (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Woodside

Dycus: Santa Teresa

Lefkow: Woodside

North Coast Section

Open/Division I

Open championship game

No. 2 San Ramon Valley (10-1) vs. No. 1 De La Salle (9-2) at Dublin HS, Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: De La Salle

Dycus: San Ramon Valley

Lefkow: De La Salle

Division I semifinal

No. 5 California (7-4) at No. 3 Pittsburg (11-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Pittsburg

Dycus: California

Lefkow: Pittsburg

Division II

Semifinals 

No. 5 Heritage (5-6) at No. 1 El Cerrito (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: El Cerrito

Dycus: El Cerrito

Lefkow: El Cerrito

Division III

Semifinals

No. 3 Cardinal Newman (10-1) at No. 2 Las Lomas (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Las Lomas

Dycus: Las Lomas

Lefkow: Cardinal Newman

Division IV

Semifinals

No. 3 Vallejo (8-3) at No. 2 Acalanes (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Acalanes

Dycus: Acalanes

Lefkow: Acalanes

Division V

Semifinals

No. 4 Alhambra (8-3) at No. 1 Miramonte (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Miramonte

Dycus: Miramonte

Lefkow: Miramonte

Division VI

Semifinals

No. 3 Salesian (9-2) at No. 2 Moreau Catholic (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Moreau Catholic

Dycus: Salesian

Lefkow: Salesian

WEEK 12 RESULTS

CCS PLAYOFFS

Open/Division I

No. 7 Wilcox 52,  No. 2 St. Francis 28

Sabedra: St. Francis (L)

Dycus: St. Francis (L)

Lefkow: St. Francis (L)

No. 3 St. Ignatius 21, No. 6 Valley Christian 17

Sabedra: Valley Christian (L)

Dycus: Valley Christian (L)

Lefkow: Valley Christian (L)

No. 4 Los Gatos 28, No. 5 Archbishop Riordan 14

Sabedra: Los Gatos (W)

Dycus: Los Gatos (W)

Lefkow: Los Gatos (W)

Division II

No. 5 Menlo School 30, No. 4 Live Oak 28

Sabedra: Menlo School (W)

Dycus: Live Oak (L)

Lefkow: Live Oak (L)

No. 8 Christopher 32, No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 28

Sabedra: Archbishop Mitty (L)

Dycus: Archbishop Mitty (L)

Lefkow: Archbishop Mitty (L)

Division III

No. 6 Scotts Valley 33, No. 3 Aragon 21

Sabedra: Aragon (L)

Dycus: Aragon (L)

Lefkow: Aragon (L)

No. 7 Alisal 20, No. 2 Capuchino 17

Sabedra: Capuchino (L)

Dycus: Capuchino (L)

Lefkow: Capuchino (L)

Division IV

No. 5 Leigh 21,  No. 4 North Salinas 20

Sabedra: North Salinas (L)

Dycus: Leigh (W)

Lefkow: North Salinas (L)

Division V

No. 4 Santa Teresa 37, No. 5 Los Altos 15

Sabedra: Los Altos (L)

Dycus: Santa Teresa (W)

Lefkow: Los Altos (L)

NCS PLAYOFFS

Open/Division I

No. 2 San Ramon Valley 38, No. 7 Campolindo 31, OT

Sabedra: San Ramon Valley (W)

Dycus: San Ramon Valley (W)

Lefkow: San Ramon Valley (W)

No. 5 California 31, No. 4 Clayton Valley 24

Sabedra: California (W)

Dycus: California (W)

Lefkow: Clayton Valley (L)

Division II

No. 5 Heritage 35, No. 4 Redwood 8

Sabedra: Redwood (L)

Dycus: Redwood (L)

Lefkow: Redwood (L)

No. 6 Rancho Cotate 40, No. 3 Granada 18

Sabedra: Rancho Cotate (W)

Dycus: Rancho Cotate (W)

Lefkow: Rancho Cotate (W)

Division III

No. 2 Las Lomas 17, No. 7 Ukiah 7

Sabedra: Las Lomas (W)

Dycus: Las Lomas (W)

Lefkow: Las Lomas (W)

Division V

No. 4 Alhambra 49, No. 5 Piedmont 14

Sabedra: Alhambra (W)

Dycus: Piedmont (L)

Lefkow: Alhambra (W)

Division VI

No. 3 Salesian 21, No. 6 St. Mary’s-Berkeley 13

Sabedra: Salesian (W)

Dycus: St. Mary’s-Berkeley (L)

Lefkow: Salesian (W)

WEEK 12 STANDINGS

Sabedra: 8-8

Dycus: 7-9

Lefkow: 6-10

SEASON STANDINGS

Sabedra: 129-62

Lefkow: 119-72

Dycus: 110-81

The senior middle hitter became one of many Monarchs mobbed together in the center of the court, the team having vanquished St. Francis for the final time in 2023, the last of six meetings between the elite volleyball programs. 

The San Jose school denied St. Francis back-to-back NorCal Open titles, gave Mitty two of the past three and put another championship banner in its crowded rafters. 

The Monarch’s next stop? A trip to Santiago Canyon College in Orange County for the state Open Division championship game. 

“I’m so happy and so grateful, especially since it’s my senior year,” Kuchibhotla said. “I’m super-excited.”

Archbishop Mitty won the first set 25-12, scoring the final five points behind a flurry of emphatic kills and aces. Sophomore Makenna Crosson had five kills, one ace and a block in that dominant set.

“We wanted to find our rhythm, and we wanted to make sure St. Francis would know that we weren’t going down without a fight,” Crosson said. 

The next set was much more competitive, with St. Francis coming back from an early 3-0 deficit (all three points scored on Katelyn Cook kills) and eventually taking a 20-18 lead. But Mitty’s hitting combo of Crosson and Isabella Romero had three kills each after that to give the San Jose school a 2-0 lead.

“We knew they were going to have a response, and they did,” Mitty coach Jon Wallace said. 

That good run of form continued in the third set, where St. Francis went on a 4-0 run keyed by outside hitter Taylor Williams and middle hitter Ella Fulton to go up 12-8. Erin Curtis and libero Whitney Wallace, Jon’s daughter, also played well in the 25-19 win with the season on the line. 

“You know, win or lose, we still battled.” St. Francis coach Lake Merchen said. “They’re still one of the best teams in the state, and you know, if that’s not something to be proud of, I don’t know what is.”

The fourth and final set featured a number of rallies and great blocking, serving and hitting. Mitty led 16-11 at one point, but St. Francis scored four consecutive points to cut the lead to 16-15. From there, Mitty kept St. Francis at bay to win the final set 25-20. 

Standing in between Mitty and its first state title since 2017 is Mater Dei-Santa Ana. The 42-2 team from Orange County defeated defending Open Division state champions Cathedral Catholic-San Diego 3-1 in the SoCal final. 

Wallace said his Monarchs saw Mater Dei play at a tournament earlier this season, and knows claiming a state crown will be a tall task. 

“We know what it’s going to take,” Wallace said. “We’ve gotten pushed to our limits (this season), so hopefully we’ll show up and do well down there.”

Ten of the 25 teams in this week’s Bay Area News Group rankings have put away their gear until next year. More will do the same after this week’s games.

The big movers as the second weekend of the playoffs approaches are Las Lomas, Menlo School and Christopher.

All three 10-1 teams jumped at least four spots after opening-round playoff wins last week.

Wilcox, coming off a stunning rout of St. Francis, is back in the Top 10. The Chargers moved up three spots to No. 9 ahead of their Central Coast Section Open Division championship game on Friday at San Jose City College against Serra.

If you have not already, please subscribe here for digital access. Your contributions keep us going.

On to the rankings …

Bay Area News Group Top 25

(Mercury News & East Bay Times)

No. 1 SERRA (11-0)

Previous ranking: 1

Last week: Beat Salinas 47-7 in CCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. Wilcox in CCS Open Division final at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.

No. 2 DE LA SALLE (9-2)

Previous ranking: 2

Last week: Beat James Logan 48-20 in NCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. San Ramon Valley in NCS Open Division final at Dublin High, 7 p.m.

No. 3 SAN RAMON VALLEY (10-1)

Previous ranking: 3

Last week: Beat Campolindo 38-31 (OT) in NCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. De La Salle in NCS Open Division final at Dublin High, 7 p.m.

No. 4 PITTSBURG (11-0)

Previous ranking: 4

Last week: Beat Amador Valley 41-14 in NCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. California in NCS Open/Division I playoffs, 7 p.m.

No. 5 EL CERRITO (9-1)

Previous ranking: 5

Last week: Beat Berkeley 61-14 in NCS Division II playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. Heritage in NCS Division III playoffs, 7 p.m.

No. 6 MCCLYMONDS (7-2)

Previous ranking: 6

Last week: Beat Oakland Tech 40-0

Up next: TBA

No. 7 LOS GATOS (9-2)

Previous ranking: 7

Last week: Beat Archbishop Riordan 28-14 in CCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday at St. Ignatius in CCS Open/Division I playoffs, 7 p.m.

No. 8 ST. IGNATIUS (7-4)

Previous ranking: 10

Last week: Beat Valley Christian 21-17 in CCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. Los Gatos in CCS Open/Division I playoffs, 7 p.m.

No. 9 WILCOX (8-3)

Previous ranking: 12

Last week: Beat St. Francis 52-28 in CCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. Serra in CCS Open Division final at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.

No. 10 ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN (7-4)

Previous ranking: 9

Last week: Lost to Los Gatos 28-14 in CCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 11 ST. FRANCIS (7-4)

Previous ranking: 8

Last week: Lost to Wilcox 52-28 in CCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 12 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (6-5)

Previous ranking: 11

Last week: Lost to St. Ignatius 21-17 in CCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 13 CAMPOLINDO (7-3-1)

Previous ranking: 14

Last week: Lost to San Ramon Valley 38-31 (OT) in NCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 14 ACALANES (7-4)

Previous ranking: 15

Last week: Beat Mt. Diablo 56-14 in NCS Division IV playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. Vallejo in NCS Division IV playoffs, 7 p.m.

No. 15 CALIFORNIA (7-4)

Previous ranking: 17

Last week: Beat Clayton Valley 31-24 in NCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Friday at Pittsburg in NCS Open/Division I playoffs, 7 p.m.

No. 16 LAS LOMAS (10-1)

Previous ranking: 20

Last week: Beat Ukiah 17-7 in NCS Division III playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. Cardinal Newman in NCS Division III playoffs, 7 p.m.

No. 17 MENLO SCHOOL (10-1)

Previous ranking: 22

Last week: Beat Live Oak 30-28 in CCS Division II playoffs

Up next: Saturday vs. Christopher in CCS Division II playoffs, 1 p.m.

No. 18 CHRISTOPHER (10-1)

Previous ranking: 24

Last week: Beat Archbishop Mitty 32-28 in CCS Division II playoffs

Up next: Saturday at Menlo School in CCS Division II playoffs, 1 p.m.

No. 19 LIBERTY (7-3)

Previous ranking: 19

Last week: Did not play

Up next: Season completed

No. 20 CLAYTON VALLEY (5-6)

Previous ranking: 16

Last week: Lost to California 31-24 in NCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 21 AMADOR VALLEY (7-3)

Previous ranking: 13

Last week: Lost to Pittsburg 41-14 in NCS Open/Division I playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 22 LIVE OAK (9-1)

Previous ranking: 18

Last week: Lost to Menlo School 30-28 in CCS Division II playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 23 SACRED HEART PREP (6-5)

Previous ranking: 21

Last week: Lost to Monterey 38-24 in CCS Division II playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 24 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (5-6)

Previous ranking: 23

Last week: Lost to Christopher 32-28 in CCS Division II playoffs

Up next: Season completed

No. 25 MENLO-ATHERTON (5-6)

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Last week: Beat Hillsdale 49-37 in CCS Division III playoffs

Up next: Friday vs. Palma in CCS Division III playoffs, 7 p.m.

Editor’s note: Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) boys Athlete of the Week poll.

For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.

This week, we consider performances from Nov. 6-11.

Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Vote as many times as you’d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.

Votes by email and after 5 p.m. Wednesday are not counted.

Scroll to the bottom for the poll.

Winners are announced each Friday online and in the print edition of the Mercury News and East Bay Times sports sections.

Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.

We accept nominations until 11 a.m. each Monday.

We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians.

On to the nominees:

Micah Avery, El Cerrito football: Rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns to lead top-seeded El Cerrito to a 61-14 victory over Berkeley in the first round of the NCS Division II playoffs.

Matthew Garibaldi, San Ramon Valley football: Scored the decisive touchdown on a 14-yard run in overtime as SRV survived to beat seventh-seeded Campolindo 38-31. Garibaldi finished with 122 yards and two TDs in 17 carries and caught six passes for 78 yards.

Evan Frampton, Woodside football: The sophomore ran for 144 yards and a touchdown in 15 carries as top-seeded Woodside rolled into the semifinals of CCS Division V playoffs with a 56-21 victory over Del Mar.

Willis Johnson, Menlo School football: The senior captain ran for 171 yards in 28 carries and a touchdown as fifth-seeded Menlo edged fourth-seeded Live Oak in the first round of the CCS Division II playoffs.

Declan Linnane, Piedmont water polo: Scored six goals and had two steals as Piedmont captured the NCS Division II championship with a 10-8 victory over Alameda in the final.

Jayden Macedo, California football: The senior passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 33 yards and a touchdown to help lead the Grizzlies to a 31-24 victory over Clayton Valley Charter in the opening round of the NCS Open/Division I playoffs.

Grant Morgenfeld, Palo Alto cross country: The senior won the Division II race at the CCS championships, covering the 2.95-mile Crystal Springs course in Belmont in 15 minutes, 5.2 seconds, the day’s second-fastest time behind only Division IV champion Eli Fitchen-Young of Santa Cruz (14:55.1).

Andrew Spencer, Sacred Heart Prep water polo: Scored three goals and handed out four assists as the Gatos captured the CCS Open Division championship on Saturday at Hollister High, beating Bellarmine 10-7.

Jaylen Thomas, Los Gatos football: The standout caught four passed for 120 yards and a touchdown and played in the defensive backfield to help lift the Wildcats to a 28-14 victory over Archbishop Riordan in the first round of the CCS Open/Division I playoffs.

Evan Vernon, Christopher football: Caught five passes for 67 yards and had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery to help lead Christopher to a dramatic 32-28 victory over top-seeded Archbishop Mitty and into the CCS Division II semifinals.

Elijah Walker, Wilcox football: The senior ran for 220 yards and four touchdowns in 25 carries and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown as seventh-seeded Wilcox stunned second-seeded St. Francis 52-28 in the first round of the CCS Open/Division I playoffs.

Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) girls Athlete of the Week poll.

For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner.

This week, we consider performances from Nov. 6-11.

Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Vote as many times as you’d like until then without using bots or any other artificial methods of voting.

Votes by email and any votes after 5 p.m. on Wednesday are not counted.

Scroll to the bottom for the poll.

Winners are announced each Friday online and in the print edition of the Mercury News and East Bay Times sports sections.

Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.

We accept nominations until 11 a.m. each Monday.

We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians.

On to the nominees:

Sierra Brown, Las Lomas water polo: Brown, a senior, scored three goals in a 13-12 five-overtime victory over San Ramon Valley. Her third goal was the game-winner in sudden death.

Ellison Brush, Sacred Heart Prep water polo: Brush, a sophomore goalkeeper, saved six shots in Sacred Heart Prep’s 9-6 CCS Open Division championship victory over Soquel. 

Elise Chen, Menlo School tennis: Chen, a sophomore, defeated opponents from Los Altos and Monta Vista to help the Knights win the CCS title. It was the program’s 11th championship. 

Ruby Chen, Evergreen Valley cross country: Chen, a senior, helped Evergreen Valley win the CCS Division I team title after she ran a team-best 18:26.4. Evergreen Valley defeated Menlo-Atherton 56-64. 

Sarah Chow, Sacred Heart Cathedral volleyball: Chow, a senior setter, had 33 assists in SHC’s 3-0 sweep over Notre Dame-Belmont in the NorCal Division II semifinal. The victory clinched the Fightin’ Irish’s spot in the NorCal final vs. Clovis North. 

Wendy Heffelfinger, Acalanes water polo: Heffelfinger, a senior, scored the game-winning goal in the fifth overtime against Carondelet in the NCS Open Division third-place game.

Evie Marheineke, Archbishop Mitty cross country: Marheineke, a junior, was the CCS Division II champion after she won her race in a time of 18:05. She qualified as an individual for the state cross country championships on November 25th.

Tatum Olesen, Menlo-Atherton cross country: Olesen won the CCS Division I championship after running the race 17:54.8. It was the second-fastest time across finishers from all divisions. 

Katie Salonga, Foothill volleyball: Salonga, a senior, had 53 assists and 11 digs in a 3-1 NorCal Open Division victory over St. Mary’s-Stockton. She helped Foothill advance to the semifinal round vs. St. Francis. 

Jasleen Sidhu, Los Altos cross country: Sidhu, a senior, finished second in the girls D-II race after finishing in 18:15.0, the fourth-best time overall.

Tali Stryker, Miramonte water polo: Stryker, a senior, scored two goals and dished out three assists in a 9-2 victory over Campolindo in the NCS Open Division title game. It was Miramonte’s third consecutive Open title.

SRV VS. DLS: TEAMS MEET FOR NCS OPEN TITLE

When that game ended with a walk-off touchdown run by De La Salle’s Derrick Blanche in overtime, San Ramon Valley hoped to get another shot at the Concord powerhouse, another chance to become the first North Coast Section team in 32 years to defeat De La Salle.

Friday night at Dublin High, SRV will get a second opportunity as the East Bay Athletic League teams meet for the NCS’s Open Division championship.

The winner will advance to a NorCal regional. The runner-up will play Pittsburg or California for the section’s Division I championship in two weeks.

Will this time be different for SRV?

Can this game possibly match or come close to matching last month’s all-time classic?

De La Salle has won nine in a row since opening the season with losses to Orange Lutheran and Serra. The Spartans have scored 48 points in each of their past two games after not topping 35 at any other point this season.

SRV has reeled off four consecutive victories since the DLS game, the most recent being a 38-31 overtime win on Friday over Campolindo in the first round of the playoffs.

Last month, calpreps.com’s computer projected SRV to beat DLS 28-21. This time, it projects DLS to win 27-21.

“We just have to be disciplined,” SRV linebacker Marco Jones said. “We had a lot of penalties last game, which I feel we took ourselves out of the game. I feel like if we fix up the mental mistakes, then we win that game, most likely.

“We’re all excited and it’s an NCS championship. We’re stoked. We have to get after it in practice all week.”

– Darren Sabedra

SURPRISE TITLE GAME MATCHUP (AGAIN) FOR SERRA

For the second consecutive year, Serra’s opponent in a Central Coast Section championship game wasn’t expected to be there.

Friday night at San Jose City College, the San Mateo juggernaut will play seventh-seeded Wilcox for the section’s Open Division title. Last season, the Padres beat Archbishop Mitty in a CCS final.

Like Mitty, Wilcox reached the final by pulling off an upset victory on the road over second-seeded St. Francis. But unlike Mitty, Wilcox will play at least one more game no matter the outcome against Serra.

The section’s new format, copied from one the neighboring NCS started using in 2021, has put Wilcox coach Paul Rosa in an awkward spot as he tries to get his team ready for top-seeded Serra.

Yes, Rosa said his Chargers are aiming to win.

But he also wants his team to be at full strength for a possible, if not probable, game against Los Gatos or St. Ignatius for the CCS Division I title and a ticket to a NorCal regional the following week.

The Open runner-up now plays in the section’s Division I final.

Rosa planned to meet with his coaches over the weekend to come up with a strategy.

“First time it’s ever happened in our section,” Rosa said Saturday. “I didn’t really think about it that much until now. Obviously, you’ve got to try to win the game. But you just hope to stay healthy. It’s just a weird situation because of how good Serra is. They’ve got so many guys. But it’s better than not playing.”

In the four opening-round playoff weekends under this format — NCS in 2021, 2022, 2023, CCS 2023 — Wilcox is the first team to beat one of the top two seeds.

– Darren Sabedra

CAMPOLINDO: COACH DOESN’T CHANGE HIS TUNE

Knowing that his team would be in the NCS’s top playoff division, the price paid for years of success at lower levels, Campolindo coach Kevin Macy insisted that the Cougars didn’t belong in the heavyweight bracket.

“I think we’ll just go to show North Coast that they’ve got to scrap the competitive equity format,” Macy said last week.

As always, Campo did nothing to show that it didn’t belong with the big boys.

It gave one of San Ramon Valley’s great teams all it could handle on Friday night, overcoming a 21-point, first-quarter deficit on the road to take a fourth-quarter lead before losing in overtime 38-31.

“It’s too bad,” Macy said after the loss. “This team should be in a place where they could do more. But I’m proud of what they did. Being pushed up to D-I. With the way it started, it looked like we were going to get embarrassed right off the field.

“It came down to a couple of spots. Their quarterback made some great ad-lib plays. The thing is we just don’t have the size. We could not put any pressure on him. Up and down the field, we fought. But we just couldn’t put any pressure on him.”

Asked again if the NCS needs to change its competitive-equity system, Macy said, “Oh, God. They have to. I’ve got stronger words but I’ll bite my tongue. Our kids have been penalized for a few years now. It’s about time for someone else to get penalized.”

– Darren Sabedra

SRV: NOT SURPRISED CAMPO PLAYED WELL

San Ramon Valley did not buy what Macy was selling. The Wolves, having played tight games against Campo in the past two NCS Division II playoffs, knew that the visitors from Moraga would be no pushover.

“That’s just a coach trying to play some mind games,” SRV quarterback Luke Baker said on the field after the victory. “They’re a really good team. They came ready to play.”

It has been quite a trilogy between these teams.

Campo beat SRV 17-14 in a Division II semifinal two seasons ago. SRV won the rematch last season, defeating undefeated Campo 35-21 in the Division II title game, and then prevailed in the rubber match.

“They’re well-coached and they do a good job,” SRV coach Aaron Becker said.

– Darren Sabedra

LOS GATOS: BOXER ALWAYS PACKED A PUNCH

After covering Los Gatos’ 28-14 win over Archbishop Riordan on Friday night in the CCS Open/Division I playoffs, I interviewed one of the winning team’s standouts, Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung.

After talking about his performance in the game, I asked, “Where does the name Boxer come from?”

“It’s a pretty interesting story,” he said. “You know when I was a baby (before I was born) when my mother had an ultrasound to look at me, every single time I was punching the inside of her belly. Then when they were thinking about, like, `Can we really name him Boxer?’ Right at that moment I went, pow, pow. So they said they had to.”

Turned out to be descriptive, given the way he fights for yards as a running back.

“That’s beautiful,” I said. “A great name. Your last name’s a great name too, half Slavic, half Chinese. That’s so Silicon Valley.”

“Yeah,” he said with a smile and a laugh. “It is definitely Silicon Valley.”

– Glenn Reeves

CHRISTOPHER: DRAMATIC RIDE TO CCS D-II SEMIS

It has been a wave of emotions this month for the Christopher football team, which two Fridays ago entered its league championship showdown at home against Live Oak undefeated and then built a 21-0 lead.

Live Oak rallied to win 28-24, dropping Christopher to the eighth seed in the CCS’s Division II bracket, which meant a first-round game this past Friday on the road against top-seeded Archbishop Mitty at Foothill College.

After the Live Oak loss, coach Darren Yafai broke the news to his players that he plans to retire after the season, news he’d already told his staff at the beginning of the year.

Yafai has coached football for more than three decades, the past three as the head coach at Christopher.

With about five minutes to go on Friday against Mitty, it looked as if Yafai would not coach any more games. Mitty just scored a touchdown. Christopher, which had never beaten a West Catholic Athletic League school in its 14 years of varsity football, trailed by nine points.

But then Amari Bluford injected energy into a deflated sideline, returning the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. William Rizqallah followed with a 7-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left.

When the defense knocked away a pass in the end zone on the final play, Christopher won 32-28, giving its coach at least one more game.

“I’ve been everything from a freshman and JV assistant to a head varsity coach a couple of different times,” said Yafai, 55. “But after 33 years, I am ready for a little break. For it being my last season as a head varsity coach, it feels pretty good for us to be in this situation. We’re 10-1. We just knocked off a West Catholic school.”

Christopher will now visit fifth-seeded Menlo School in a semifinal on Saturday. Menlo edged fourth-seeded Live Oak 30-28 on Friday.

“Menlo’s a really, really good team,” Yafai said. “It will be an evenly matched game, I think, because us and Live Oak were evenly matched. Every season it goes down to the final play against Live Oak for us. We lose at the end of the game last week. Menlo wins it at the end of the game this week. It should be a pretty good battle.”

– Darren Sabedra 

MT. DIABLO: TURNER SURPASSES 3,000 YARDS

Herschel Turner saw his season end in the first round of the NCS Division IV playoffs, but the section’s all-time leading regular-season rusher surpassed another milestone in the 56-14 loss to Acalanes.

Turner rushed for 70 yards on 16 carries, bringing his season total to 3,027 yards and 42 rushing touchdowns. Turner also passed for a 45-yard touchdown late in the game. The three-star running back has offers scholarship offers from Utah, Yale and Air Force, among others.

According to statistics inputted into MaxPreps, he finished the regular season leading the country in rushing yards.

– Joseph Dycus

ODDS AND ENDS

— Los Gatos coach Mark Krail won his 200th game on Friday. Before taking over at Los Gatos in 2013, he coached at Pioneer starting in 1998 and then at Santa Clara.

— SRV quarterback Luke Baker announced last week that he de-committed from a baseball offer at Santa Clara. “Signing day, I wasn’t ready to sign,” said Baker, a two-sport standout. “I need to finish the season with my guys before I make that kind of decision.”

— Serra is 8-0 in CCS championship games, including 7-0 under longtime coach Patrick Walsh.

— De La Salle will be seeking its 31st consecutive NCS championship on Friday.

— Darren Sabedra

And before Peters, 55, told the team he has led since 2013, his family was the first to know. 

“They could see it,” Peters told the Bay Area News Group on Sunday, one day after the post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. “They can see that I’m tired.”

“I’m not getting any younger, and I’ve got to really concentrate on getting myself healthy because football is stressful,” Peters later said. “It’s been a long time at this school, a school I love.”

So why announce his impending retirement now at the start of the playoffs?

“It’s the last home game unless we get a regional game,” Peters said. “I wanted to announce it now so I could appreciate the guys and fans who stood by me. And I’ll get all my players coming back, and I’ve been in contact with guys who were ever on my coaching staff.”

Peters made it clear he will still be very involved at McClymonds, where he will continue to work as the Oakland school’s outreach coordinator. 

He will also retain his position as the school’s girls flag football coach and said the enthusiasm of those athletes was something he found refreshing.

“Those girls have more energy than the (tackle) football players,” Peters said. “They get me to go to practice, and they want to practice longer.”

When reflecting upon his long career at the school, which started in 1992 as an assistant coach before he became the head coach in 2013, Peters regretted how much of his time had been taken up the football program.

“I want to enjoy time with my grandkids, and they deserve it,” Peters said. “I kind of neglected my kids when they were younger because I was mostly at practice and taking (players) on the road for college tours. At least now, I’ll get a chance now to hang out with my grandkids more.”

The longtime coach had publicly mentioned considering retirement last season but decided to come back for one more year after losing to Mater Dei Catholic-Chula Vista in the 2-AA state championship. 

Peters, the father of Las Vegas Raiders defensive back Marcus Peters, mentioned his struggles to adjust to modern coaching, which included the prevalence of social media, overzealous parents and the burgeoning NIL endorsement space within high school sports as aspects he did not enjoy dealing with.

“With the flashiness of the game, from Pop Warner and up, I guess the game has passed me by,” Peters said. “I’m not with all the showboating.”

If McClymonds wins its next two Oakland playoff games as expected, the Warriors will have never lost to a team from the Oakland Athletic League during Peters’ time as head coach. The program has won at least 10 games in each full season under Peters.

It’ll be a high on-field standard to meet for the next coach, which Peters said he will help find as part of a panel. But for him, being able to field a winner is not the most important quality for his successor. 

“For me, it’s about what coach is gonna come in and dedicate a lot to this program,” Peters said. “You have to come in and build the program, and you have to come in and help make kids productive citizens.”