Welcome back to the Bay Area News Group’s high school football preview.
Here, you’ll find the week’s top matchups and complete weekend schedule for teams in this news organization’s coverage area, which encompasses leagues based primarily in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
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On the top matchups …
No. 7 Valley Christian (5-2, 4-0) at No. 5 St. Ignatius (5-2, 3-1), 5 p.m.: After going 1-2 against nonleague opponents, Valley Christian has gotten hot in West Catholic Athletic League play. Victories over Mitty, Bellarmine, Riordan and Sacred Heart Cathedral have put Valley in a tie with St. Francis for first place with three games to play. The closing stretch won’t be easy for the San Jose school, starting Friday night in San Francisco against St. Ignatius. The Wildcats lost for the first time in WCAL play last week, squandering a 13-0 halftime advantage as St. Francis rallied for a 27-13 win. SI can stay in contention for a piece of the league crown with a win over Valley, which plays host to St. Francis next week. Running backs Marcel Leggett (752 yards, six TDs) and Ekiah McLemore (419 yards, six TDs) lead the Valley ground attack. SI’s Jarious Hogan has rushed for 595 yards and 10 TDs, and QB Soren Hummel has passed for 1,047 yards and six TDs. Calpreps’ computer picks SI to win 19-12. — Darren Sabedra
Sacred Heart Prep (3-4, 0-2) at No. 11 Wilcox (5-2, 2-0), 7 p.m.: This battle of Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division squads pits two teams going in opposite directions. Wilcox has been resurgent lately, dominating Palo Alto 42-13 on the road and winning three games in a row overall, including its first two in league play. SHP has been up and down, picking up some nice wins over King’s Academy and Hillsdale but losing its first two games in league play, most recently suffering a 42-10 home loss to Los Gatos. Kai Imahara, Brayden Rosa and Elijah Vallejo all rushed for more than 100 yards last week for Wilcox’s powerful ground attack, and Imahara added three touchdowns as well. Greg Gamitian is the featured back for Sacred Heart Prep, averaging 60.9 yards per game according to MaxPreps. Calpreps’ computer sees Wilcox winning this one 38-7. – Christian Babcock
Berean Christian (5-2, 1-0) at Mt. Diablo (5-2, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.: This game will be crucial in determining which team comes out on top in the Diablo Athletic League Mountain Division. Mt. Diablo is on a four-game winning streak, averaging over 48 points in those games. Running back Jeremiah Owens and Antonio Campbell III form a lethal duo in the backfield. Quarterback Michael Vasquez is a dual-threat QB who can make plays with his feet as well as through the air. Mt. Diablo was dominant in its last game against Concord, beating the Bears 63-13. Berean Christian’s offense has been just as formidable, shown by the Eagles’ 52-6 blowout win over Ygnacio Valley last week. Quarterback Joshua Werner threw for 229 yards and five touchdowns in the win. BC has its own high-powered rushing attack, led by Damon Neu and Josh McCoy, who each found the end zone in last Friday’s win. Calpreps has Mt. Diablo winning 38-26. – Nathan Canilao
Moreau Catholic (5-3, 4-0) at No. 15 Bishop O’Dowd (5-2, 3-0), 7 p.m.: Expect a lot of points to be put on the board in this matchup. O’Dowd should be well rested coming off a bye week. The Dragons have won three straight since dropping back-to-back games to McClymonds and Cardinal Newman. O’Dowd’s offense runs through the trio of quarterback Devin Wilson, Washington-bound wide receiver Deji Ajose and running back Saliou Sow. The Dragons’ offense is versatile as they could chew clock with their running game or slice and dice defenses through the air. Moreau’s offense has a Big 3 of its own with quarterback Jeremiah Charles, wide receiver Jalen Arnold and running back Jayden Bryant. In the Mariners’ 37-33 win over San Leandro last week, Charles and Arnold connected on four passes for 93 yards. History is on O’Dowd’s side as the Dragons have won the past five games against Moreau dating back to 2004 – most recently last season’s 57-20 blowout win in Hayward. Calpreps favors O’Dowd in this game 41-24. – Nathan Canilao
Half Moon Bay (6-1, 1-1) at San Mateo (6-1, 3-0), 7 p.m.: With the way these teams like to run the ball, don’t be surprised if this PAL Ocean Division showdown is over in under two hours. Half Moon Bay is coming off a surprising 21-20 loss to Sequoia, but San Mateo shouldn’t take the Cougars lightly. Connor Heath and Adler Halterman form a dynamic one-two punch in the backfield for HMB, and quarterback Dusty Dimas is quick on his feet and has a lively arm. On the other side, the Bearcats average 342 rushing yards per game, the most prolific runner being Emmanuel Fitzgerald and his 759 yards on the season. Cameron Palma has over 500 rushing yards as a quarterback, and Jovani Hernandez Cruz and Logan Davis are also big-play threats on the ground. Hamilton Pitney has two interceptions this season for San Mateo. Calpreps has HMB winning 22-21. – Joseph Dycus
Saratoga (6-0-1, 5-0-1) at Jefferson (6-2, 6-0), 7 p.m.: Something has to give in this matchup of teams that are undefeated in PAL Lake Division play. Keion Ashjaee-Marshall’s 500-plus yards and eight rushing touchdowns lead the way for Saratoga, and Charlie Arman has almost 400 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns as an all-around playmaker. Sophomore Motekiai Pahulu leads the team with 67 tackles. Jefferson’s stellar year starts in the trenches. Coach Imani Stewart says that Bryant Martin, Henry Hernandez and Kymani Maumasi are the anchors of a physical offensive line. CalPreps has Jefferson winning 27-21 in Daly City. – Joseph Dycus
Week 9 schedule
Thursday, Oct. 24
EAST BAY
WACC Shoreline
Encinal vs. American at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Mt. Hamilton
Lincoln-San Jose at Oak Grove, 7:15 p.m.
Santa Teresa at Leigh, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill
Independence at Pioneer, 7:15 p.m.
Overfelt at Del Mar, 7:15 p.m.
PAL De Anza
Capuchino at Mountain View, 7 p.m.
The King’s Academy at Hillsdale, 7 p.m.
PAL Ocean
Sequoia at Milpitas, 7 p.m.
Terra Nova at Carlmont, 7 p.m.
PAL El Camino
Los Altos at Woodside, 7 p.m.
PAL Lake
Lynbrook at Monta Vista, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25
EAST BAY
Bay Valley
Antioch at Deer Valley, 7 p.m.
Heritage at Freedom, 7 p.m.
Liberty at Pittsburg, 7 p.m.
DAL Foothill
Campolindo at Clayton Valley, 7 p.m.
Miramonte at Las Lomas, 7 p.m.
DAL Valley
Alhambra at Benicia, 7 p.m.
Northgate at College Park, 7 p.m.
DAL Mountain
Berean Christian at Mt. Diablo, 7 p.m.
Ygnacio Valley at Concord, 7:30 p.m.
EBAL Mountain
Monte Vista at De La Salle, 7 p.m.
San Ramon Valley at Amador Valley, 7:15 p.m.
EBAL Valley
Granada at Foothill, 7 p.m.
Livermore at Dublin, 7:15 p.m.
TCAL Rock
El Cerrito at Vallejo, 7 p.m.
St. Mary’s-Berkeley at Pinole Valley, 7 p.m.
TCAL Stone
Bethel at Hercules, 7 p.m.
St. Patrick-St. Vincent at Kennedy-Richmond, 7 p.m.
WACC Foothill
Castro Valley at Tennyson, 7 p.m.
James Logan vs. San Leandro at Burrell Field in San Leandro, 7 p.m.
Moreau Catholic at Bishop O’Dowd, 7 p.m.
WACC Mission
Kennedy-Fremont at Hayward, 7 p.m.
Newark Memorial vs. Irvington at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
Washington-Fremont at Piedmont, 7 p.m.
WACC Shoreline
Arroyo vs. Alameda at Thompson Field in Alameda, 7 p.m.
San Lorenzo at Mt. Eden, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Mt. Hamilton
Branham at Live Oak, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill
Silver Creek at Piedmont Hills, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley
Gilroy at Westmont, 7:15 p.m.
Prospect at Willow Glen, 7:15 p.m.
Sobrato at Leland, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL West Valley
Gunderson at Lick, 7:15 p.m.
Hill at Evergreen Valley, 7:15 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant at Yerba Buena, 7 p.m.
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PAL Bay
Menlo School at Los Gatos, 7 p.m.
Palo Alto at Menlo-Atherton, 7 p.m.
Sacred Heart Prep at Wilcox, 7 p.m.
PAL De Anza
Aragon at Burlingame, 7 p.m.
PAL El Camino
Santa Clara at Homestead, 7 p.m.
South San Francisco at Fremont-Sunnyvale, 7 p.m.
PAL Ocean
Half Moon Bay at San Mateo, 7 p.m.
PAL Lake
MacDonald at Gunn, 7 p.m.
Mills at El Camino, 7 p.m.
Saratoga at Jefferson, 7 p.m.
West Catholic
Riordan vs. Mitty at Foothill College, 7 p.m.
Sacred Heart Cathedral at St. Francis, 7 p.m.
Serra vs. Bellarmine at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.
Valley Christian at St. Ignatius, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26
EAST BAY
Oakland Athletic League
Castlemont at Oakland, 1 p.m.
McClymonds at Skyline, 1 p.m.
Oakland Tech at Fremont-Oakland, 1:30 p.m.
TCAL Rock
De Anza at Salesian, 1 p.m.