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.
Check back every Thursday morning during the season for the preview.
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On the top matchups …
Friday
No. 4 St. Francis (2-0) at No. 1 De La Salle (2-0), 7:30 p.m.: The latest edition of what has become an annual matchup between intersectional private school powerhouses. De La Salle reaffirmed its place at the top of the Bay Area pecking order with a 39-10 victory over then-No. 2 Serra last week. With speedy quarterback Toa Faavae running the split-back veer with a four-deep RB group featuring Derrick Blanche, Dominic Kelley, Duece Jones-Drew and Jaden Jefferson, the Spartans look like the DLS of old. Don’t sleep on the defense, either. Lineman Matthew Johnson took over the Serra game in the second half and can line up inside or on the edge. Ant Dean, Jefferson, Trisshon Wright and Jayden Nichols have the speed to make passing a treacherous endeavor. Fortunately for the Lancers, the running game butters their bread. Unlike DLS’s multifaceted attack, St. Francis’ run game features Kingston Keanaaina (336 yards vs. McClymonds) running behind bruisers like Sione Netane in a pro-style I-formation. Senior St. Francis QB Aaron Knapp will need to make crucial play-action throws to Perrion Williams to keep the Spartans honest. The Cahoon brothers – Jackson and Chase – have interest from college programs and will try to contain DLS’s potent backfield. St. Francis snapped the Concord school’s 318-game unbeaten streak over NorCal opponents with a last-minute TD in 2021. – Joseph Dycus
No. 5 Archbishop Riordan (1-1) at No. 2 Pittsburg (2-0), 7 p.m.: Division I talent will be all over the field in this matchup. Pittsburg has been humming through two games, averaging 41.5 points in wins over Monterey Trail-Elk Grove and Reno’s Bishop Manogue. Quarterback Marley Alcantara had a monster game in Pittsburg’s last win as he threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Between running backs Elijah Bow and Jamar Searcy, the Pirates have an explosive running game that has been giving teams fits. Pittsburg’s defense has been dominant thus far, led by UCLA commits Jadyn Hudson and Jewelous Walls. Though Riordan lost last week at St. Bonaventure-Ventura, the Crusaders still have one of the most explosive offenses in the Bay Area. Riordan junior quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. leads a lethal passing attack along with receivers Cynai Thomas and Chris Lawson. In Riordan’s 35-34 Week 1 win over McClymonds, the Crusaders totaled 295 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air. — Nathan Canilao
No. 9 McClymonds (0-2) at No. 15 Bishop O’Dowd (2-0), 7 p.m.: Bishop O’Dowd and McClymonds have had drastically different starts to their respective seasons. McClymonds began the season ranked No. 5 by this publication, but has dropped four spots following losses to Archbishop Riordan (35-34) and St. Francis (34-14). Bishop O’Dowd, on the flip side, began the season ranked No. 24 by this publication, but has skyrocketed nine spots with a commanding win over Tamalpais (51-13) and a stunning victory over Monte Vista (24-20). Bishop O’Dowd coach Hardy Nickerson Sr. called last week’s win “one of the biggest wins O’Dowd has had the last four or five years.” A win over McClymonds, then, could easily become the biggest win over the last half-decade. — Justice delos Santos
No. 21 Menlo-Atherton (2-0) vs. Archbishop Mitty (2-0) at Foothill College, 7 p.m.: This battle of unbeaten teams should be competitive as both schools get ready to enter their league slate. Menlo-Atherton took care of Monterey last week in a dominant 28-7 effort. The Bears won’t have to travel nearly as far this week, but they will certainly be tested. Mitty took care of Aptos 41-19 a week ago. The Monarchs were balanced offensively, with Lazaro Faraj-Washington (16 carries, 169 yards) and Jonah Kroenung (8 of 9 passing, 194 yards, 3 TDs) both playing big roles. Teddy Dacey tossed two touchdowns last week for M-A. – Christian Babcock
Leigh (2-0) at South San Francisco (1-1), 7 p.m.: A matchup of undefeated Leigh, a contender in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s top division, and South San Francisco, which won the CCS Division V championship last season. This will be the home opener for South City, which routed Bethel 34-8 most recently. Cisco Lutu and Anthony Jara intercepted passes for the Warriors last Friday. Leigh edged out Mountain View 21-14 last Thursday behind two rushing touchdowns from Blake Zanger. – Christian Babcock
Saturday
St. John Bosco-Bellflower (3-0) at No. 3 Serra (1-1), 1:30 p.m.: After beating Sacramento’s premier program, Folsom, and losing to East Bay titan De La Salle, Serra finishes its brutal non-league slate with a visit from a team as talented as any in the country. St. John Bosco has top-notch prospects at every position. A running-clock loss for Serra seems possible. Longtime Padres coach Patrick Walsh said about the matchup, “We’re going to see what type of courage we have.” The Braves crushed Serra 45-0 in the 2022 Open Division state championship game, and the Bellflower school is just as talented two years later. Bosco and Serra both have replaced many starters from last season, but the SoCal school’s new starters are on another level as highly-touted college recruits. Juniors Madden Williams and Daniel Odom will catch passes at a Power-4 school in two years, and senior Epi Sitanilei is committed to UCLA as a fearsome edge rusher. Former Serra assistant coach Steven Lo coaches the Bosco offense. Serra is coming off a 39-10 loss to De La Salle, a game that was competitive until the second half. Nano Latu and Chris Yoon have both shown toughness as runners. Latu has rushed for 240 yards and a touchdown in his first two games as a starter. Bosco might have an all-star defensive line, but don’t be shocked if Serra’s line puts up at least a little bit of a fight. Louis Akpa and Elias Shamieh are both future college players in the Padres trenches. – Joseph Dycus
Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 12
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
PAL Lake
Jefferson at Lynbrook, 7 p.m.
Non-league
Sequoia at Alisal, 7 p.m.
Silver Creek at San Jose, 7:15 p.m.
Yerba Buena at Leland, 7:15 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Delhi at Gilroy, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 13
EAST BAY
Non-league
Alhambra at De Anza, 7 p.m.
Antioch at Logan, 7 p.m.
Clayton Valley at San Ramon Valley, 7 p.m.
Concord at San Lorenzo, 3:30 p.m.
Deer Valley at Berkeley, 7 p.m.
Eureka at Newark Memorial, 7 p.m.
Foothill at Kennedy-Fremont, 7 p.m.
Granada at Castro Valley, 7 p.m.
Hayward at Tennyson, 7 p.m.
Hercules at Dougherty Valley, 7 p.m.
Heritage at Dublin, 7 p.m.
Moreau Catholic at San Marin, 7 p.m.
Mt. Diablo at Vallejo, 7 p.m.
Mt. Eden at Piedmont, 7 p.m.
Salesian at College Park, 7:30 p.m.
St. Mary’s-Berkeley at St. Patrick-St. Vincent, 7 p.m.
Washington-Fremont at Piner, 7 p.m.
Windsor at Campolindo, 7 p.m.
Ygnacio Valley at Kennedy-Richmond, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
PAL Lake
Cupertino at El Camino, 7 p.m.
Mills at Gunn, 7 p.m.
Non-league
Aragon at Lincoln-San Jose, 7 p.m.
Capuchino at Terra Nova, 7 p.m.
Carlmont at Monte Vista Christian, 7 p.m.
Christopher at Palo Alto, 7 p.m.
Evergreen Valley at Independence, 7:15 p.m.
Fremont-Sunnyvale at Milpitas, 7 p.m.
Gunderson at Homestead, 7 p.m.
Leigh at South San Francisco, 7 p.m.
Live Oak at Los Gatos, 7 p.m.
Menlo at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
Menlo-Atherton vs. Mitty at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, 7 p.m.
Mountain View at San Mateo, 7 p.m.
Oak Grove at Hollister, 7:30 p.m.
Piedmont Hills at Willow Glen, 7:15 p.m.
Pioneer at Santa Teresa, 7 p.m.
Prospect at Mt. Pleasant, 7:15 p.m.
Valley Christian at Soquel, 7:30 p.m.
Westmont at Hill, 7:15 p.m.
Wilcox vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral at Kezar Stadium, 7 p.m.
Woodside at Hillsdale, 7 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Alameda vs. Elite at Morton Field in Vallejo, 7 p.m.
Amador Valley at Downey-Modesto, 7 p.m.
Balboa at Overfelt, 7:15 p.m.
Bethel at Rodriguez-Fairfield, 7 p.m.
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Monday Morning Lights: St. Francis has passed two tough tests. De La Salle is the third.
Castlemont vs. San Leandro at Burrell Field in San Leandro, 7 p.m.
Destiny Christian-Sacramento at Benicia, 7:15 p.m.
El Cerrito at Oakland Tech, 7 p.m.
Freedom at Vanden-Fairfield, 7 p.m.
Fremont-Oakland at Santa Rosa, 7 p.m.
Galena-Reno, Nev. at Acalanes, 7 p.m.
Gregori-Modesto at Livermore, 7:15 p.m.
McClymonds at Bishop O’Dowd, 7 p.m.
Miramonte at Carmel, 7 p.m.
Monte Vista vs. Bellarmine at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.
Monterey Trail-Elk Grove at California, 7:15 p.m.
Redwood Christian at Delta-Clarksburg, 7 p.m.
Riordan at Pittsburg, 7 p.m.
St. Francis at De La Salle, 7:30 p.m.
St. Ignatius at Cathedral-San Diego, 7 p.m.
Tracy at Liberty, 7:15 p.m.
Valley-Sacramento at Richmond, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
EAST BAY
Non-league
Encinal at Novato, 2 p.m.
Healdsburg at Berean Christian, 12:30 p.m.
Irvington vs. American at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
Las Lomas at Tamalpais, 2 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Non-league
Branham at Soledad, 12:30 p.m.
Half Moon Bay at Sacred Heart Prep, 2 p.m.
Sobrato at North Monterey County 1 p.m.
PAL Lake
MacDonald at Monta Vista, 2 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Burlingame at Arroyo, 2 p.m.
Northgate vs. Bishop Diego-Santa Barbara at Santa Barbara CC, 1 p.m.
Oakland at Galileo, 2 p.m.
St. John Bosco-Bellflower at Serra, 1:30 p.m.
Skyline vs. Terra Linda at San Rafael, 7 p.m.