The picks are in for the second weekend of the high school football playoffs, Week 13 overall, and there are a lot of toss-ups on the list.
The lineup includes two Open Division championship games, both Friday night. Pittsburg vs. De La Salle in the North Coast Section and St. Francis vs. St. Ignatius in the Central Coast Section.
The weekend also features heavyweight matchups between Los Gatos and Archbishop Riordan, Cardinal Newman and San Ramon Valley, Menlo-Atherton and Wilcox and Bishop O’Dowd and Liberty.
The Bay Area News Group’s high school crew of Christian Babcock, Nathan Canilao and Joseph Dycus, plus long-timers Mike Lefkow and Darren Sabedra, have made their picks.
All in good fun, of course.
Canilao, who correctly predicted Los Gatos to beat Serra last week, is sticking with the call he made that Pittsburg will win the NCS Open title by beating De La Salle.
He says the score will be in the neighborhood of 45-42.
Dycus disagreed. Wow, did he disagree.
In a fun back-and-forth during the crew’s prediction video (be sure to check it out below), Dycus went all in on DLS, the team he used to consistently pick against (see Clayton Valley, 2022).
“I’m am going to be there, and I can tell you right now, there is not going to be a movie about this game,” Dycus said, dousing water on the suggestion that a movie might be made if Pittsburg ends De La Salle’s 33-year unbeaten streak within the section. “I think De La Salle wins and I’ll even give you a score. I think it’s going to be 49-14.”
After the guys pressed Sabedra for a score — he says DLS 42-21 — Dycus tightened his prediction.
“Let me amend my score,” Dycus said, drawing laughs from his colleagues. “I think De La Salle puts up 49 because their offense is ridiculous, but I do think Pittsburg puts up 28.”
Canilao, meanwhile, explained his decision to predict an upset.
“I will say this about Pittsburg,” Canilao said. “The teams that gave De La Salle the most trouble this year, it’s El Cerrito and St. Mary’s of Stockton. Pittsburg is better than both of those teams, and they have much better weapons and they’re a much deeper team.”
In addition to predicting the weekend’s top games, the guys discussed last week’s first round — including Los Gatos’ win at Serra — and the NCS’s new competitive equity format.
Be sure to check out the video for all the prep football talk.
If you just want the picks, keep scrolling.
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On to the picks …
Central Coast Section
Open/Division I
Open final
No. 2 St. Francis (9-2) vs. No. 1 St. Ignatius (9-2) at San Jose City College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: St. Francis
Dycus: St. Francis
Canilao: St. Francis
Babcock: St. Francis
Lefkow: St. Francis
CCS Division I semifinal
No. 5 Los Gatos (9-2) at No. 3 Riordan (7-4), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Sabedra: Riordan
Dycus: Los Gatos
Canilao: Riordan
Babcock: Riordan
Lefkow: Riordan
CCS Division II semifinals
No. 7 Palma (6-5) vs. No. 6 Menlo (8-3) at Sequoia, Saturday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Menlo
Dycus: Menlo
Canilao: Menlo
Babcock: Palma
Lefkow: Menlo
No. 4 Menlo-Atherton (7-4) at No. 1 Wilcox (9-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Wilcox
Dycus: Wilcox
Canilao: Wilcox
Babcock: Wilcox
Lefkow: Wilcox
CCS Division III semifinals
No. 7 Aptos (6-5) at No. 3 Palo Alto (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Palo Alto
Dycus: Palo Alto
Canilao: Palo Alto
Babcock: Palo Alto
Lefkow: Palo Alto
CCS Division IV semifinals
No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep (5-6) at No. 2 Branham (8-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Branham
Dycus: SHP
Canilao: Branham
Babcock: Branham
Lefkow: Branham
No. 4 Burlingame (7-4) at No. 1 Piedmont Hills (9-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Piedmont Hills
Dycus: Burlingame
Canilao: Burlingame
Babcock: Piedmont Hills
Lefkow: Piedmont Hills
CCS Division V semifinals
No. 4 Sequoia (6-5) at No. 1 South San Francisco (9-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: South San Francisco
Dycus: South San Francisco
Canilao: South San Francisco
Babcock: Sequoia
Lefkow: South San Francisco
North Coast Section
Open/Division I
Open final
No. 2 Pittsburg (10-1) vs. No. 1 De La Salle (11-0) at Diablo Valley College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: De La Salle
Dycus: De La Salle
Canilao: Pittsburg
Babcock: De La Salle
Lefkow: De La Salle
NCS Division I semifinal
No. 5 Cardinal Newman (10-1) at No. 3 San Ramon Valley (10-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: San Ramon Valley
Dycus: San Ramon Valley
Canilao: San Ramon Valley
Babcock: San Ramon Valley
Lefkow: San Ramon Valley
NCS Division II semifinals
No. 3 Windsor (8-3) at No. 2 Amador Valley (7-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Amador Valley
Dycus: Windsor
Canilao: Amador Valley
Babcock: Amador Valley
Lefkow: Amador Valley
No. 4 Bishop O’Dowd (9-2) at No. 1 Liberty (8-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Liberty
Dycus: Bishop O’Dowd
Canilao: Bishop O’Dowd
Babcock: Liberty
Lefkow: Liberty
NCS Division III semifinals
No. 6 San Leandro (6-5) at No. 2 Campolindo (6-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Campolindo
Dycus: San Leandro
Canilao: Campolindo
Babcock: Campolindo
Lefkow: Campolindo
No. 4 Heritage (7-4) at No. 1 Acalanes (8-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Acalanes
Dycus: Acalanes
Canilao: Acalanes
Babcock: Acalanes
Lefkow: Acalanes
NCS Division IV semifinals
No. 3 Granada (7-4) at No. 2 American Canyon (9-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Granada
Dycus: American Canyon
Canilao: American Canyon
Babcock: Granada
Lefkow: American Canyon
NCS Division V semifinals
No. 3 Sonoma Valley (11-0) at No. 2 Salesian (10-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Sabedra: Salesian
Dycus: Salesian
Canilao: Salesian
Babcock: Salesian
Lefkow: Salesian
WEEK 12 RESULTS
Oakland 26, Oakland Tech 7
Sabedra: Oakland Tech (L)
Dycus: Oakland Tech (L)
Canilao: Oakland Tech (L)
Babcock: Oakland Tech (L)
Lefkow: Oakland (W)
No. 4 Sequoia 33, No. 5 Gunn 6
Sabedra: Sequoia (W)
Dycus: Gunn (L)
Canilao: Sequoia (W)
Babcock: Sequoia (W)
Lefkow: Gunn (L)
No. 5 Redwood 21, No. 4 Antioch 16
Sabedra: Antioch (L)
Dycus: Antioch (L)
Canilao: Antioch (L)
Babcock: Antioch (L)
Lefkow: Antioch (L)
No. 3 Granada 28, No. 6 Livermore 14
Sabedra: Granada (W)
Dycus: Livermore (L)
Canilao: Granada (W)
Babcock: Granada (W)
Lefkow: Granada (W)
No. 3 Palo Alto 33, No. 6 Half Moon Bay 24
Sabedra: HMB (L)
Dycus: HMB (L)
Canilao: Palo Alto (W)
Babcock: Palo Alto (W)
Lefkow: HMB (L)
No. 4 Heritage 34, No. 5 James Logan 0
Sabedra: Heritage (W)
Dycus: Heritage (W)
Canilao: James Logan (L)
Babcock: James Logan (L)
Lefkow: Heritage (W)
No. 6 San Leandro 25, No. 3 Northgate 24
Sabedra: Northgate (L)
Dycus: Northgate (L)
Canilao: Northgate (L)
Babcock: Northgate (L)
Lefkow: Northgate (L)
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No. 6 Menlo 21, No. 3 Christopher 14
Sabedra: Christopher (L)
Dycus: Christopher (L)
Canilao: Christopher (L)
Babcock: Christopher (L)
Lefkow: Christopher (L)
No. 1 Wilcox 36, No. 8 Santa Teresa 3
Sabedra: Wilcox (W)
Dycus: Santa Teresa (L)
Canilao: Wilcox (W)
Babcock: Wilcox (W)
Lefkow: Wilcox (W)
No. 4 Bishop O’Dowd 31, No. 5 Monte Vista 28, OT
Sabedra: Bishop O’Dowd (W)
Dycus: Bishop O’Dowd (W)
Canilao: Bishop O’Dowd (W)
Babcock: Bishop O’Dowd (W)
Lefkow: Bishop O’Dowd (W)
No. 2 Amador Valley 42, No. 7 Las Lomas 21
Sabedra: Amador Valley (W)
Dycus: Amador Valley (W)
Canilao: Amador Valley (W)
Babcock: Amador Valley (W)
Lefkow: Amador Valley (W)
No. 2 St. Francis 24, No. 7 Valley Christian 14
Sabedra: St. Francis (W)
Dycus: St. Francis (W)
Canilao: St. Francis (W)
Babcock: St. Francis (W)
Lefkow: St. Francis (W)
No. 1 St. Ignatius 45, No. 8 Salinas 7
Sabedra: St. Ignatius (W)
Dycus: St. Ignatius (W)
Canilao: St. Ignatius (W)
Babcock: St. Ignatius (W)
Lefkow: St. Ignatius (W)
San Ramon Valley 35, California 7
Sabedra: San Ramon Valley (W)
Dycus: San Ramon Valley (W)
Canilao: San Ramon Valley (W)
Babcock: San Ramon Valley (W)
Lefkow: San Ramon Valley (W)
No. 3 Riordan 41, No. 6 Soquel 7
Sabedra: Riordan (W)
Dycus: Riordan (W)
Canilao: Riordan (W)
Babcock: Riordan (W)
Lefkow: Riordan (W)
No. 5 Los Gatos 14, No. 4 Serra 7
Sabedra: Serra (L)
Dycus: Serra (L)
Canilao: Los Gatos (W)
Babcock: Serra (L)
Lefkow: Serra (L)
WEEK 12 STANDINGS
Canilao: 11-5
Babcock: 10-6
Lefkow: 10-6
Sabedra: 10-6
Dycus: 7-9
SEASON STANDINGS
Sabedra: 129-53
Babcock: 126-56
Canilao: 121-61
Lefkow: 120-62
Dycus: 102-80