Top 10 Northern California high school football games to watch this week (Nov. 4-6): Saint Francis & Serra battle for WCAL title
With the Sac-Joaquin Section and Central Section regular seasons over, roughly a third of all teams in the upper echelon of Northern California high school football are out of action this week. But the North Coast Section and Central Coast Sections have such great slates this week that it's still a very exciting week in NorCal gridiron.
The first week of the season is known as “Week Zero”, which means last week was Week 10. Here’s a look at the top 10 Northern California high school football games to watch this week (Nov. 4-6), Week 11 of the California season.
STATEWIDE CALIFORNIA FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
FULL SECTION SCHEDULES: NORTH COAST | CENTRAL COAST | SAC-JOAQUIN | CENTRAL | NORTHERN
TOP 10 NORCAL FOOTBALL GAMES TO WATCH
(All games are Friday at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise.)
10. Enterprise @ Foothill (Palo Cedro) – Friday at 7:30 p.m.
After Pleasant Valley eventually ran away with the title in the Eastern League, which contains most of the Northern Section elites, whoever wins this match gets at least a piece of second place. Enterprise has a little bit of breathing room, in that a win clinches sole possession of the silver medal, and a loss still means a tie for second. But the Cougars still control their own fate, because a victory here means they'll tie with Enterprise, and likely with Chico as well.
For Foothill, that's a lot better than falling out of the top three, and for the Hornets, a top-two finish is a lot more desirable than top-three or top-four. Ramifications aside, it should be a great game, and likely a defensive battle.
9. Leland @ Lincoln (San Jose)
The Mount Hamilton League has emerged as one of the Central Coast Section's most competitive – and unpredictable. This game is its closest thing to a championship game.
Both teams in this matchup have just one loss in league play coming narrowly against Santa Teresa. However, Santa Teresa lost to Live Oak and Piedmont Hills. Live Oak, who is the heavy favorite against Oak Grove this week, also has just one loss in league play (coming against Leland), as the Acorns' match with Lincoln was cancelled. How exactly that affects Lincoln and Live Oak in the league race is unclear. But what's for sure is, a win for Leland clinches an undisputed league title no matter what, and a win for Lincoln would be nearly, or equally, as meaningful to the Lions.
8. Fall River @ Los Molinos
Not only is an undisputed Cascade Valley League title on the line for both these teams on Friday, but for Fall River, an undefeated regular season is as well. And Los Molinos, in its own right, hasn't loss since a one-point defeat in its first game of the season. As Fall River is unbeaten and has an impressive shutout with over Pierce (Arbuckle) on its ledger, there's no question that makes them a pretty significant favorite.
Usually we don't make predictions in the weekly countdown, but here's one thing you can bet the house on. Barring a tie or cancellation, the Bulldogs will pull this one out – we guarantee it.
7. Soquel @ Santa Cruz – Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The context for this game is precisely the same as in the previous game. Both teams are unbeaten in league play, and Santa Cruz is one win away from going undefeated. Soquel dropped two straight to start the season, and hasn't lost since. Also like in the last game, that means the Cardinals are a major favorite here, especially at home on senior night. But Soquel has one advantage, in having already faced adversity against good teams a couple times this season.
6. Monte Vista @ San Ramon Valley
Since both teams play in the EBAL - Mountain, this is the only game in the top nine that won't decide the league championship. But it just might prove to be the game of the week, as the two are very evenly matched, and wins are hard to come by in their conference.
San Ramon Valley suffered back-to-back losses against De La Salle and Clayton Valley Charter to open league play, but is now coming off a huge 31-20 win against Cal High. Monte Vista just lost to Clayton Valley, and never faced De La Salle, so where exactly they'll sit in the standings win or lose isn't clear. But to finish the regular season 8-1 with quality wins after an agonizing, winless spring, would be enormous for the Mustangs. And the Wolves, who've been eying an NCS Division 2 title run all year long, really need some momentum going into the playoffs.
5. Las Lomas @ Benicia
Benicia is one win away from sweeping the DAL - Foothill, and will be a pretty substantial favorite to pull it off. The Panthers routed Campolindo 35-0 earlier in league play, whereas Campo just knocked off Las Lomas 35-28. The Knights have been good enough this season to give them a chance though, and they will certainly at least be competitive if they bring their A-game. And twice this season, Benicia came out flat against premier opponents, so while both teams are very strong, neither have been perfectly consistent. Should Las Lomas pull off the upset, a share of the conference title is theirs, but Benicia has the security of having already clinched at least a tie.
4. Antioch @ Pittsburg
One of numerous teams on this list in the midst of a major turnaround from the previous season or two, Antioch comes into this match unbeaten in league play. And these days in the BVAL, clinching a top-two finish before playing Pittsburg is the most you can ask for. The Panthers are such heavy underdogs against Pittsburg that some are counting them out. It's a really tall order, but they've been good enough this season for this to be very intriguing.
3. Santa Rosa @ St. Vincent de Paul – Saturday at 2 p.m.
After at least a few down years, the North Bay League - Redwood Division has been the home of some really good football this fall. St. Vincent and Montgomery came in as the clear top two favorites, in that order, but SRHS is one win away from shocking the whole county. The Panthers came into league play so much an underdog that they're still ranked below both St. Vincent and Montgomery – even though they beat Montgomery and Montgomery beat St. Vincent. Yet they've already clinched, at worst, a tie for a league title. On the other hand, the Mustangs' sole loss, the upset against Monty on Oct. 15, must've been deflating, but they can still complete a monumental regular season for the program with a win on Saturday.
2. Windsor @ Rancho Cotate
The week before last, the football world was deprived of a particularly exciting matchup between Windsor and Cardinal Newman, which got canceled. So, it would be Rancho that would hand the Cardinals their first loss in conference play since 2014. However, for the first time in recent history, knocking off their longtime rival doesn't mean the Cougars are league champions – they actually will be an even bigger underdog this week against Windsor. The Jaguars are trying to make history of their own, now one game away from cementing an undefeated regular season, North Bay League – Oak Division title, and magical first season under Paul Cronin. Potentially their biggest test yet remains.
1. Saint Francis (Mountain View) @ Serra – Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
In recent years, it's been a trend in the Central Coast Section that there's a clear top two teams, and before eventually meeting in the Division 1 finals, they play for a West Catholic League title. While a few other great teams are certainly in the mix, this season is on trajectory to follow suit, as both of these powerhouses are 8-0.
After losing all-state WR/RB/SB Hassan Mahasin to a torn ACL against Bellarmine, it's still unclear exactly how Serra's current level of offensive firepower stacks up with the other premier teams in NorCal, but RB Petelo Gi has emerged as one of the area's top players. And the Padres have only scored under 30 points once, in a victory on Oct. 15 against another one of the section's best teams/defenses, Valley Christian. Other than that, they haven't really been tested, which makes for an odd dynamic for the incumbent section giant against a Lancers team that has taken NorCal by storm. Strange as it seems, it's understandable that some are calling the Padres the underdog coming into a matchup they've owned in recent years – because Saint Francis has beaten none other than De La Salle.
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MORE GAMES TO WATCH:
FULL SECTION SCHEDULES: NORTH COAST | CENTRAL COAST | SAC-JOAQUIN | CENTRAL | NORTHERN
In any given week of California high school football, there are dozens of great games to watch between top programs. Here are some other exciting NorCal matchups happening this week:
Clayton Valley Charter @ De La Salle
Tamalpais @ Marin Catholic
Shasta @ Chico
Salinas @ Palma
Dougherty Valley @ Dublin
Eureka @ Del Norte
Amador Valley @ California
Live Oak (Morgan Hill) @ Piedmont Hills
Branham @ Leigh
Redwood @ San Marin
Miramonte @ Campolindo
San Leandro @ Bishop O'Dowd
Half Moon Bay @ Terra Nova
Granada @ Livermore
Burlingame @ San Mateo
Justin-Siena @ Casa Grande
Fortuna @ St. Bernard's
Bellarmine @ St. Ignatius
Menlo-Atherton @ King's Academy
Petaluma @ American Canyon
Winters @ Pierce (Arbuckle)
Valley Christian @ Archbishop Riordan
Sacred Heart Prep @ Menlo School
Palo Alto @ Wilcox
Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep @ Archbishop Mitty
Aragon @ Hillsdale
Everett Alvarez @ Alisal
Gilroy @ North Salinas
King City @ Pacific Grove
West Valley @ Gridley
Liberty (Brentwood) @ Heritage (Brentwood)
Lassen @ University Prep (Redding)
Colusa @ East Nicolaus
