NCS football finals preview: What to know heading into championship games
It’s football championship game weekend in the North Coast Section. Here is a preview of games involving teams in the Bay Area News Group’s coverage area:
NCS DIVISION I: NO. 2 PITTSBURG VS. NO. 3 SAN RAMON VALLEY
Records: Pittsburg 10-2, San Ramon Valley 11-1
Kickoff: Friday at Diablo Valley College, 7 p.m.
Series history: Pittsburg is 5-1 against SRV in the MaxPreps era (2004 to present) and most recently beat the Wolves 37-21 in the NCS Division I title game last year.
Storylines: It will be a rematch of the NCS Division I final from last season – a game in which Pittsburg pulled away in the second half thanks to stellar play from quarterback Marley Alcantara. … Pittsburg will be vying for its fourth consecutive Division I title just a week removed from a heartbreaking 10-7 loss to De La Salle in the Open Division final. … Look for Alcantara to be a focal point for the SRV defense. The senior has thrown for over 2,200 yards and 32 touchdowns this season with no interceptions. He will have plenty of options on the perimeter with wide receivers Makari Kenion, R.J. Mosely, Truly Bell and freshman speedster Kenny Ward at his disposal. … Should Pittsburg need to run the ball, Washington State commit Jamar Searcy will certainly get a bulk of the carries. Searcy has rushed for 1,315 yards this season and is averaging just under 10 yards per carry. … Pittsburg’s defense has Division I talent all over the field, with defensive end Juju Walls (UCLA), safeties Jadyn Hudson (UCLA) and Dominik Calhoun (Boise State) and linebacker Etene Pritchard (San Diego State) leading the way. … SRV is coming off a hard-fought 7-0 win over North Bay powerhouse Cardinal Newman. The Wolves will be looking to capture their fifth NCS title in school history. … Texas A&M-bound linebacker Marco Jones has arguably been the best player in the Bay Area. Jones has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses as he has racked up 9.5 sacks and 115 tackles – 31 of which were behind the line of scrimmage. … Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo-bound edge rusher Kaleb Pleis will also be an X-factor on Friday. Pleis has 15.5 sacks and 53 tackles through 12 games. … SRV’s offense will run through quarterback Rhett Thompson (2,613 yards and 34 touchdowns) and running back Matthew Garibaldi (780 yards, 10 touchdowns).
Computer projection: Calpreps.com predicts Pittsburg to win 28-19.
– Nathan Canilao
NCS DIVISION II: NO. 2 AMADOR VALLEY VS. NO. 4 BISHOP O’DOWD
Records: Amador Valley 8-4, O’Dowd 10-2
Kickoff: Friday at Dublin High School, 7 p.m.
Series history: First meeting between the teams in the MaxPreps era that began in 2004.
Storylines: Amador Valley, seeking its first section championship in program history, is red hot coming off an impressive 38-29 win over North Bay heavyweight Windsor last Friday. … Amador Valley’s Oregon State-bound quarterback Tristan Tia has been electric this season, throwing for 3,452 yards and 29 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 731 yards and 16 scores. … Tia has had a strong connection with wide receiver Anthony Harrington this month. The junior receiver has caught 28 passes for 543 yards and six touchdowns in the last four games. … Hard to imagine anyone having a more magical season than O’Dowd. The Dragons — led by coach Hardy Nickerson, a former NFL all-decade defensive back — have won their last eight games, including an upset on the road of top-seeded Liberty 23-15 last week. … Running back Saliou Sow is a powerful back who is used to getting a lot of carries. Look for O’Dowd to slow the game down by giving Sow the ball frequently. … Quarterback Devin Wilson has made winning plays all season. The senior has thrown for just under 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns. … Washington-bound safety/wide receiver Deji Ajose (744 yards, 10 touchdowns) is a key playmaker for O’Dowd. Ajose will be tasked with leading O’Dowd’s stingy defense against Amador Valley’s high-octane offense. … O’Dowd will be looking to capture its first NCS title since 2018 and sixth overall.
Computer projection: Calpreps.com predicts Amador Valley to win 35-31.
– Nathan Canilao
NCS DIVISION III: NO. 1 ACALANES VS. NO. 2 CAMPOLINDO
Records: Acalanes 9-3; Campolindo 7-5
Kickoff: Friday at Las Lomas High School, 7 p.m.
Series history: The teams have met 24 times in the MaxPreps era (2004 to present), with Campolindo leading 18-6.
Storylines: Acalanes won the regular season matchup between the teams 21-12 in a rainy game at Campolindo, snapping the Cougars’ four-game winning streak in the series. … In the playoffs, Acalanes has cruised through the first two rounds, beating No. 8 Dublin 42-13 and No. 4 Heritage 34-14. … Coach Floyd Burnsed’s Acalanes team captured the NCS Division IV and NorCal and state 3-AA titles last season. … Campolindo’s offense has been unstoppable in the postseason, beating No. 7 Berkeley 45-7 and No. 6 San Leandro 40-7 in a semifinal. … Campolindo has captured seven section crowns, six coming under longtime coach Kevin Macy. The Cougars’ most recent championship was a Division II title in 2021. … The Campolindo offense runs through halfback Micah Parker. The junior speedster has rushed for 1,187 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 136 carries. He’s complemented by senior Blaise Clancy, who ran for over 100 yards against San Leandro and has rushed for five touchdowns this season. … Joe Revelos (621 yards) is quarterback Reid Habas’ favorite target when the Moraga school wants to pass. … Edge rusher Crosby Kelly, who stands 6-5, has piled up eight sacks, 13 tackles for loss and interest from colleges. … Acalanes’ hurry-up offense has scored at least 40 points in five games this season. … Senior receiver Niko White has thrived as sophomore quarterback Tyler Winkles’ top option, catching 13 touchdowns. … Winkles has thrown for 29 touchdowns and run for four scores. … The defense is paced by sophomore defensive back Finley Rivera, who has seven interceptions. … The line features prolific pass-rushers Drew McKenzie, Deonte Littlejohn, Jack Cooney and British sensation Bethel Imasuen, who have combined for 27 sacks.
Computer projection: Calpreps.com predicts Acalanes to win 24-21.
– Joseph Dycus
NCS DIVISION VI: NO. 1 ARCATA VS. NO. 2 MIRAMONTE
Records: Arcata 11-1; Miramonte 6-6
Kickoff: Saturday at McKinleyville High School, 1 p.m.
Series history: First meeting between the teams in the MaxPreps era that began in 2004.
Storylines: Miramonte has had two very different games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Matadors rolled up 489 yards of offense in a 43-23 win over Newark Memorial in the first round. In the semifinals on a rain-drenched Friday night, they beat Benicia 7-0. … Junior quarterback Carson Blair burned Newark Memorial for 286 passing yards and three touchdowns. … The Mats have a receiving corps any coach would envy in seniors Jack Quinnild (6-2, 205) and Mitch Reichenbach (6-1, 200), junior Andrew Bjornson (6-4, 190) and sophomore George Gilbert (5-10, 160). All four caught well over 300 yards worth of passes. Through 11 games, Quinnild had 53 catches for 942 yards and 10 TDs. Reichenbach had 55 receptions for 670 yards and four scores. … Junior Derek Youn was the rushing leader after 11 games with 474 yards. … Miramonte averages 324 yards per game in total offense, with 217 of that coming through the air. … Arcata is a little more balanced, averaging 195 rushing yards and 185 passing. … QB Luke Lemke is the Tigers’ No. 1 threat. He’s passed for 28 TDs and leads the team with 1,124 rush yards and 13 TDs. … Dayquan Dunn isn’t the team’s leading receiver, but he’s the most dangerous at 6-5, 195. He has 28 catches for 588 yards. … Lemke is good at looking for matchups, especially if the opponent stacks the box. First target is often Dunn. … Lemke likes to run behind a big offensive with three players weighing at least 240 pounds. … Arcata is seeking its first NCS title. It plays in the Humboldt-Del Norte Little 4 Division. Each of the four teams play each other twice. Arcata went 5-1, losing only to Ferndale. … Miramonte is going after its second straight NCS title and ninth overall. The Mats won four in five years from 1997-2001 under current Acalanes coach Floyd Burnsed. … The Matadors will travel on Friday, being that it’s a six-hour bus ride to McKinleyville. … The game will be played on grass, a surface the Mats aren’t used to.
Computer projection: Calpreps.com is picking Arcata 34-27.
– Mike Lefkow
NCS DIVISION VII: NO. 1 MOREAU CATHOLIC VS. NO. 2 FERNDALE
Records: Moreau Catholic 8-4; Ferndale 11-1
Kickoff: Saturday at Hayward HS, 7 p.m.
Series history: The teams have never met in the MaxPreps era (2004 to present).
Storylines: Moreau Catholic will head just three miles down the road to play for a section crown, whereas Ferndale will have to travel 280 miles South for the Division VII championship game. … Moreau Catholic, led by coach Keith Minor, cruised past No. 8 St. Bernard’s 49-14 in the first round before gritting out a 14-7 victory over No. 4 Del Norte – a program that had to travel 375 miles – in the second round. The Mariners have never won a NCS football title at any level. … Ferndale beat Vallejo 35-20 in the first round and No. 3 Piedmont 43-7 in the semifinals. …Last season, Ferndale defeated Willits 14-7 to capture the D-VII championship, the program’s 14th NCS title overall. … Moreau has won seven of eight since starting the season 1-3. … Senior receiver Jalen Arnold has been tough to stop, pulling in 1,327 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. … His quarterback, Jeremiah Charles, has thrown for 2,256 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also has rushed for five TDs. … Running back Jayden Bryant has run for 873 yards and 13 touchdowns in nine games, and senior teammate Peyton Collins has accumulated 897 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. … Lance Mitchell and Miles Moore have combined for 22 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. … Seth Evans and Eriq Fields have both totaled more than 100 tackles each. … They’ll need to have a big game against Ferndale quarterback Tanner Pidgeon, who has rushed for 1,321 yards and 29 touchdowns and passed for 520 yards and five touchdowns. … His Ferndale teammates, Garyn McClurg and Prescott Langer, have combined for 18 rushing touchdowns. … Pidgeon also leads the defense with six interceptions.
Computer projection: Calpreps.com predicts Ferndale to win 35-19.
– Joseph Dycus