Two more teams find out why it’s a game of inches, but it’s also a game of ouches and the team putting the biggest ouch on a ranked team last week was Oak Grove of San Jose. Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa also moves up several positions this week heading into its CIF North Coast Section Division IV final vs. Marin Catholic.
Note: For this week’s Gold Club post highlighting the State Top 25 overall rankings, CLICK HERE.
Every sport is a game of inches and now almost all major sports from tennis to football, baseball, basketball and hockey have some sort of replay method to get it as right as possible. Horse racing was the first sport to have a camera at the finish line to determine the winner and even some major college conferences use cameras now, but not high school football.
Early in the season, film seemed to show a two-point conversion by St. Mary’s of Stockton was a few inches short that was called the other way in its win over Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa. The Newman coaches cried ouch but their team is still alive and kicking in the CIF North Coast Section Division IV title game this Saturday night against Marin Catholic at Rancho Cotate in Rohnert Park.
Anu Tuiono is a top two-way player for surging Oak Grove. Photo: Prep2Prep.com.
At Turkey Day in San Francisco at Kezar Stadium, the media standing at the goal line pretty much agreed that Balboa quarterback Lee Lelea had extended the ball over the goal line before his knee hit the hallowed Kezar gridiron, but the official right on the goal line waved it off and Mission escaped with a 14-13 win that got the Bears a CIF San Francisco Section championship and a CIF Division 6 state play-in bowl berth against Stone Ridge Christian this Saturday afternoon at Castle Air Force Base in Atwater. It was a huge ouch for Balboa to come in such a crucial situation as deciding a championship.
Last Saturday, super junior and Alabama-committed Antioch running back Najee Harris rushed for 390 yards and six touchdowns with three successful two-point conversions but couldn’t get one with 1:02 left in the game as the Panthers fell to Foothill of Pleasanton 55-54 in a matchup of unbeatens that lived up to pregame chatter.
With everyone in the stadium knowing what was coming, Foothill head coach Matt Sweeney called time out and after he sent his boys back onto the field the Falcons rose up to the occasion and stopped Harris inches short to preserve the win.
No offense to Foothill, since that program under Sweeney has been a consistent winner year in and year out, but the chance to see Harris run against De La Salle that has been the buzz of the Bay Area as the season has progressed will have to wait.
Instead, we will get to watch Foothill running back Isaiah Floyd (208 yards, four TDs versus Antioch) see what he can do against the Spartans on Saturday night at Dublin High in a title game that likely won’t come down to a few inches but could include a few ouches.
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
(Through games of Saturday, Nov. 28)
(Includes all Central Coast Section schools but no North Coast Section schools north of the Santa Rosa Metro area)
Head coach Paul Cronin and team at Cardinal Newman will take a 12-9 record in 21 all-time games vs. Marin Catholic into NCS D4 championship. Photo: Harold Abend.
1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 11-1
2. (2) Clayton Valley (Concord) 11-1
3. (3) Foothill (Pleasanton) 12-0
4. (5) Bellarmine (San Jose) 11-1
5. (4) Antioch 11-1*
6. (7) St. Francis (Mountain View) 11-1
7. (6) Pittsburg 10-3*
8. (8) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-4*
9. (9) Serra (San Mateo) 6-4*
10. (10) Campolindo (Moraga) 12-1
11. (18) Oak Grove (San Jose) 9-2
12. (11) Valley Christian (San Jose) 8-4*
13. (12) Archbishop Riordan (SF) 9-3
14. (13) Milpitas 10-2
15. (14) Freedom (Oakley) 7-5*
16. (16) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 11-1
17. (20) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 11-2
18. (17) Palma (Salinas) 10-2*
19. (23) Analy (Sebastopol) 13-0
20. (15) Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 8-4*
21. (19) California (San Ramon) 7-5*
22. (21) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 6-5*
23. (22) James Logan (Union City) 7-4*
24. (24) Los Gatos 7-4*
25. (NR) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 9-3
Dropped Out: Previous No. 25 Moreau Catholic (Hayward).
Teams On the Bubble
(Alphabetical order)
Aptos 8-4, Burlingame 9-2*, Concord 9-4, Dublin 7-4*, Granada (Livermore) 6-7*, Hillsdale (San Mateo) 11-1, Justin-Siena (Napa) 9-3*, Leigh (San Jose) 8-3*, Live Oak (Morgan Hill) 9-2*, McClymonds (Oakland) 12-0, Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) 6-5*, Miramonte (Orinda) 11-2*, Monte Vista Christian (Watsonville) 10-2*, Moreau Catholic (Hayward) 11-2*, Palo Alto 5-7*, Piedmont 9-3*, Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) 9-4*, Salinas 6-5*, San Benito (Hollister) 7-5*, San Leandro 6-5*, San Ramon Valley (Danville) 3-7*, St. Mary’s (Berkeley) 8-4*, Tennyson (Hayward) 9-3*, Wilcox (Santa Clara) 9-3.*
(*season complete)
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
10 Comments
Why does the CCS get to have the runner up play on when other divisions from north and south do not?
The CCS has an Open Division (which is split up into three brackets) and is able to send a runner-up to replace two other section champions (D4 and D5 for them). San Diego could have sent an additional team from its Open Division but voted not to do that. No other sections have an Open Division.
I see the kids from McClymonds get no respect they we unbeaten two years in Arow still no respect
@Dwight Simmons…That’s why.
In the CN/St. Mary’s game, CN scored the tying TD with about a minute left in the game. Coach Cronin went for the 2 point conversion and the win. QB Brookshire got the call and appeared to cross the goal, but it was close. The refs gave the call to the visiting Rams, who finished the game with the 35-34 lead.
I saw last week those same Rams gave Folsom all they could handle and more. Looks like, if not for their fumble on the Folsom 2, they would have pulled off the upset.
Interestingly, both CN and St Mary’s lost their starting QB’s for the next weeks’ games. SM lost to CC without Dunniway, and CN lost to Clayton Valley without Brookshire.
Foothill is a TEAM… Not just 1-2 ‘stars’. This year they came together in a special way. Regardless of the outcome versus DLS, Foothill is a champion.
Last weeks game versus Antioch is an instant classic and for me, WAS the NCS division 1 championship game.
As a private school that includes students from all over the bay area and then competes with schools that only pulls players from within their portion of a city…will just mean we will see continued DLS wins. No offense to DLS – they are tremendous and amazing to watch. It’s a great program, But I think their true competition are ‘like’ schools that have a similar reach in building a student body.
Good luck Foothill. Champions all the way!
I am very proud of the foothill team and my son ISAIAH FLOYD! WE have a great TEAM! We play as a team and we win as a team. Isaiah Floyd not only is he the starting running back but he is also the starting corner, and he has to run back kick off returns. Basically he does not leave the field. Oh, and he also has to make tackles against the other team offense. Did I mention he also has 3 interceptions this season? Harris is a wonderful, excellent player and young man. But let’s give credit where credit is due! My son is 5 “7” and does get the respect he deserves as a player because of his size. My son is very humble and will tell you it’s all about the TEAM and excellent coaches. That’s why he is not fazed by all the lights and stories and haters. Our true fans are there and support our entire foothill family. I’m excited to see foothill play de la on Saturday!
Hope you don’t think people are “hating” on your son because of the attention on Najee Harris. Agree completely that Isaiah also is a great player and Foothill’s team approach has always shined through. But Harris did have almost 400 yards rushing in that game. He’s not just at another level compared to Foothill players. He’s at another level compared to guys at De La Salle, Long Beach Poly, St. John Bosco, Corona Centennial. We’re going to be talking about that game for many, many years.
Foothill won, Antioch lost. End of my point and story.