Bay Area high school football 2023: Week 10 preview, schedule
Welcome to Week 10 of the high school football season.
This week’s matchups include a big one in the South Bay as Los Gatos travels to rival Wilcox for a league championship and a huge one in Walnut Creek as undefeated Las Lomas plays host to red-hot Acalanes for first place in their league.
There’s also a crucial one in Brentwood as Pittsburg will visit Liberty in a showdown between league leaders.
The Bay Area News Group will have coverage of those games and more. If you have not already, please sign up for a digital subscription. Your contributions keep us going.
Here are this week’s top matchups and schedule:
Thursday
Capuchino (7-1, 3-1) at Aragon (7-1, 4-0), 7 p.m.: Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division finale for both teams. Capuchino fell a game behind Aragon in the standings after being upset by Sequoia 24-21 last week. Two Ocean teams automatically qualify for the CCS playoffs. Aragon has secured one spot. Cap will lock up the second spot and tie Aragon for first place if it wins on Thursday. If Aragon wins, Cap will finish tied for second with the winner of Friday’s San Mateo at Sequoia game. Cap beat San Mateo and, as noted earlier, lost to Sequoia. Cap has walked a tightrope down the stretch, beating Milpitas 36-31 and San Mateo 42-35 in overtime before stumbling last week. Issa Keishk’s touchdown in OT beat San Mateo. Aragon has had more comfortable results, beating Sequoia by 35, Milpitas by 16 and San Mateo by 14. In Aragon’s rout of Terra Nova last week, Ivanhoe Nisa rushed for 175 yards in 12 carries to help lead the way. Aragon is 8-1 against Cap in the MaxPreps era (2004-present). Calpreps.com’s computer picks Aragon to win, 31-21. – Darren Sabedra
Friday
No. 4 Pittsburg (8-0, 3-0) at No. 17 Liberty (6-2, 3-0), 7 p.m.: This game hasn’t been an even matchup during the MaxPreps era, which dates back to 2004. Pittsburg has won 18 of 20, including the last five. But the Lions are inching closer. Three of Liberty’s last five defeats have been by seven or fewer points. Last year the Pirates squeaked by 31-29. Friday night’s contest could decide the Bay Valley Athletic League title. Antioch still has a shot but would need help. Pittsburg is a solid favorite against the Lions, with the calpreps.com computer favoring the visitors by two touchdowns. Liberty has struggled in two previous games against elite opponents. The Lions lost 35-34 at home to Los Gatos on Sept. 1 despite leading 34-14 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Three weeks later at San Ramon Valley, the Lions were intercepted three times in the first quarter, fell behind 42-0 and lost 66-12. The perils of a young team. QB Sage Robertson is a junior. Leading rusher Jaxon Bell is a sophomore. The Pirates are young, too, and very talented with several premier recruits. The player to watch for Pitt could be RB Jamar Searcy. In four games since becoming eligible, the junior has rushed for 354 yards. He teams with another junior, Elijah Bow, in the Pirates’ backfield. Last year, Searcy led his team with 1,254 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, punt/kickoff returns) at Liberty. — Mike Lefkow
No. 9 Los Gatos (6-2, 3-0) at No. 10 Wilcox (6-2, 4-0), 7 p.m.: Over the past five seasons, the winner of this game has finished atop their league standings. That’ll be no different on Friday. The only difference is the league name. Rather than a De Anza Division championship, the winner will capture the Peninsula Athletic League Bay title after the top teams from the De Anza and Bay merged this season. Both enter Friday’s game undefeated in league play, two games clear of their closest pursuers. For Wilcox, this is a league finale. Los Gatos closes Bay Division play next week at home against Menlo-Atherton. Los Gatos has gotten it done behind senior standout Jaylen Thomas, a multi-position force who leads the Wildcats with 29 receptions for 518 yards and eight touchdowns. He also has intercepted three passes. RB Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung adds balance to the offense, having rushed for 766 yards and 13 TDs. Wilcox continues to excel using its veer option, an offensive scheme the Santa Clara school has relied on for decades. The Chargers have rushed for 2,424 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. They have passed for 448 yards and three TDs. QB Tyson Bonilla is the team’s leading rusher with 975 yards and 11 TDs in 99 attempts. Elijah Walker and Jamontay Amataga have each run for more than 400 yards and combined for 11 TDs. Los Gatos is 15-5-1 against Wilcox in the MaxPreps era (2004-present) and has won the past three between the teams. Calpreps.com’s computer projects Los Gatos to extend the streak to four, 22-20. — Darren Sabedra
No. 18 Acalanes (5-3, 4-0) at No. 19 Las Lomas (8-0, 4-0), 7 p.m.: The winner takes over sole possession of first place in the Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division with one game to play. Acalanes has won five in a row since starting 0-3, with each win by at least 40 points. The Dons routed previously unbeaten Miramonte 42-0 last week to remain perfect in league play. Sully Bailey threw four TDs, and receivers Niko White and Trevor Rogers combined for five touchdown receptions. Acalanes has yet to have a game with less than two TD passes. Las Lomas kept its perfect record alive by surviving a 45-42 thriller against Campolindo, its fourth victory by one possession. Las Lomas had lost its previous 11 to Campo. Sophomore QB Dylan Thomas threw for four touchdowns for the Walnut Creek school, with Ryan Mercado pulling in 204 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Daniel Downes also had 10 receptions for 134 yards. Landon Gilmore (four interceptions) stands out for Las Lomas on defense. CalPreps’ computer has Acalanes winning 35-22. — Joseph Dycus
Bishop O’Dowd (5-3, 3-0) at Logan (4-4, 3-0), 7 p.m.: Two hot teams clash in this one. Logan has won four in a row, Bishop O’Dowd three straight. For Logan, this game has a must-win feel. To have a shot at making the North Coast Section Division I playoffs, the Colts will need to capture the MVAL/WACC Foothill title. Otherwise, the season will likely be over even if Logan beats Moreau Catholic the following week and finishes 5-5. OK, one can argue that .500 teams aren’t playoff material. But as things now stand, the Colts are rated the 23rd-best team in the section by calpreps.com. A total of 56 teams make the NCS playoffs in seven eight-team brackets. Does the No. 23 team really deserve to be left out? This situation could arise because the NCS determines divisions before the season. Schools aren’t allowed to move up or down to other divisions for the postseason. League and division winners in the NCS do receive automatic playoff berths. Bishop O’Dowd shouldn’t have to worry. The D-III Dragons are ranked No. 6 in their division by calpreps.com. Although the NCS uses a variety of criteria to seed playoff teams, the Dragons shouldn’t do worse than 6-4 even if they lose Friday. They play San Leandro (1-7) in their regular-season final next Friday. Two players to keep an eye on are Logan’s Geovanni Valverde, a 6-2, 285-pound OL/DL, and O’Dowd WR Miles Dixon, who has 10 touchdowns among his 31 receptions. — Mike Lefkow
Branham (6-2, 3-0) at Silver Creek (6-2, 3-0), 7:15 p.m.: Branham will clinch the BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill Division title and lock up one of the league’s two automatic CCS berths with a victory. Silver Creek must win Friday and possibly next week against Independence to avoid a potential three-way tie for first. Independence is a game back. Silver Creek has gained at least 200 rushing yards in six of its eight games, with senior Gabriel Lim leading the way with 441 rushing yards and seven TDs. Dominic Lim, Alijah Guzman and Alonzo Hernandez have all rushed for over 200 yards as part of a balanced attack. The defense, led by DB Austin Price, has allowed seven points total in its last two games. The defense will be tested by a Branham team that has scored more than 40 points in each of its three league victories, including a 52-38 win last week over Independence. Quarterback Jack Lewis threw for 156 yards and three TDs, and RB Elias Antilion had 273 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. Branham defeated Silver Creek 43-29 last season. CalPreps’ computer favors Branham by two TDs, 35-21. — Joseph Dycus
Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 26
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Mt. Hamilton
Live Oak at Oak Grove, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa Valley
Mt. Pleasant at Overfelt, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL West Valley
Del Mar at Gunderson, 7:15 p.m.
PAL Ocean
Capuchino at Aragon, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27
EAST BAY
Bay Valley
Deer Valley at Antioch, 7 p.m.
Freedom at Heritage, 7 p.m.
Pittsburg at Liberty, 7 p.m.
DAL Foothill
Acalanes at Las Lomas, 7 p.m.
College Park at Benicia, 7 p.m.
Miramonte at Campolindo, 7 p.m.
DAL Valley
Berean Christian at Ygnacio Valley, 7 p.m.
Mt. Diablo at Concord, 7 p.m.
EBAL Mountain
Clayton Valley at California, 7 p.m.
De La Salle at Monte Vista, 7 p.m.
San Ramon Valley at Foothill, 7 p.m.
EBAL Valley
Amador Valley at Dublin, 7 p.m.
Livermore at Dougherty Valley, 7 p.m.
MVAL/WACC Foothill
Bishop O’Dowd at Logan, 7 p.m.
Castro Valley vs. San Leandro at Burrell Field in San Leandro, 7 p.m.
Moreau Catholic at Tennyson, 7 p.m.
MVAL/WACC Mission
Berkeley at Mt. Eden, 7 p.m.
Encinal at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
MVAL/WACC Shoreline
Kennedy-Fremont vs. Alameda at Thompson Field in Alameda, 7 p.m.
OAKLAND
Oakland Tech at Castlemont, 7 p.m.
Fremont-Oakland at Skyline, 7 p.m.
McClymonds at Oakland, 7 p.m.
TCAL Rock
Bethel at Pinole Valley, 7 p.m.
De Anza at El Cerrito, 7 p.m.
Salesian at Hercules, 7 p.m.
TCAL Stone
Richmond at Kennedy-Richmond, 7 p.m.
Vallejo at St. Patrick-St. Vincent, 7 p.m.
Non-league
Alhambra at Northgate, 7 p.m.
St. Mary’s-Berkeley at Carrillo-Santa Rosa, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Mt. Hamilton
Christopher at Leland, 7:15 p.m.
Lincoln at Santa Teresa, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill
Branham at Silver Creek, 7:15 p.m.
Independence at Piedmont Hills, 7:15 p.m.
Pioneer at Gilroy, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley
Willow Glen at Westmont, 7 p.m.
BVAL West Valley
Evergreen Valley at Prospect, 7 p.m.
San Jose at Lick, 7:15 p.m.
Yerba Buena at Hill, 7:15 p.m.
PAL Bay
Burlingame at Menlo-Atherton, 7 p.m.
Los Gatos at Wilcox, 7 p.m.
PAL De Anza
Hillsdale at King’s Academy, 7 p.m.
Menlo School at Half Moon Bay, 7 p.m.
Palo Alto at Homestead, 7 p.m.
PAL Ocean
San Mateo at Sequoia, 7 p.m.
Terra Nova at Milpitas, 7 p.m.
PAL El Camino
Fremont-Sunnyvale at Carlmont, 7 p.m.
Woodside at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
PAL Lake
Lynbrook at Jefferson, 7 p.m.
Monta Vista at South San Francisco, 7 p.m.
Saratoga at Gunn, 7 p.m.
West Catholic
Mitty at St. Ignatius, 7 p.m.
Riordan at St. Francis, 7 p.m.
Sacred Heart Cathedral vs. Bellarmine at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.
Serra at Valley Christian, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26
EAST BAY
MVAL/WACC Mission
Hayward vs. Irvington at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
MVAL/WACC Shoreline
Newark Memorial at Arroyo, 2 p.m.
Piedmont vs. American at Washington-Fremont, 1 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley
Leigh at Sobrato, 2:30 p.m.
PAL Bay
Mountain View at Sacred Heart Prep, 2 p.m.
PAL El Camino
El Camino at Santa Clara, 2 p.m.
PAL Lake
Mills at Cupertino, 7 p.m.