- East Bay Prep CornerNCS Division III playoff breakdown
By Jimmy Durkin
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 7:26 pm in General.
Here’s this week’s breakdown of the NCS football Division III playoffs.
We still have the same 14 teams that have clinched eligibility through one of the three criteria: Acalanes, Alhambra, Analy, El Cerrito, Encinal, Fortuna, Healdsburg, Kennedy-Fremont, Marin Catholic, Moreau Catholic, Novato, Piedmont, Tamalpais, Terra Linda.
A couple teams got knocked out a contention, so right now we have 18 19 teams fighting for 16 spots. The wild cards are Bishop O’Dowd, Campolindo and Miramonte — three teams that haven’t clinched eligibility, but if they do, they’ll certainly make the field.
First, here’s my locks, which are now up to 11:
ACALANES 5-4, 4-1 DFAL, 2-2 in Div. III — Finish with Campo in a positioning game and must-win for Campo
ALHAMBRA 8-1, 5-0 DFAL, 4-0 in Div. III — A top four seed
ANALY 5-3, 1-3 SCL, 3-1 Div. III — A bye last week. Finish with a winnable game against Sonoma Valley and a tough game with Windsor. A win over Sonoma makes them even more secure.
EL CERRITO 5-3, 3-1 ACCAL, 2-1 Div. III — Finish with Alameda and Hercules. Hercules is a lock for another Div. III win for the Gauchos, while Alameda will be tough. If they can win out and finish 7-3, they’ll probably be in the 5-8 range.
ENCINAL 7-1, 5-0 BSAL, 3-0 Div. III — Looking every bit like the favorite to repeat as champions. That doesn’t mean a few other teams won’t have a chance to steal the title away, but the Jets have to be the favorite right now.
FORTUNA 6-2, 3-1 HDNL-Big 4, 5-0 Div. III — As I stated last week, none of those Div. III wins are against teams of strength (6-26 combined record), but they’ll finish at least 7-3 and get in
HEALDSBURG 6-2, 3-1 SCL, 4-1 Div. III — Have wins over two playoff-eligible squads (Analy and Acalanes) and winning records in each of the three qualifying categories
MARIN CATHOLIC 7-1, 5-0 MCAL, 3-0 Div. III — Going to be a league champion and probable No. 2 seed
NOVATO 6-3, 5-1 MCAL, 3-1 Div. III — Probably looking like the No. 4 seed and a possible semifinal rematch of last year’s title game with Encinal
PIEDMONT 5-3, 3-2 BSAL, 5-1 Div. III — Last week’s win over Moreau was big to create a large hurdle for the Mariners and improve the Highlanders outlook. It also moved them from probable to a lock.
TAMALPAIS 6-2, 3-2 MCAL, 3-1 Div. III — Eeked out a big win over Redwood (which is 2-6 but Div. II) and that moves them up to a lock with six wins
My list of probables is down to two. One of them, Kennedy, has clinched but needs a win this week just to get to 5 wins and fully secure their spot:
KENNEDY – FREMONT 4-4, 2-2 MVAL, 2-1 Div. III — Since only 18 teams at the most can become eligible, only two eligible teams at the most will miss out. For the Titans, even if they lost to American (which they should beat) and Logan, they would finish 4-6. Since Moreau, Miramonte and Terra Linda are also looking at possible 4-6 records, we could be talking about four 4-6 teams fighting for the final two spots and there’s absolutely no way Kennedy, playing in an exclusively Division I league, doesn’t get one of those spots.
MIRAMONTE 3-5, 1-3 DFAL, 2-1 Div. III — Games left against Dougherty Valley and Alhambra. Beat Dougherty and clinch eligibility and hope to get in at 4-6, beat DV and Alhambra and they’re a lock. Lose both and they are done. As stated above for Kennedy, if Miramonte is in the “four 4-6 teams fighting for final two spots” situation, I think Miramonte would get in above Moreau and Terra Linda.
And now I have five teams that are on the bubble, two of which are playoff eligible already and the other three are still seeking eligibility.
BISHOP O’DOWD 2-5-1, 2-2 HAAL, 0 games against Div. III — Beat Castro Valley and Arroyo and they’ll get in at 4-5-1. Lose one and they won’t be eligible, which will make quite a few bubble teams very happy.
CAMPOLINDO 4-4, 2-2 DFAL, 2-3 Div. III — Finishes with Acalanes and Las Lomas. If they win one game, they are eligible and likely to get in. Lose them both — and neither of them will be easy games — and the Cougars will not be eligible.
MOREAU CATHOLIC 4-4, 3-2 BSAL, 2-1 Div. III — The last two weeks are tough with St. Pat’s and Encinal on the schedule. Of their final three games, last week against Piedmont seemed to be the most winnable and now a 4-6 record is looking likely. However, the Terra Linda loss to San Marin was a big boost because now Terra Linda also is looking at a possible 4-6 record and I think Moreau would get the nod if it came down to those two. Looking at the schedule, Moreau will have played five or six teams that will finish with .500 records, Terra Linda will have only played two (although its one advantage is beat a playoff team in Analy). I also think Moreau would have the edge over Sonoma Valley if they happened to upset Analy and become eligible.
TERRA LINDA 4-4, 2-2 MCAL, 4-2 Div. III — A BAD loss to a previously one-win San Marin team last week. Their credentials were already shaky because they lacked strength of schedule by not having Marin Catholic or Novato on the schedule and losing to a non-playoff Division III team in San Marin does not look good. They are underdogs this week against Tam and probably in two weeks against Justin-Siena. While they will still finish above .500 within the division, if they are 4-6 they’ll need to hope only 16 teams are eligible because I don’t think they’d get the nod over a 4-6 Moreau or Miramonte team and that’s why they fall to the bubble.
Finally, here is my one are my two longshots. I don’t expect Sonoma Valley to become eligible and even if they do, I don’t think they’ll make the field unless O’Dowd, Campo and Miramonte ALL did not become eligible. And Del Norte probably will become eligible, but will likely be an unimpressive 3-6 with two wins against a winless team.
DEL NORTE 2-5, 1-3 HDNL-Big 4, 1-1 Div. III — Still has winless Arcata on the schedule again (already beat 48-0), but should lose again to Fortuna (already lost 47-8) and has a very slim chance of getting in. Even if all those bubble teams weren’t eligible, I think Sonoma Valley would edge Del Norte. So its hope lies in all those bubble teams becoming ineligible and Analy beating Sonoma Valley to disqualify them.
SONOMA VALLEY 3-6, 1-4 SCL, 2-2 Div. III — Needs to beat Analy on Friday and just hope Miramonte, Campo and O’Dowd lose out.
As promised, I’ll project some seedings this week. First, my projected field, alphabetically:
Acalanes, Alhambra, Analy, Bishop O’Dowd, El Cerrito, Encinal, Fortuna, Healdsburg, Kennedy, Marin Catholic, Miramonte, Moreau Catholic, Novato, Piedmont, Tamalpais, Terra Linda.
My projection leaves out Campolindo and Sonoma Valley based on me projecting those two teams not becoming eligible. I’m projecting Analy to beat Sonoma Valley and make Sonoma ineligible and for Campo to lose out to Acalanes and Las Lomas. I’m also projecting O’Dowd to win out to become eligible. I’m not claiming to be an expert on picking the winners of those games and I could easily prove to be wrong and Campo could win one of its final two and become eligible (at which point, I’d put them in the field) and O’Dowd could easily lose of one its games and become ineligible. Only what happens on the field can determine that, but for the sake of predictions, that’s how I’m selecting the field for now.
Based on who I project to make the field, here’s my blind stab in the dark at seeding those teams:
1. Encinal
2. Marin Catholic
3. Alhambra
4. Novato
5. El Cerrito (if they beat Alameda and finish 7-3)
6. Tamalpais
7. Piedmont
8. Healdsburg
9. Kennedy-Fremont (if they beat American and finish 5-5)
10. Fortuna (strength of schedule really hurts)
11. Analy
12. Acalanes
13. Miramonte
14. Bishop O’Dowd
15. Moreau Catholic
16. Terra Linda
Don’t read into these seedings too much. It’s impossible to really slot the lower half teams until the season is completely over.
[Both comments and pings are currently closed.]
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Acalanes could be a pretty dangerous lower-seeded team. They have some nonleague losses that do not look good at all and will probably keep them seeded fairly low, but I think they’ve really improved a lot since then.
I think Piedmont’s a bit high, but I haven’t seen them since they barely beat Dougherty Valley back in September.
I agree that Campo probably won’t qualify this year. They’re not a bad team, but I don’t think they’ll be able to stop Acalanes’ running game or keep up with Las Lomas’ offense enough to beat either.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Piedmont’s thrashing of Moreau really helps and they should beat Swett and have a shot at knocking of SPSV. If they were to finish 7-3, especially finishing with a flurry, that 6-8 range would fit them well.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Yeah you’re right, if Piedmont beats SPSV and has that 7-3 record it would be hard to put them too low. That’s probably a key game for both teams.
I guess my point is that I don’t think Piedmont is significantly better, if they’re better at all, than Acalanes and possibly even Miramonte (which has been having an offensive identity crisis for the past month but they aren’t a bad team at all). There are easier wins to be had in the BSAL than the DFAL and I don’t think Piedmont should be rewarded too much for beating the lower-echelon BSAL teams. That’s all.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
I agree and actually, I probably should’ve put Acalanes higher. If they beat Campo and finish 6-4 playing in the DFAL, they should move up to possibly an 8-10 seed or higher.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Nice job and checking on Cal Preps:
Terra Linda lost to Analy, they did not beat them.
Correct?
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Yes, Terra Linda lost to Analy. I misread the millions of notes I have. Thanks KillerD. That makes everything make more sense now.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:12 pm
As far as I can tell, Terra Linda lost to Analy 42-20 (according to Calpreps). I hadn’t noticed until you pointed it out that, at best, only two teams on their schedule can finish above .500.
Also, Del Norte is just about assured of qualifying if they beat Arcata (who is winless), but they probably will have a record of 3-6. Can you foresee any way they would get selected over Terra Linda or Moreau?
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Oops, I type too slow. KillerD beat me to it.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Good call, Del Norte is still mathematically eligible. But no, I wouldn’t foresee a 3-6 Del Norte team getting picked over a 4-6 Moreau or Terra Linda, both of which would have one more win and play in tougher leagues. Del Norte having two of its three wins against a winless team would be pretty unimpressive to say the least.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:24 pm
When seeding, does the committee juggle things to avoid rematches or pitting two conference teams against each other? It would be strange if Encinal played Moreau in the final week of the regular season and then played them again in the first round of the playoffs.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 pm
No, the committee uses a straight seeding system and doesn’t look at the matchups when deciding the seeds. It typically is just talking about the teams its considering for those spots and then decides who should be seeding ahead. Now, things could change with the committee meeting behind closed doors, but that’s always how it went when it was an open meeting with the coaches present.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:32 pm
D3 games I would like to watch in person:
Encinal vs. Alhambra
Bishop Odowd vs. Piedmont
Marin Catholic vs. El Cerrito
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:42 pm
KillerD, I’m Sure Encinal and Alhambra would love to play each other.
Jet Pride!
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:43 pm
i want to see that game too, especially wit all the jaw jacking goin on the blog
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 pm
It would be hard to imagine O’Dowd and Piedmont getting a shot at each other. Regardless of whether you agree with Jimmy’s 1-4 seedings (I think they’re correct), I don’t see any way any of those four would fall from the top. I also don’t think there’s any way O’Dowd, if they qualify (that defense looked so shaky on Saturday I don’t think it’s a given they beat both Castro Valley and Arroyo), gets above a 13 seed, so they’d have to go on the road and beat one of those top 4.
Using Jimmy’s seedings, I could see Piedmont giving Marin Catholic all they want…
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:03 pm
CAN I PLEASE GET A D-2 BREAKDOWN???
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Killer D/Old former Medding Coach….During a passing scrimmage between Alhambra and Encinal….the Bulldogs walked all over the Jets….But that was no contact…The Jets have the speed, but I don’t think they will be able to deal with Alhambra….
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:07 pm
this league stuff is so rigged. i believe dougherty beat kennedy but b/c dougherty plays in a much harder league they dont even have a shot at this.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:09 pm
D2 will be coming tomorrow…
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:10 pm
D2 will be coming tomorrow….
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I hope Alhambra can back all that talk up if they ever seen the jets. because people are still on that scrimmage thing and that means nothing! As far as we know half of the Jets team suited up that day right? And also there was a mock offense being played by Encinal. So who knows but all I know is that a passing game/scrimmage means nothing!
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Who cares about a scrimmage? As far as we know from yo boy old meddling is that half the team dressed and there was a “mock offense” being used by the jets. I don’t know what that means but all I know is that the jets you remembered from that day aren’t the same jets now.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Wow,The scrimmage again. Must i quite Iverson again? That was practice! We ain’t talkin’ about a game. it was practice! But i’m glad that Alhambra felt good about the PRACTICE! Our guys were Laughing and thought nothing of it really. Just some contact and looked at a few things. Where is Knights when i need him. LOL! Jet Pride!
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Typo, Quote Iverson. Jet Pride!
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:54 pm
I think the jets will dismantle alhambra, alhambra is very overated to me, and the voters all see it, I hope encinal or alhambra meets in NCS finals, but I really like marin tooo, I would like to see them dismantle alhambra too, I use to be a big bulldog fan, with rutley and crew, but since these past couple of months made me change my whole mind, way to cocky fans, their the team I wanna see go down
November 4th, 2009 at 2:34 am
BOD should beat CV, not saying its a lock rivalry games are a different animal and CV will probably come out with their best effort of the year. O’Dowds D is shaky but CVs offense is no better especially if their top wr is out. When i saw them play SLZ he was the offense. BODs offense looked real good moving the ball against SL, top D in the HAAL. Brown, King, Ward, and Trammel all have shown playmaking capabilities especially when Balich can spread the ball around well. Not a traditional BOD offense but perenon seems like he has it coming together at this point. This might turn into more of a smashmouth game than expected bc it is supposed to rain on friday but it is an artificial field so it wont be terrible conditions. I dont know much about arroyo this year but they always bring a lot of heart. The game being at O’Dowd should help BOD, away games on saturday afternoons are never easy.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:55 am
HS Football Fan: I have not seen Marin Catholic but if as you say, it would be interesting to see Piedmont vs. MC, instead of Bishop Odowd. One would assume Marin to be a very big team physically.
Lots of fans hoping to see Encinal vs. Alhambra, seems like a natural fit for D3 championship game.
November 4th, 2009 at 7:37 am
We never played Alahambra in Passing League just scrimmaged them.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Anyone know when the D2 analysis will be posted?
November 4th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Kyle Bonagura is working on it and will have it up later today. He and I will also be doing another live chat to discuss all things related to the postseason tonight at 6 p.m.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Acalanes does have 3 losses in non-league, but 2 of them are to teams that will be pretty highly seeded in the playoffs in Healdsburg and St. Marys. Aptos which is 4-4 will probably finish 5-5, so Acalanes lost to everyone with winning records. And I cant see Fortuna getting a higher seed than Acalanes at the same record with a weaker strength of schedule. I think Acalanes could be as high as 6, but more likely around 8
November 4th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Jimmy D – How’s the EB leader stats coming? Thanks Mr. D
Go Panthers!
November 4th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Come on now Panther Fan. I know you’ve done the math already.LOL DBR did his thing this weekend!!
November 4th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I would put our Acalanes team this year ahead of El Cerrito, Piedmont, Terra Linda and Fortuna.
We are rolling now and will crush campo
November 4th, 2009 at 11:59 am
There is no way El Cerrito will beat Alameda.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Fox – LOL. You are the best. I told you – I went to Wash in the City. Math was my worst subject! D did well. The line was dominant, he just ran thru the holes. Thanks Fox. I appreciate it.
Go Panthers!
November 4th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
#35 Why can’t EC beat Alameda? They got athletes & speed that Alameda just don’t have. To think there’s no way is stupid. Its gonna be a good game. 30 points is what it’ll take for EC to win.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
El Cerrito vs Alameda will be a good game. It will be a one score game.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Panther Fan,
It’s not going to be until tomorrow for the East Bay leaders. I’m still waiting on BSAL stats and a few other leagues. Also, I’m actually off today (even though I am working on the story of Rickey Galvin committing to Washington State and will be participating in our live playoff chat tonight), so I won’t be able to get to start compiling that until tomorrow.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Jimmy D – Have a great day off. Thank you.
Go Panthers!
November 4th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Alhambra will beat encinal it will be a close game but Alhambra will come out on top.
November 4th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
old former meddling coach. Says:
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 pm
…”Our guys were Laughing and thought nothing of it really.”…
IF THIS IS TRUE, THIS WILL COST THE JESTS..OOOPS, I MEAN JETS, A CHAMPIONSHIP. TO “LAUGH AND THINK NOTHING OF” ANY SINGLE MINUTE OF “PRACTICE” IS WHAT SEPARATES GOOD FROM GREAT.
BTW, TRUTH AND MANDOWN, PLEASE GET BACK ON YOUR MEDS, AND STAY FAR AWAY FROM HIGH SCHOOLS.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Knights,Glad to have ya back. Trust me,If Encinal meets Alhambra in the playoff,It’ll be on like Donkey Kong. I believe if these two teams meet the Jets will win. You can QUOTE me on that too. Just be man enough to admit you were wrong When it happens if they meet in the playoffs. But until that time,I wish alhambra Nothing but good luck. Jet Pride!
November 4th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Knights,One last thing. None of the PRACTICE was wasted because we learned quite a few things and looked at quite a few players doing different things. The kids thought it was funny that you guys acted like you won the super bowl when they knew it was just PRACTICE. But i guess a good day’s PRACTICE against the champs will do that. Cya in the playoffs. Jet Pride!
November 4th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Alhambra is gonna get killed mark my words on that. Btw I am the real truth, people, taking my name now of days lol.. And woow CAN somebody please read any of my comments.. That suggest, that I should stay away from high schools please???.. Knights” ur a CLOWN!!! Ahahahhahahah u are tryna make SHOCK value.. U tryna get everyone shocked, by saying things like dat, shit like that makes me know u don’t know crapp. Get the hell out the blogs weak S***
November 4th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Haha… This guy.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Old Coach,
It hurts when you don’t chose your words wisely and they are in print. Don’t back down now, you said what you said, stand up for yourself. You change your tone in post #44. First you say you laughed, now you said you learned…which is it, you cant have it both ways.
I would expect more respect for PRACTICE from an old former meddling coach. Maybe that’s why you’re a former, and not a current coach? You didn’t place a high enough value on practice?
Lastly…you are lying. I was at the scrimmage, Alhambra did not celebrate like they won a super bowl. The seven times a TD was scored, the players found the ref, gave him the ball, returned to the huddle, and went on to the next play. Any celebration with their teammates was in a fashion that was not disrespectful to their opponents or overly emotional. Check the tape, COACH!
Truth,
Im not sure if I’m more worried now, or when I thought you had a bout of bi-polar where in post #23 you say Encinal will beat Alhambra, but in #41 you say Alhambra will barely beat the Jets. That was my reference for staying away from schools.
Either way, you have some anger issues. Best of luck with that, and stay away from the schools.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Knights, I don’t think he is bi-polar. It looks like there are 2 different people posting as The Truth. One of them is obviously a lie.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I stand by my words, but Knights… It was just PRACTICE. What are u talking about? Everything I wrote was true and didn’t change any tone. U r putting too much on this. And i stopped Coaching to raise a son. You kinda sound like a kid. But it is good that you support your Guys and should keep it up. Mush respect to you and your Bulldogs. But The Jets will win if we face Alhambra in the playoffs. Jet Pride!
November 4th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Just so everyone knows where I stand…again:
1. I think Alhambra deserves the #1 seed over Encinal and Marin Catholic because of strength of league schedule.
2. I think Encinal is a very good team, in a very bad league. Not their fault, out of their control.
3. I am not factoring in the scrimmage into any of my opinions.
4. I think highly of the Jets program and Coach T. I am a little embarrassed for some of their supporters posting on this blog that get associated with the Jets program.
5. I hate when people say a team with a winning record “sucks”. 7-1 does not suck…Ex: Alhambra sucks-they lost to College Park , Encinal will smash on them. I can respect the opinion about the prediction of the game, but that doesnt mean Alhambra sucks.
6. I cannot stand it when people on this blog trash a hard working coach, or make reference to individual high school players in a negative manner. Ex: R Galvin gets all his yards in a weak league/schedule. Apparently, Wash St. didnt think so. I’m pretty sure the WSU coaches have forgotten more football than any of us will ever know.
Keep it real fellas.
When responding to me, please dont bring up the scrimmage or practice, its played out. I know where most of you vocal bloggers stand on that issue.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
7-1 is a good record for any team.You keep this interesting Knights. Jet Pride!
November 4th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Knights…unfortunately for Alhambra their league is not strong enough to overcome a blowout loss to College Park, a team that will most likely not make the playoffs and could potentially finish 3-7 overall with games against Clayton Valley and Ygnacio Valley left. That is the same team that was blown out by Serra a team Encinal played very closely. And coupled with the Jets’ win over St. Mary’s who may be a number 1 seed in DIV playoffs, the resume just works in their favor.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
I don’t see how you can call the BSAL “a very bad league” in relation to the DFAL. There is a very real chance that the BSAL will have two #1 seeds in their league, and could qualify 5 of their 8 teams for the playoffs. Do a team-by-team comparison:
1 – Encinal vs. Alhambra
2 – Acalanes vs. St. Mary’s – St. Mary’s won 22-7
3 – Las Lomas vs. St. Pat/St. Vincent
4 – Campolindo vs. Piedmont
5 – Miramonte vs. Moreau
Up until #5, I don’t think you can say the DFAL is that much stronger than the BSAL.
Maybe put another way, if Encinal plays Alhambra’s schedule, they likely go undefeated. If Alhambra plays Encinal’s schedule, they likely go 8-1 with the St. Mary’s game too close to call in my opinion.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Umm KNIGHTS can you read?? If u read #45 again , I said “I am the REAL truth”, which means some one else is using my name?? Lol.. UR sadddd. Hahaha hellla sad.. And u wanna give ricky galvin, and encinal knocks, in support of alahambra and their players… ur hella sad, get off the blogs, number 1 seed? Over encinal and marin?? Ur hellla sad, bsal over dfal, makes me wanna cry, ur a IDOIT, do you not get it? Lol you sound stupid!
November 5th, 2009 at 12:13 am
FWIW, here’s my stab at D-III (with projections):
Round 1
#16 Del Norte at #1 Encinal
#9 El Cerrito at #8 Analy
#12 Miramonte at #5 Healdsburg
#13 Kennedy-Fremont at #4 Novato
#14 Moreau Catholic at #3 Alhambra
#11 Tamalpais at #6 Fortuna
#10 Piedmont at #7 Acalanes
#15 Terra Linda at #2 Marin Catholic
Round 2
#9 El Cerrito at #1 Encinal
#5 Healdsburg at #4 Novato
#6 Fortuna at #3 Alhambra
#10 Piedmont at #2 Marin Catholic
Semifinals
#4 Novato at #1 Encinal
#3 Alhambra at #2 Marin Catholic
Championship
Marin Catholic vs. Encinal
November 5th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Truth,
I get it, I’m sad, hella sad.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:46 am
To rank the DFAL ahead of the BSAL in 2009 for overall league strength this year is severely off base.
Top 5 in BSAL – Encinal, St. Mary’s, St. Pats, Piedmont and Moreau, have combined records of
(27 – 13). And, it is very possible both Encinal and St. Mary’s will be number one seeds for playoffs.
St. Mary’s also took care of Acalanes easily.
Top 5 in DFAL – Alhambra, Acalanes, Campolindo, Las Lomas and Dublin, have combined records (22 – 20), Campolindo losing to El Cerrito, Oakland, and stating again Acalanes losing to St. Mary’s and only scoring 7 points.
Other than the Bulldogs in Martinez, the DFAL is down compared to recent years, and the BSAL is up for sure.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Yes, but there are 3 EASY wins in BSAL (MC, Albany, JKF-Rich). There are NO easy games in the DFAL.
You are right, the DFAL is down, and the BSAL is up, compared to recent years.
I am basing my opinions off of overall league strength of schedule. You do not have to agree.
November 5th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Sean M:
You said you were at the Moreau-Piedmont game.
What happened to Moreau that night?
November 5th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Actually I didn’t make that game. I’ve been to all the Moreau home games and the St. Mary’s Game. I have heard that they had too much speed, scored quick and had 28 points at half time. Too many points for Moreau to catch up.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Too Sean M
That night the Moreau passing defense was picked apart. MC’s stregnths are against inside run, there d-line and inside backers clean up niceley. The A-11 doesn’t do that. That’s waht happend. Piedmont took away the most dominant part of Moreau’s arsenal.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
@KNIGHTS: Moreau Catholic is no longer an easy win. In fact, most of the BSAL is very tough. The only easy wins this year are John Swett, Albany and JFK-Richmond. Even in losses, Moreau brings it. I can understand that you may think that taking into account the past 7-8 years or so, but trust me, this program is very different now, and it looks like it will only improve for years to come.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
to BSAL watcher
I dont know if the screen pass would be considered an extreme arial attack.
Ran one screen pass so many times. All to that number 11. He just out ran the LBs because the DBs were being blocked by all the “recievers” out there.
Thats why i dont think they really got picked apart. Moreau defended the deep pass decently well with the only actual pass that went further than 6 yards downfield that got completed was one that the Piedmont QB avoided the Dline for about 10 seconds. Not exactly fair to expect the secondary to defend taht long. Lets see how they fair tonight.
all comes down to who runs the veer better and who plays their assignments right.
who you thinks gonna take it?
November 7th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
uhh is anyone shocked that el cerrito beat alameda?
and how can you put ec in #9 come on now do your math right…im sure the coaches from encinal were laughin when alameda lost.
November 9th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Ok now that Sonoma has beaten Analy, what does that do to change the picture? O’Dowd, Campo, and Miramonte all won on 11/6
November 9th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I’m working on my latest breakdown. It definitely puts a lot more teams on the bubble and teams like Moreau and Terra Linda are in trouble.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:31 am
campo never gets respect and the thing is it never matters we play football the way that it should be sound mechanics and team play its sad that that gets over looked now a days. Campo thrives being the under dog and now with the hot dons being defeated by the cougar there is no way they should not get in.
November 17th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
First round of playyoffs coming up.All this talk about alhambra that they will go down.I have to DISAGREE.Alhambra has has close games but always come out with a win. They have a good ranked quarter back,calhoun,madrid,leaf,bullis,argenal running in the back feild. Recievers Davis,Braz,Krunnmen,Williams,Bear are all key reciever.Blockin the quarter back are all beast.Biggest line in section. The defensive linemen, line backers Madrid Leaf and Bullis,with a good second dary are doing what they have to.YOu will see alhambra winning.