Welcome back to the Bay Area News Group’s high school football roundup.
Here, you’ll find all the details from the weekend’s action in this news organization’s coverage area, which encompasses teams that play in leagues based primarily in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Check back every Saturday during the season for scores, highlights and top performers, updated throughout the day.
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On to the roundup …
CCS Open Division
No. 1 St. Ignatius 10, No. 2 St. Francis 7
Second-half SI pulled it out one more time to give the Wildcats their first CCS Open title since 2012. Jarious Hogan scored the winning TD at rainy San Jose City College and ran for 110 yards on 22 carries. Christian Babcock was in San Jose has the story here.
NCS Open Division
No. 1 De La Salle 10, No. 2 Pittsburg 7
Dominic Kelley ran for 171 yards, highlighted by his 35-yard go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter, as De La Salle won its 32nd consecutive section championship with a hard-fought triumph over Pittsburg at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Joseph Dycus has the game story and Darren Sabedra has a column here.
NCS Division I
No. 3 San Ramon Valley 7, No. 5 Cardinal Newman 0
Dylan Deitsch’s huge punt return in the rain set up Sammy Avalos’ fourth-quarter touchdown as San Ramon Valley advanced to the Division I final with a tense victory at home over Santa Rosa powerhouse Cardinal Newman. The Wolves will get a rematch with Pittsburg for the title next Friday at Diablo Valley College. Pittsburg beat SRV in the D-I final last season. Justice delos Santos was in Danville and has all the details here.
CCS Division II
No. 1 Wilcox 10, No. 4 Menlo-Atherton 7
Armando Rodriguez’s 36-yard, third-quarter field goal in the rain broke a 7-7 tie and sent Wilcox into the Division II final with a victory at home in Santa Clara over Menlo-Atherton, an opponent the Chargers defeated in league play two weeks ago. Glenn Reeves has the game story here.
NCS Division II
No. 2 Amador Valley 38, No. 3 Windsor 29
When you have an offense as explosive as Amador Valley’s, the weather doesn’t matter. On a rainy Friday night in Pleasanton, the Dons simply switched from a pass-first to a run-first attack and won for the sixth time in eight games. In the process, they advanced to their first NCS championship game since 2012. They will play No. 4 seed Bishop O’Dowd next Friday night at Dublin High. Amador Valley (8-4) disposed of a very good Windsor team by scoring all five touchdowns on the ground. Ismael Duenas and Vince Maiorana each scored twice, and quarterback Tristan Tia scored once. Tia also ran in a two-point conversion and passed for another two points. The Oregon State commit has accounted for 46 touchdowns (29 passing, 17 running) this season. He’s throwing for over 300 yards per game and leads the Dons in rushing. Amador Valley never trailed against Windsor, which ended the season 8-4, with the four defeats coming by a total of 21 points. The game was close throughout. Dons were clinging to a 32-29 lead when Duenas scored on a 9-yard run with a minute left in the fourth quarter. Duenas had a 40-yard TD run in the first period that made it 14-6, and Tia’s pass to Aidan Foley tacked on two more points. From that point, Windsor would score, then Amador Valley would find the end zone. Maiorana had TD runs of 50 and 4 yards. Tia scored the first TD of the game, going over from the 1, then running in the 2-point conversion. Amador Valley is averaging 37 points in its last eight contests. If the Dons have a vulnerability, it’s a defense that’s allowing 25 points per game over the same stretch. – Mike Lefkow
No. 4 Bishop O’Dowd 23, No. 1 Liberty 15
O’Dowd’s defense came up clutch in the second half as the Dragons upset top-seeded Liberty on a rainy night at Ohmstede Field in Brentwood. Saliou Sow rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries to lead the way. Nathan Canilao was in Brentwood and has the story here.
NCS Division III
No. 2 Campolindo 40, No. 6 San Leandro 7
When Campolindo was 4-5 with a single game remaining in the regular season, it appeared the Cougars’ long run of success in the playoffs might not materialize. But this has been a different team since a 35-17 thumping of archrival Miramonte on Nov. 8. The Cougars are 3-0 in their last three games and have outscored their opponents by an average of 40-10. Campo (7-5) was completely dominant against San Leandro in round two of the section playoffs. The Cougars scored on their first six possessions, led 33-0 at the half and didn’t allow the Pirates (6-6) to pick up a first down until the third quarter. Junior Micah Parker had touchdown runs of 15 and 65 yards in the first half before leaving with a shoulder injury. Blaise Clancy took over and rushed for 85 yards and two scores, and Reid Habas added two more six-pointers, both on quarterback sneaks. Next Friday, Campolindo will play Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division rival Acalanes for the section crown. Acalanes won 21-12 earlier in the season, but the Cougars captured the previous four meetings before that. And when it comes to section title games, Campolindo is right at home. Coach Kevin Macy’s crew went to nine straight section championships between 2013-2022. There was no title game in 2020 because of COVID. The Cougars were ousted in the first round in 2023, falling in OT at San Ramon Valley, but they’re back. They will play Acalanes next Friday night at Las Lomas. – Mike Lefkow
CCS Division IV
No. 4 Burlingame 14, No. 1 Piedmont Hills 12
The giant-killers have struck again. Burlingame (8-4), which notably defeated Wilcox earlier this season in Santa Clara, traveled to San Jose and eked out a win over Piedmont Hills. This loss for the Pirates (9-3) brings to an end the 27-year tenure of coach Matt Kiesle, who has said he will retire at the conclusion of the season. Kiesle coached for 38 years total at Piedmont Hills and six at Willow Glen. Burlingame pulled off the win thanks in large part to 142 rushing yards on 25 carries by Lucas Kirk. Cole Hardtke ran for 97 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Hayden Haba rushed for 71 yards and a score, adding two catches for 17 yards. He also snagged two interceptions. Panthers QB Luke Levitt completed 7 of 8 pass attempts for 55 yards. – Christian Babcock
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No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep 28, No. 2 Branham 14
The Gators had some bite to their rushing attack on Friday night, and it was more than enough to upset Branham in San Jose. Maxime Morelle ran for a 6-yard touchdown and a 12-yard touchdown, Kyle Chai ran in a 16-yard score and Greg Gamitian scored a 25-yard TD on the ground. For Branham, Andrew Ho tossed two touchdown passes to Zayne St. Laurent, a 9-yarder and a 22-yarder. The loss brings an end to the Branham career of coach Stephen Johnson, who is stepping away from the Bruins after this season. – Christian Babcock
NCS Division VII
No. 1 Moreau Catholic 14, No. 4 Del Notre 7
The Mariners advanced to the section title game with a victory at home in Hayward. Senior running back Jayden Bryant rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Quarterback Jeremiah Charles was 9 for 17 for 176 yards and a touchdown to receiver Jalen Arnold, who caught four passes for 96 yards. Moreau will play the winner of the Ferndale-Piedmont game next Saturday for the Division VII crown. – Nathan Canilao