Welcome back to Monday Morning Lights, our weekly feature that sheds more light on the high school football weekend and peeks ahead to the new week. If you haven’t already, please subscribe. Your contributions keep us going.
LINCOLN-SJ: LIONS STOKED TO HOST FIRST NORCAL GAME
Lincoln-San Jose is making history left and right.
The Lions won their first Central Coast Section championship on Saturday at San Jose City College, dominating Branham 49-21 behind six touchdowns from star all-purpose player Kyan Phillips.
Now, Lincoln (10-3) will host the first CIF NorCal regional championship game in school history, welcoming Gridley (13-0) for a Friday night matchup in 6-AA at the second-oldest public school in San Jose.
“I’m very happy about a home game,” Lincoln coach Kevin Collins said. “I would like to think it’d be similar to what it was for the (CCS) championship game. We had a lot of alumni. There were guys I coached 30 years ago that were there. A lot of alumni were there. Our student body was there. The parents were great. I would hope it’s a similar atmosphere.”
Collins admitted he still has a lot to learn about Gridley, but he’s already picked up on a few things.
“It looks like they run offense very similar to Wilcox,” Collins said. “Defensively, I haven’t seen them yet. I talked to their head coach. Really nice guy. He’s in his second year there. I don’t know what to expect. It’s like playing a team from another universe.”
– Christian Babcock
PITTSBURG: WHO IS CENTRAL EAST?
Pittsburg’s defense put on a spectacular showing against Cardinal Newman in the NCS Division I title game.
For four quarters, the Santa Rosa school struggled to make it past midfield in what became a 42-17 win for the Pirates.
But heading into its NorCal Division I-A title game matchup with Central East, Pittsburg’s defense will face one of its biggest tests of the season.
Central East has far and away been the best team in the Central Section, boasting a 12-1 record that’s powered behind an offense that has averaged just over 49 points per game this season.
Quarterback Jelani Dippel has put up video-game-like numbers this season, throwing for 4,096 yards and 52 touchdowns. Four-star, Arizona-bound running back Brandon Smith has rushed for 1,790 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The Bengals have stacked notable wins over Edison-Stockton, Liberty-Bakersfield, Clovis, Clovis-North and Inglewood. Their lone loss came to Grant-Sacramento in the second week of the season.
— Nathan Canilao
SERRA: PADRES BACK IN STATE SPOTLIGHT
It was a rebuilding year for Serra last season as the Padres were knocked out in the first round of the CCS Open/Division I playoffs.
But after a brief rebuilding year, the San Mateo school is back for yet another state championship run. That means getting past St. Mary’s-Stockton on the road in the NorCal Division 2-AA regional championship game Friday night.
Serra coach Patrick Walsh knows the Padres have their work cut out for them.
“What I see in St. Mary’s is a team that has figured out how to win multiple different ways,” Walsh said. “Coach (Tony) Franks does an amazing job over there at St Mary’s. He always has just a well prepared team that competes to the bitter end every single game.”
Serra was the NorCal representative in the Open Division state title game from 2021 to 2023, but couldn’t get past the likes of St. John Bosco and Mater Dei.
A victory Friday will put the Padres in the 2-AA state final as they seek to capture their first state crown since 2017.
St. Mary’s presents another tough test for the Padres, who opened the year with losses to Folsom, De La Salle and Bosco. After suffering back-to-back losses to Oak Ridge and De La Salle, the Rams have rattled off eight straight wins.
St. Mary’s offense, led by quarterback Jaden Galvan, running back Diego Hernandez and wide receivers Ivan Huerta and Kenneth Moore III, has averaged 43 points per game.
Serra enters the game with some knowledge of St. Mary’s, having played the Stockton school three times from 2016 to 2019.
“What you get from St. Mary’s under coach Franks is a hard charging, well-coached, tough group of people who are very respectful,” Walsh said. “It’s a a great matchup for us in our regional game.”
– Nathan Canilao
O’DOWD: YOUNG DRAGONS MAKING NOISE
Bishop O’Dowd will play in a NorCal regional game on Friday for the first time since 2016 when the Dragons travel to Chico for the 5-AA championship.
It is the same classification that O’Dowd won nine years ago when the Oakland school beat Capital Christian-Sacramento on its way to winning a state crown.
Now coached by Hardy Nickerson, this edition might be a year ahead of schedule.
In their 59-21 trouncing of Fortuna on Saturday in the NCS Division VI final, the Dragons got it done behind a slew of players who will be back next season.
Lamar Ellis, who scored five touchdowns in the game, is a junior. Bryan Edwards, who had three touchdowns against Fortuna, is a sophomore. Quarterback Christian Cermenelli-Johnson, who gets it done with his arm and legs, is a junior.
“Such a young team,” Nickerson said. “The offensive linemen are young. We have one senior in the group. Our receivers, we have one senior there. We’re pretty young.”
They’re also pretty good, and now they’re headed to NorCals.
“We’re excited,” Nickerson said amid the celebration Saturday. “We’re excited about tonight and today and winning this championship. Tomorrow we’ll set our sights on whoever is next.”
– Darren Sabedra
PIEDMONT: WILL FEEL-GOOD STORY CONTINUE IN 2026?
The season ended for Piedmont on Friday when the Highlanders lost to top-seeded Middletown 37-23 in the NCS Division VII final.
Tough loss, yes.
But for Piedmont coach Jordan Seiden, he saw the outcome as a step in the process, one that began four years ago when the small school went a season without varsity football.
“Played our hearts out!” Seiden wrote in a text to the Bay Area News Group. “Young team went way further than anyone thought we would! We didn’t lose…we learned!! Well be back!
“They have a tough experienced squad built for this run! I wish them nothing but the best…go win state!! Great group of kids and coaches! We’ll bounce back…get in the weight room and back after it in January!”
– Darren Sabedra