Welcome back to the Bay Area News Group’s high school football preview.
Here, you’ll find the week’s top matchups and complete weekend schedule for teams in this news organization’s coverage area, which encompasses leagues based primarily in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Check back every Thursday morning during the season for the preview.
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On the top matchups …
No. 11 California (6-0) at No. 3 San Ramon Valley (6-0), 7:15 p.m.: Something will have to give in this matchup of undefeated East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division heavyweights. California beat Livermore 42-14 last week powered by a 212-yard, three-touchdown performance by junior running back Jhadis Luckey. Quarterback Arjun Banerjee has been steady for the Grizzlies, throwing for 13 touchdowns through California’s first six games. California’s offense will be tested facing a San Ramon Valley defense led by Texas A&M-bound linebacker Marco Jones, who has totaled 19 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble. SRV’s offense is averaging 34.6 points per game behind quarterback Rhett Thompson, who threw for 206 yards and five touchdowns in the Wolves’ 35-6 win over Granada last Friday. Calpreps has SRV winning 35-14. – Nathan Canilao
No. 7 Serra (2-3, 1-1) at No. 5 St. Francis (4-1, 2-0), 7 p.m.: This is a showdown between teams that are expected to contend for the WCAL title. St. Francis running back Kingston Keanaaina has rushed for 906 yards and eight touchdowns and will need to have another huge game for the Lancers to beat Serra for the first time since 2021. He has rushed for at least 300 yards in two games this season. St. Francis is also stout defensively, led by Jackson Cahoon, Trevor Dong and lineman Judah Reed. Serra’s top skill position players are seniors. Nano Latu is a hard-running back who has had big games against Folsom and De La Salle, and Charlie Wiley and Clay Hinsdale are both tall targets for quarterback Andrew Heneghan. Harvard-bound Teddy Chung ran for a 77-yard touchdown last week against Sacred Heart Cathedral. Elias Shamieh and Louis Akpa carve running lanes for Serra’s talented backs. Calpreps has Serra winning 27-21. – Joseph Dycus
No. 6 Archbishop Riordan (2-3, 1-1) at No. 10 Valley Christian (3-2, 2-0), 7 p.m.: Valley Christian has opened WCAL play with a 47-7 victory at home over Archbishop Mitty and a 21-0 triumph over Bellarmine at San Jose City College. In the win over Mitty, Ekiah McLemore ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns and Marcel Leggett rushed for 133 yards and two TDs. Their ability to run the ball will be crucial as the Warriors aim to slow down a Riordan team loaded with offensive talent. Riordan can score points in a hurry behind quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr., running back Jeremiah Jones and receivers such as Wesley Winn Jr., Cynai Thomas and Chris Lawson. But they’ll likely have to put a complete game together to return home to San Francisco with a victory. Last week, Riordan led St. Ignatius 21-0 in the first half and lost 31-28. Calpreps picks Riordan 35-28. – Darren Sabedra
Miramonte (4-2) at No. 17 Acalanes (4-2), 7 p.m.: Acalanes enters its Week 7 matchup against Miramonte fresh off its most dominant win of the season, a 52-0 blowout victory against Benicia. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Winkles threw for four touchdowns, three of which went to senior Niko White. Miramonte, by contrast, barely squeaked by College Park, 41-37, needing a fourth-quarter touchdown to escape with a win. Junior quarterback Charlie Metherd completed 10-of-18 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for a score as well. Junior running back Charlie Hwang totaled 103 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. – Justice delos Santos
Tuesday, Oct. 8
INTERSECTIONAL
De La Salle 31, NFL Academy-Loughborough, England 9
Thursday, Oct. 10
EAST BAY
MVAL/WACC Mission
Kennedy-Fremont vs. Newark Memorial at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Mt. Hamilton
Lincoln-San Jose at Christopher, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill
Pioneer at Silver Creek, 7:15 p.m.
PAL El Camino
South San Francisco at Santa Clara, 7 p.m.
PAL Lake
El Camino at Gunn, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 11
EAST BAY
Bay Valley
Deer Valley at Heritage, 7 p.m.
Freedom at Pittsburg, 7 p.m.
DAL Foothill
Clayton Valley at Las Lomas, 7 p.m.
Miramonte at Acalanes, 7 p.m.
EBAL Mountain
California at San Ramon Valley, 7:15 p.m.
EBAL Valley
Dougherty Valley at Livermore, 7:15 p.m.
Dublin at Foothill, 7 p.m.
Oakland Athletic League
Fremont-Oakland at McClymonds, 7 p.m.
Oakland at Oakland Tech, 7 p.m.
Skyline at Castlemont, 7 p.m.
MVAL/WACC Foothill
Bishop O’Dowd at Berkeley, 7 p.m.
Moreau Catholic at Castro Valley, 7 p.m.
San Leandro at Tennyson, 7 p.m.
MVAL/WACC Mission
Irvington at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
Piedmont at Hayward, 7 p.m.
MVAL/WACC Shoreline
American vs. Alameda at Thompson Field in Alameda, 7 p.m.
Encinal at San Lorenzo, 4 p.m.
Mt. Eden at Arroyo, 4 p.m.
TCAL Rock
De Anza at Pinole Valley, 7 p.m.
TCAL Stone
Bethel at St. Patrick-St. Vincent, 7 p.m.
Richmond at Kennedy-Richmond, 7 p.m.
Non-league
Campolindo at Amador Valley, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Mt. Hamilton
Santa Teresa at Branham, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Foothill
Del Mar at Independence, 7:15 p.m.
Overfelt at Piedmont Hills, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley
Gilroy at Prospect, 7:15 p.m.
Westmont at Leland, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL West Valley
Evergreen Valley at Lick, 7:15 p.m.
San Jose at Hill, 7:15 p.m.
Yerba Buena at Gunderson, 7:15 p.m.
PAL Bay
Los Gatos at Menlo-Atherton, 7 p.m.
Sacred Heart Prep at Palo Alto, 7 p.m.
The King’s Academy at Mountain View, 7 p.m.
PAL De Anza
Capuchino at Aragon, 7 p.m.
Hillsdale at Burlingame, 7 p.m.
PAL Ocean
Carlmont at San Mateo, 7 p.m.
Half Moon Bay at Milpitas, 7 p.m.
Sequoia at Terra Nova, 7 p.m.
PAL El Camino
Homestead at Woodside, 7 p.m.
Los Altos at Fremont-Sunnyvale, 7 p.m.
PAL Lake
Jefferson at Mills, 7 p.m.
Lynbrook at Saratoga, 7 p.m.
MacDonald at Cupertino, 7 p.m.
West Catholic
St. Ignatius vs. Bellarmine at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.
Riordan at Valley Christian, 7 p.m.
Serra at St. Francis, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 12
EAST BAY
TCAL Rock
El Cerrito at St. Mary’s-Berkeley, 1:30 p.m.
Vallejo at Salesian, 1 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
BVAL Mt. Hamilton
Oak Grove at Live Oak, 7:15 p.m.
BVAL Santa Teresa-Valley
Willow Glen at Sobrato, 2:30 p.m.
PAL Bay
Wilcox at Menlo School, 2 p.m.
West Catholic
Archbishop Mitty vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral at Kezar Stadium, 1 p.m.
