Gauchos enter playoffs with five-game win streak

FRIDAY

DIVISION II

Concord (7-2-1) at Casa Grande (7-2-1), 7 p.m.

It’s the first ever meeting between the Minutemen and Gauchos, thanks to the new NCS division and North Bay/East Bay playoff alignment. Concord, the No. 10 seed, finished in a three-way tie for second in the Diablo Valley Athletic League, beating Ygnacio Valley by a point and losing to No. 2 seed Clayton Valley, 29-22. Concord runs a shotgun spread offense, but likes to give the ball to halfback Forrest Hightower and fullback Nick Pica. Wide receiver CJ Porter is headed to Utah. Casa, the No. 7 seed, has been playing its best ball the second half of the season and has won five straight, in that span outscoring opponents 178-21. QB Matt O’Brien is completing 59 percent of his passes and has thrown 19 for TDs with four interceptions. His favorite targets are Matt Nadolski (39x539, 7 TDs) and Matt Gallo (19x405, 8 TDs). RB Kahlil Keys has rushed for 1,011 yards and 8 TDs. The Gauchos defense, led by lineman Zach Burnett and leading tackler Blaine Peterman, has been extremely stingy of late. O’Brien also has 6 interceptions and plays corner along with Nadolski. The X-factor for Casa has been kicker Conner Derby, who regularly kicks off into the end zone. Derby also has the school record for most field goals.

Clear Lake (6-3-1) at Middletown (9-1), 7 p.m.

This is an NCL I rematch that saw Middletown win 34-0 in the fourth week of the season. Clear Lake, lost heavily to graduation after losing just one game in the regular season last year. Junior QB Ryan Richardson has played better of late and has run for 340 yards and thrown for 942. Junior RB Kevin Burt has rushed for 811 yards and 7 TDs. Richardson also leads the Empire with 8 interceptions. LB Christian Coddington is one of the Cardinals’ top defensive players. Middletown will run the ball until they get stopped, but it doesn’t mean QB Matt Outen won’t throw. Outen, who completes 60 percent of his passes, has thrown for 1,051 yards, 12 TDs and has just four interceptions. Eric Tomko (1,006 yards rushing and 12 TDs) and Tyler Owen (806 yards rushing and 12 TDs) are as good a tandem as there is in the small school ranks. Both also lead the team in tackles from their linebacker spots. Middletown, who missed the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons last year, have won three NCS championships (1997, 1999, 2001).

RV Christian (5-3) vs. St. Elizabeth (6-4) at San Leandro, 7 p.m.

St. Elizabeth of Oakland was last year’s Class B champ, which in effect is this year’s Div. V. St. Elizabeth is the No. 2 seed and did defeat Tomales, 22-14, during the preseason. Tomales is the No. 3 seed and defeated RVC last week 46-16. Dave Douglas and Lavelle Brisco are the top running backs and Douglas was the standout in last year’s title game. The Mustangs also have three 300-pounders on their offensive line. RVC runs the spread offense with QB Ty Cazet throwing to a trio of receivers 6-foot-3 and taller. Eric Hanson caught eight passes for 173 yards and Ben Jorgensen seven for 107 last week against Tomales. Leading rusher Aaron Bleyhl has 650 yards on the ground. The Tomales game could have been closer as the Braves came up with four interceptions, two off deflections that looked like TDs.

DIVISION II

Ygnacio Valley (6-4) at Ukiah (8-2), 7 p.m.

Long before De La Salle jumped into national prominence with its football program, it could be argued Ygnacio Valley was the top power of the East Bay. The Warriors have lost two straight, 42-41 to Concord, and 26-7 to No. 2 seed Clayton Valley. The Warriors don’t pass all that much and run an offense similar to The Toss that features running back Petrone Wood II, a 5-11, 260-pound punishing runner who has rushed for 1,798 yards and 19 TDs. Last week he rushed for 115 yards and the Warriors only score against Clayton Valley. Ygnacio Valley does have a 48-14 loss to Redwood, also in the Div. II playoffs. Ukiah is a well-balanced team between running and throwing. Marcos Hernandez has over 1,000 yards rushing and QB Kyle Morris has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 20 TDs. His favorite targets are Kyle Mayfield and Gabe Ott. Ukiah’s only loss at home this season was 35-32 to Rancho Cotate in the final minute. Ukiah’s ability to stop Wood has to be a priority.

Analy (5-5) at Marin Catholic (7-3), 1 p.m.

A dream season turned into a nightmare for the Tigers, who opened the season 5-0. Injuries have been the main factor in the Tigers’ recent struggles, particularly playing without their main offensive weapon, RB/WR Joe Maloney, out since the third game with a broken foot. Injuries to linemen have also caused Analy to rely on the throwing of QB David Glass. We just have to rally up some more emotion,” said Analy coach Dan Bourdon. Marin Catholic, coming off a 21-0 loss to Div. III No. 3 seed Novato, likes to run the ball with Nico Dumont, who has rushed for 887 yards and 11 TDs. Nate Kristoff has stepped in at QB following an early season injury.

McKinleyville (7-3) at Healdsburg (7-3), 7 p.m.

It’s been a good season for McKinleyville after a long stretch of losing. This is a repeat matchup from Week 1, a game won by Healdsburg, 31-22 at Rec Park. Healdsburg is the No. 7 seed and McKinleyville No. 10. The Panthers run a spread offense and like to throw. Two of their losses were to Ferndale, including 54-14 last week. Healdsburg has also been hit hard by injuries, including losing QB Zach Shippey to a serious broken foot. Coach Tom Kirkpatrick said he may use both Killian Collins and David Balestrieri at QB, the latter returning from injury. Andy Phillips leads the ‘Hounds in rushing with over 700 yards and is also one of the team’s top tacklers at linebacker. The ‘Hounds hope to rediscover their passing game this week, after back-to-back one-sided losses to Casa and Petaluma.

Fort Bragg (8-2) at Salesian (7-2), 1 p.m.

The Timberwolves, No. 6 seed, will visit No. 3 Salesian of Richmond, a team beaten by Middletown, 49-20, in a season opener. Injuries have reduced the ‘Wolves’ roster to just 19, but there are some good players among those 19. Jake Cimolino rushed for 318 yards last week against Willits and now has an Empire-best 1,966 yards and 26 TDs. Cody Lowe plays a number of positions, including fullback, long snapper and leading tackler on special teams. QB Brent Moyer has thrown for 852 yards and seven TDs and can also run. Ft. Bragg’s line has performed well, including center Nathan Mitchell and offensive players Josh House and Antonio Renteria. Seniors Donnie Applegate and Jake Walsh head the defense. Salesian, a Bay Football League champ, both runs and throws. Salesian has been a perennial playoff team of late.

St. Bernard (5-5) at Tomales (7-2), 7 p.m.

The small private school from Eureka, like Tomales, was a fixture of the old Class B playoffs. St. Bernard won NCS championships in 2000 and 2003, while the Braves won in 1998, 2001 and 2002. St. Bernard has lost its last two games to South Fork (12-0) and Ferndale (47-12). Tomales won the NCL II and went unbeaten in league for the third straight year. Stan Moody, a 205-pounder running out of the Braves’ Toss Offense, has rushed for 1,400 yards and scored 21 TDs. Moody is also one of the Braves’ leading tacklers. A couple of the best linemen in the NCL II are the Braves’ Andrew Murphy (6-2, 265) and tight end/linebacker Brett Bell (6-4, 205). Jo Jo Tucker hasn’t had to throw much at QB for the Braves.

Anderson Valley (6-1) at South Fork (6-4), 7 p.m.

The Panthers aren’t all that unhappy about traveling to Miranda, just outside of Garberville, considering they didn’t have a football program last year. The Panthers use both Jordan Bright and David Swanson at running back and quarterback. Barry Brown and Travis Stone are the top defensive players at linebacker. Anderson Valley gave Tomales its closest league game, a 12-0 loss. Coach Bill Nobles has a pair of college standouts as his top assistants — Logo Teveasu (SRJC, TCU) and John Toohey (Mendocino College, Nebraska State). South Fork is coming off a 12-0 win against St. Bernard, following back-to-back losses to McKinleyville (34-14) and Ferndale (35-0).

— Rich Rupprecht, The Press Democrat