Serra quarterback Maealiuaki Smith (7) passes for a first down against De La Salle in the 4th quarter, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in San Mateo, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
We’re back for Week 7 of our all-in-fun high school football picks competition.
We pick 16 more games, highlighted by St. Ignatius at St. Francis, San Ramon Valley at Clayton Valley Charter and Wilcox at Menlo-Atherton.
Joseph Dycus has fallen 15 games behind me and nine back of Mike Lefkow in the season standings. Lots of big swings and misses by the kid as he tried to make up ground in a hurry.
Instead, he dug a few more feet into the hole.
Dycus didn’t swing so wildly this week — so he won’t gain or lose too much ground.
Our weekly pre-picks video roundtable was an open forum. No set topics.
Parts of the conversation focused on Archbishop Riordan’s ascent into the Top 5 of this week’s Bay Area News Group rankings.
Said Lefkow, who has followed Bay Area high school football for many years, “I am becoming more and more impressed with what Riordan’s doing. I am not saying I love the way they went about doing it (high-profile transfers). But that is a good football team.”
Lefkow praised the offensive line, quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. and coach Adhir Ravipati.
I suggested that maybe teams such as Riordan are a product of modern-day football.
Lefkow and I are old school. We covered college football long before the transfer portal. In high school sports, whether or not rule violations were committed, transfers have always had a negative connotation.
But, as is noted in the video, there are a lot of schools nowadays (private and public) that have transfers.
The Riordan transfers were cleared by the Central Coast Section and have made a difference, including one who became eligible this past weekend, 6-foot-5, 330-pound junior Peter Langi. The transfer from Mater-Dei Santa Ana — yes, that Mater Dei — has 31 college offers, according to 247Sports.
“There are some surprising transfers out there in the public schools as well as in the private schools,” Lefkow said. “Give Riordan credit. They decided they were going to do this. They’ve got a very good coach. He’s brought that team together, and I think they’re going to be a tough team for Serra. I think that’s going to be a very tough game for Serra.”
Riordan visits No. 1 Serra on Oct. 21.
If you want just the predictions, keep scrolling.
Also, if you haven’t already, please subscribe here for digital access all season long. Your contributions keep us going.
Enjoy the video.
WEEK 7 PICKS
Thursday
Mt. Pleasant (3-2) at Leigh (3-2), 7:15 p.m.
Sabedra: Leigh
Dycus: Leigh
Lefkow: Leigh
Friday
Dublin (4-2) at Granada (4-2), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Granada
Dycus: Granada
Lefkow: Granada
Menlo School (5-0) at Palo Alto (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Menlo School
Dycus: Menlo School
Lefkow: Menlo School
Monte Vista (3-2) at Foothill (1-4), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Monte Vista
Dycus: Monte Vista
Lefkow: Monte Vista
St. Mary’s-Berkeley (3-2) at Kennedy-Richmond (5-1), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Dycus: St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Lefkow: St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Burlingame (2-3) at Mountain View (3-2), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Mountain View
Dycus: Mountain View
Lefkow: Mountain View
Castro Valley (2-3) at Moreau Catholic (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Moreau Catholic
Dycus: Castro Valley
Lefkow: Moreau Catholic
Capuchino (5-0) at Milpitas (4-1), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Milpitas
Dycus: Milpitas
Lefkow: Milpitas
Lincoln-San Jose (3-2) at Live Oak (4-0), 7:15 p.m.
Sabedra: Live Oak
Dycus: Live Oak
Lefkow: Live Oak
Terra Nova (3-2) at San Mateo (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: San Mateo
Dycus: Terra Nova
Lefkow: Terra Nova
Tennyson (1-4) at Bishop O’Dowd (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Bishop O’Dowd
Dycus: Bishop O’Dowd
Lefkow: Bishop O’Dowd
Sacred Heart Prep (3-2) at Los Gatos (3-2), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Los Gatos
Dycus: Los Gatos
Lefkow: Los Gatos
Wilcox (3-2) at Menlo-Atherton (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Wilcox
Dycus: Wilcox
Lefkow: Wilcox
St. Ignatius (3-2) at St. Francis (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: St. Francis
Dycus: St. Francis
Lefkow: St. Francis
San Ramon Valley (5-0) at Clayton Valley (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sabedra: SRV
Dycus: SRV
Lefkow: SRV
Saturday
Westmont (3-2) at Sobrato (3-2), 2:30 p.m.
Sabedra: Sobrato
Dycus: Sobrato
Lefkow: Sobrato
WEEK 6 RESULTS
Friday
Antioch 18, Heritage 17
Sabedra: Antioch (W)
Dycus: Antioch (W)
Lefkow: Antioch (W)
Miramonte 21, College Park 12
Sabedra: Miramonte (W)
Dycus: Miramonte (W)
Lefkow: Miramonte (W)
California 41, Granada 17
Sabedra: California (W)
Dycus: California (W)
Lefkow: California (W)
Wilcox 45, Mountain View 14
Sabedra: Wilcox (W)
Dycus: Mountain View (L)
Lefkow: Wilcox (W)
Aragon 21, San Mateo 7
Sabedra: Aragon (W)
Dycus: Aragon (W)
Lefkow: Aragon (W)
Milpitas 15, Sequoia 13
Sabedra: Sequoia (L)
Dycus: Milpitas (W)
Lefkow: Milpitas (W)
Santa Clara 33, Woodside 20
Sabedra: Woodside (L)
Dycus: Woodside (L)
Lefkow: Woodside (L)
South San Francisco 27, Gunn 12
Sabedra: SSF (W)
Dycus: Gunn (L)
Lefkow: SSF (W)
St. Ignatius 31, Bellarmine 30
Sabedra: St. Ignatius (W)
Dycus: St. Ignatius (W)
Lefkow: St. Ignatius (W)
Leigh 13, Branham 12
Sabedra: Leigh (W)
Dycus: Leigh (W)
Lefkow: Branham (L)
Jesuit-Carmichael 26, Clayton Valley 0
Sabedra: Jesuit (W)
Dycus: Clayton Valley (L)
Lefkow: Clayton Valley (L)
De La Salle 21, McClymonds 0
Sabedra: De La Salle (W)
Dycus: De La Salle (W)
Lefkow: De La Salle (W)
Pittsburg 37, Los Gatos 27
Sabedra: Pittsburg (W)
Dycus: Los Gatos (L)
Lefkow: Pittsburg (W)
Atascadero 41, Oakland 8
Sabedra: Atascadero (W)
Dycus: Oakland (L)
Lefkow: Atascadero (W)
Saturday
Serra 45, St. Francis 17
Sabedra: Serra (W)
Dycus: Serra (W)
Lefkow: Serra (W)
Riordan 42, Valley Christian 17
Sabedra: Valley Christian (L)
Dycus: Valley Christian (L)
Lefkow: Riordan (W)
WEEK 6 STANDINGS
Sabedra: 13-3
Lefkow: 13-3
Dycus: 9-7
SEASON STANDINGS
Sabedra: 67-28
Lefkow: 61-34
Dycus: 52-43
Originally published at Darren Sabedra