Los Gatos Owen Panu (9) catches a pass during a game-winning touchdown drive against Wilcox in a PAL Bay Division high school football game, Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Not much gets people more fired up in high school sports than playoff seedings and formats.
Count us in that group.
Mike Lefkow, in our weekly video show that includes this week’s picks, can’t believe teams such as Liberty and Antioch in the North Coast Section and Prospect and Cupertino in the Central Coast Section are not playing postseason games this weekend.
“That’s a travesty,” he said. “Prospect was 8-2. You get 80 percent on a math test or an English test or a history test, you’re probably going to get at worst a C+ and you’re probably going to get a B.”
I explained to Lefkow that in the Central Coast Section, divisions have been created for teams not on the same level as others in their league.
The lower divisions receive fewer playoff spots but those teams don’t have to play stronger competition during league play.
“Then schedule at their level and create a sixth division,” Lefkow said.
The NCS’s format is entirely different. Teams are placed into divisions months before the start of the season and each division receives eight playoff spots with no opportunity to move up or down.
Liberty and Antioch got caught up in a numbers game. There were too many qualified teams in the Open/Division I pool.
Meanwhile, a team both Liberty and Antioch beat during league play — Heritage — is seeded fifth in the NCS Division II bracket.
The video also includes our thoughts on Campolindo coach Kevin Macy, who continues to voice his displeasure about competitive equity, and Lefkow, Joseph Dycus and I picking our champions in each division for both sections.
We also predict 16 more games this week. I lead Lefkow by eight games and Dycus by 18 in the season standings.
In one of the marquee matchups on Friday, all three of us and calpreps.com’s computer took Los Gatos to beat Archbishop Riordan.
Lefkow and Dycus went even further. They’ve got Los Gatos winning the CCS’s Division I championship.
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 12 PICKS
CCS
Open/Division I
No. 7 Wilcox (7-3) at No. 2 St. Francis (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: St. Francis
Dycus: St. Francis
Lefkow: St. Francis
No. 6 Valley Christian (6-4) at No. 3 St. Ignatius (6-4), Friday, 5:30 p.m.
Sabedra: Valley Christian
Dycus: Valley Christian
Lefkow: Valley Christian
No. 5 Archbishop Riordan (7-3) at No. 4 Los Gatos (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Los Gatos
Dycus: Los Gatos
Lefkow: Los Gatos
Division II
No. 5 Menlo School (9-1) at No. 4 Live Oak (9-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Menlo School
Dycus: Live Oak
Lefkow: Live Oak
No. 8 Christopher (9-1) vs. No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (5-5) at Foothill College, Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Archbishop Mitty
Dycus: Archbishop Mitty
Lefkow: Archbishop Mitty
Division III
No. 6 Scotts Valley (9-1) at No. 3 Aragon (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Aragon
Dycus: Aragon
Lefkow: Aragon
No. 7 Alisal (9-1) at No. 2 Capuchino (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Capuchino
Dycus: Capuchino
Lefkow: Capuchino
Division IV
No. 5 Leigh (7-3) vs. No. 4 North Salinas (7-3) at Rabobank Stadium, Friday, 4 p.m.
Sabedra: North Salinas
Dycus: Leigh
Lefkow: North Salinas
Division V
No. 5 Los Altos (5-5) at No. 4 Santa Teresa (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Los Altos
Dycus: Santa Teresa
Lefkow: Los Altos
NCS
Open/Division I
No. 7 Campolindo (7-2-1) at No. 2 San Ramon Valley (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: San Ramon Valley
Dycus: San Ramon Valley
Lefkow: San Ramon Valley
No. 4 Clayton Valley (5-5) at No. 5 California (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: California
Dycus: California
Lefkow: Clayton Valley
Division II
No. 5 Heritage (4-6) at No. 4 Redwood (7-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Sabedra: Redwood
Dycus: Redwood
Lefkow: Redwood
No. 6 Rancho Cotate (6-4) at No. 3 Granada (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Rancho Cotate
Dycus: Rancho Cotate
Lefkow: Rancho Cotate
Division III
No. 7 Ukiah (7-3) at No. 2 Las Lomas (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Las Lomas
Dycus: Las Lomas
Lefkow: Las Lomas
Division V
No. 5 Piedmont (7-3) at No. 4 Alhambra (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Alhambra
Dycus: Piedmont
Lefkow: Alhambra
Division VI
No. 6 St. Mary’s-Berkeley (6-4) at No. 3 Salesian (8-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.
Sabedra: Salesian
Dycus: St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Lefkow: Salesian
CHAMPIONSHIP PICKS IN EACH DIVISION
CCS
Open Division
Sabedra: Serra
Dycus: Serra
Lefkow: Serra
Division I
Sabedra: Valley Christian
Dycus: Los Gatos
Lefkow: Los Gatos
Division II
Sabedra: Sacred Heart Prep
Dycus: Archbishop Mitty
Lefkow: Archbishop Mitty
Division III
Sabedra: Menlo-Atherton
Dycus: Capuchino
Lefkow: Aragon
Division IV
Sabedra: Branham
Dycus: Mountain View
Lefkow: Branham
Division V
Sabedra: Overfelt
Dycus: Overfelt
Lefkow: Woodside
NCS PLAYOFFS
Open Division
Sabedra: De La Salle
Dycus: San Ramon Valley
Lefkow: De La Salle
Division I
Sabedra: San Ramon Valley
Dycus: De La Salle
Lefkow: Pittsburg
Division II
Sabedra: El Cerrito
Dycus: El Cerrito
Lefkow: El Cerrito
Division III
Sabedra: Marin Catholic
Dycus: Marin Catholic
Lefkow: Marin Catholic
Division IV
Sabedra: Acalanes
Dycus: Acalanes
Lefkow: San Marin
Division V
Sabedra: Miramonte
Dycus: Miramonte
Lefkow: Miramonte
Division VI
Sabedra: Salesian
Dycus: St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Lefkow: Salesian
Division VII
Sabedra: Clear Lake
Dycus: Berean Christian
Lefkow: Clear Lake
WEEK 11 RESULTS
Sequoia 23, Carlmont 17
Sabedra: Carlmont (L)
Dycus: Carlmont (L)
Lefkow: Carlmont (L)
De La Salle 48, Clayton Valley 0
Sabedra: De La Salle (W)
Dycus: De La Salle (W)
Lefkow: De La Salle (W)
San Ramon Valley 34, Monte Vista 7
Sabedra: San Ramon Valley (W)
Dycus: San Ramon Valley (W)
Lefkow: San Ramon Valley (W)
Piedmont 29, Newark Memorial 26
Sabedra: Piedmont (W)
Dycus: Piedmont (W)
Lefkow: Newark Memorial (L)
Granada 35, Livermore 25
Sabedra: Livermore (L)
Dycus: Livermore (L)
Lefkow: Granada (W)
James Logan 42, Moreau Catholic 14
Sabedra: James Logan (W)
Dycus: James Logan (W)
Lefkow: James Logan (W)
Leigh 34, Westmont 27
Sabedra: Westmont (L)
Dycus: Westmont (L)
Lefkow: Westmont (L)
Overfelt 30, Sobrato 28
Sabedra: Overfelt (W)
Dycus: Sobrato (L)
Lefkow: Overfelt (W)
Del Mar 42, Prospect 31
Sabedra: Prospect (L)
Dycus: Prospect (L)
Lefkow: Prospect (L)
Los Gatos 30, Menlo-Atherton 6
Sabedra: Los Gatos (W)
Dycus: Los Gatos (W)
Lefkow: Los Gatos (W)
Valley Christian 35, Mitty 0
Sabedra: Valley Christian (W)
Dycus: Mitty (L)
Lefkow: Mitty (L)
Sacred Heart Prep 31, Menlo School 19
Sabedra: Menlo School (L)
Dycus: Sacred Heart Prep (W)
Lefkow: Menlo School (L)
San Mateo 17, Burlingame 14
Sabedra: San Mateo (W)
Dycus: San Mateo (W)
Lefkow: Burlingame (L)
Pittsburg 55, Antioch 6
Sabedra: Pittsburg (W)
Dycus: Pittsburg (W)
Lefkow: Pittsburg (W)
Live Oak 28, Christopher 24
Sabedra: Christopher (L)
Dycus: Live Oak (W)
Lefkow: Live Oak (W)
Campolindo 25, Acalanes 24
Sabedra: Acalanes (L)
Dycus: Acalanes (L)
Lefkow: Acalanes (L)
WEEK 11 STANDINGS
Dycus: 9-7
Sabedra: 9-7
Lefkow: 8-8
SEASON STANDINGS
Sabedra: 121-54
Lefkow: 113-62
Dycus: 103-72
Originally published at Darren Sabedra