De La Salle or San Ramon Valley? St. Francis or St. Ignatius? Live Oak or Santa Teresa? San Leandro or Moreau Catholic? Menlo School or Menlo-Atherton?
The Bay Area News Group’s high school crew is back for another week of football predictions.
Christian Babcock, Nathan Canilao and Joseph Dycus join long-timers Mike Lefkow and Darren Sabedra to see who can pick the most games correctly each week.
All in good fun, of course.
San Ramon Valley almost ended De La Salle’s decades-long NCS winning streak twice last season, and the Wolves get a third shot at the Concord powerhouse in a calendar year.
The guys unanimously picked De La Salle to win, but Canilao pointed out that if there’s any player in the Bay Area that can carry his team to victory, it is Texas A&M commit Marco Jones.
“He’s a game-breaker, and I mean he single-handedly, in the fourth quarter, changed the outcome of the game,” Canilao said. “He’s going to cause a lot of problems this Friday night for De La Salle. ”
Over in the CCS, St. Francis will take on St. Ignatius in a game that will have major WCAL championship ramifications. Babcock expects superstar SF running back Kingston Keanaaina to get the ball 35 times, but is going with SI.
“I think that SI has a little more on all sides of the ball to throw at you,” Babcock said. “But it’s going to be a great matchup.”
The group also discussed Riordan and Serra’s slow starts to the season, picked preseason to finish top two in the WCAL but now languishing at 2-4.
“You keep waiting for all of that talent to jell,” Dycus said. “But let’s say Riordan ends the season 5-5 and they’re in CCS Division I. That’s still a team nobody wants to see. So while they’ve had a slow start to the season, I’m not going to count them out quite yet.”
Nathan made sure to give a shoutout to Arroyo at the end of the episode.
“One game I’ll definitely be watching is Arroyo, because if they win this Friday, it will be their first winning season since 2011,” Canilao said. “Coach Jeff Pride is going a great job out there.”
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On to the picks…
Thursday
Piedmont vs. Irvington at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Irvington
Dycus: Irvington
Canilao: Irvington
Babcock: Piedmont
Lefkow: Piedmont
Friday
Piedmont Hills at Pioneer, 7:15 p.m.
Sabedra: Pioneer
Dycus: Pioneer
Canilao: Pioneer
Babcock: Piedmont Hills
Lefkow: Piedmont Hills
Menlo-Atherton at Menlo School, 3:15 p.m.
Sabedra: Menlo-Atherton
Dycus: Menlo-Atherton
Canilao: Menlo School
Babcock: Menlo-Atherton
Lefkow: Menlo-Atherton
Pittsburg at Heritage, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Pittsburg
Dycus: Pittsburg
Canilao: Pittsburg
Babcock: Pittsburg
Lefkow: Pittsburg
Wilcox at Palo Alto, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Wilcox
Dycus: Wilcox
Canilao: Wilcox
Babcock: Palo Alto
Lefkow: Wilcox
Monte Vista at California, 7:15 p.m.
Sabedra: California
Dycus: California
Canilao: California
Babcock: California
Lefkow: California
Live Oak at Santa Teresa, 7:15 p.m.
Sabedra: Santa Teresa
Dycus: Live Oak
Canilao: Live Oak
Babcock: Santa Teresa
Lefkow: Santa Teresa
Woodside at South San Francisco, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Woodside
Dycus: San Francisco
Canilao: San Francisco
Babcock: Woodside
Lefkow: Woodside
Granada at Dublin, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Dublin
Dycus: Dublin
Canilao: Granada
Babcock: Granada
Lefkow: Dublin
San Leandro at Moreau Catholic, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Moreau Catholic
Dycus: San Leandro
Canilao: San Leandro
Babcock: Moreau Catholic
Lefkow: San Leandro
Acalanes at Clayton Valley, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Clayton Valley
Dycus: Acalanes
Canilao: Clayton Valley
Babcock: Clayton Valley
Lefkow: Clayton Valley
Las Lomas at Campolindo, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: Las Lomas
Dycus: Campolindo
Canilao: Campolindo
Babcock: Las Lomas
Lefkow: Campolindo
St. Francis at St. Ignatius, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: St. Francis
Dycus: St. Francis
Canilao: St. Francis
Babcock: St. Ignatius
Lefkow: St. Ignatius
San Ramon Valley at De La Salle, 7 p.m.
Sabedra: De La Salle
Dycus: De La Salle
Canilao: De La Salle
Babcock: De La Salle
Lefkow: De La Salle
Saturday
Archbishop Mitty at Serra, 1:30 p.m.
Sabedra: Serra
Dycus: Serra
Canilao: Serra
Babcock: Serra
Lefkow: Serra
WEEK 7 PICKS
De La Salle 31, NFL Academy 9
Sabedra: De La Salle (W)
Dycus: NFL Academy (L)
Canilao: De La Salle (W)
Babcock: De La Salle (W)
Lefkow: De La Salle (W)
Leland 35, Westmont 7
Sabedra: Leland (W)
Dycus: Leland (W)
Canilao: Westmont (L)
Babcock: Leland (W)
Lefkow: Leland (W)
Half Moon Bay 33, Milpitas 14
Sabedra: Half Moon Bay (W)
Dycus: Half Moon Bay (W)
Canilao: Half Moon Bay (W)
Babcock: Half Moon Bay (W)
Lefkow: Half Moon Bay (W)
Palo Alto 14, Sacred Heart Prep 7
Sabedra: Palo Alto (W)
Dycus: Palo Alto (W)
Canilao: Sacred Heart Prep (L)
Babcock: Palo Alto (W)
Lefkow: Sacred Heart Prep (L)
Clayton Valley 29, Las Lomas 22
Sabedra: Clayton Valley Charter (W)
Dycus: Clayton Valley Charter (W)
Canilao: Clayton Valley Charter (W)
Babcock: Clayton Valley Charter (W)
Lefkow: Clayton Valley Charter (W)
Los Gatos 21, Menlo-Atherton 14
Sabedra: Los Gatos (W)
Dycus: Los Gatos (W)
Canilao: Los Gatos (W)
Babcock: Los Gatos (W)
Lefkow: Los Gatos (W)
Amador Valley 37, Campolindo 7
Sabedra: Amador Valley (W)
Dycus: Campolindo (L)
Canilao: Amador Valley (W)
Babcock: Campolindo (L)
Lefkow: Amador Valley (W)
Irvington 26, Washington-Fremont 15
Sabedra: Irvington (W)
Dycus: Irvington (W)
Canilao: Irvington (W)
Babcock: Irvington (W)
Lefkow: Washington-Fremont (L)
Acalanes 35, Miramonte 28
Sabedra: Acalanes (W)
Dycus: Acalanes (W)
Canilao: Acalanes (W)
Babcock: Acalanes (W)
Lefkow: Acalanes (W)
Oakland Tech 21, Oakland 14
Sabedra: Oakland Tech (W)
Dycus: Oakland Tech (W)
Canilao: Oakland (L)
Babcock: Oakland Tech (W)
Lefkow: Oakland Tech (W)
San Leandro 21, Tennyson 17
Sabedra: San Leandro (W)
Dycus: Tennyson (L)
Canilao: San Leandro (W)
Babcock: San Leandro (W)
Lefkow: San Leandro (W)
Valley Christian 31, Archbishop Riordan 13
Sabedra: Valley Christian (W)
Dycus: Archbishop Riordan (L)
Canilao: Archbishop Riordan (L)
Babcock: Archbishop Riordan (L)
Lefkow: Valley Christian (W)
St. Francis 27, Serra 21
Sabedra: St. Francis (W)
Dycus: Serra (L)
Canilao: St. Francis (W)
Babcock: Serra (L)
Lefkow: Serra (L)
San Ramon Valley 38, California 26
Sabedra: San Ramon Valley (W)
Dycus: California (L)
Canilao: San Ramon Valley (W)
Babcock: San Ramon Valley (W)
Lefkow: San Ramon Valley (W)
Saturday
Wilcox (3-2) at Menlo School (5-0), 2 p.m.
Sabedra: Wilcox (W)
Dycus: Menlo School (L)
Canilao: Menlo School (L)
Babcock: Menlo School (L)
Lefkow: Menlo School (L)
Willow Glen (5-0) at Sobrato (4-1), 2:30 p.m.
Sabedra: Willow Glen (W)
Dycus: Sobrato (L)
Canilao: Willow Glen (W)
Babcock: Willow Glen (W)
Lefkow: Sobrato (L)
WEEK 7 STANDINGS
Sabedra: 16-0
Babcock: 12-4
Canilao: 11-5
Lefkow: 11-5
Dycus: 9-7
SEASON STANDINGS
Sabedra: 81-24
Canilao: 71-34
Lefkow: 70-35
Babcock: 70-35
Dycus: 60-45
