High school football across the Bay Area continues with a Week 2 slate headlined by a matchup between the region’s top two teams.
De La Salle, ranked No. 1 by the Bay Area News Group, will be at home in Concord on Friday to take on No. 2 Serra. The visiting Padres are coming off an upset win at Folsom.
In the South Bay, St. Francis will play host to McClymonds as the Oakland powerhouse faces a West Catholic Athletic League juggernaut for the second week in a row.
Also in the South Bay, Los Gatos will take on Liberty for the fourth consecutive year. In one of the East Bay’s top matchups, Monte Vista should face a strong test when it plays host to Bishop O’Dowd.
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Here are this week’s top matchups:
Thursday
No. 24 Santa Teresa (1-0) at Milpitas (1-0), 7 p.m.: Is this the week the magic runs out for Santa Teresa? The Saints, who entered the Bay Area News Group Top 25 after walloping Fremont-Sunnyvale 48-7 last week at home, are riding a unique high as they surf the wave of community support that helped turn their stadium lights back on. Now, they’ll travel to Milpitas, which had its own impressive Week 1 win. The Trojans went on the road and waxed Oak Grove 35-0. Jaylon Malcolm, AJ Rangel, Brian Caldwell and Robert Estrada scored touchdowns last week for Santa Teresa. Milpitas is one of the contenders in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division and is led by returning starting quarterback Adrian Chavez. –Christian Babcock
Friday
No. 2 Serra (1-0) at No. 1 De La Salle (1-0), 7 p.m.: This is the biggest game of the regular season in the Bay Area. The winner between these regional superpowers will have the inside track to reach the Open Division state championship game in December. This marks the third consecutive season that Serra and De La Salle have played each other. Serra has won the previous two games, 24-21 in 2022 and 28-0 in 2023. After graduating the majority of the core that led the Padres to the last three Open state title games, new-look Serra went on the road to open the season and upset Folsom 22-21 when Brody Smith kicked a 38-yard field goal with 10 seconds left. Serra coach Patrick Walsh, a De La Salle alum, had his team rely on a powerful offensive line led by Jonah Alapati to open holes and protect new QB Andrew Heneghan. The Padres will need another big game from RB Nano Latu (164 yards vs. Folsom) to have a shot against De La Salle, which is 10-2 all-time against Walsh’s Padres. Malakai Taufoou had an interception for a rugged Serra defense last week, but the San Mateo school probably won’t have many chances to pick off DLS passes. As always, Justin Alumbaugh’s Spartans boast a split-back veer rushing attack that features seniors Dominic Kelley and Derrick Blanche and sophomore Duece Jones-Drew. QB Toa Faavae and the multifaceted Jaden Jefferson bring track speed to the backfield, as does Jones-Drew. De La Salle crushed Grant 42-14 in a Week 1 running-clock victory in which the Spartans rushed for 305 yards. Serra will have its hands full trying to outrun Jefferson, Ant Dean, Jayden Nicholas and the rest of De La Salle’s college-bound secondary. The last time these teams met in Concord, an ESPN audience saw Serra rally from down 14 in the fourth quarter and kick the winning field goal with two seconds left. – Joseph Dycus
No. 7 McClymonds (0-1) at No. 5 St. Francis (1-0), 7 p.m.: Can McClymonds recover from its last-minute 35-34 home loss to No. 4 Archbishop Riordan? Mack faces a quick turnaround against another formidable opponent, and this time, the Warriors will have to go on the road. St. Francis handled Helix-La Mesa 35-14 last week and should be primed for another big win. Aaron Knapp, Kingston Keanaaina and Perrion Williams provided the scoring for St. Francis against Helix – Keanaaina each punched in three rushing touchdowns, while Knapp ran for one and tossed another to Williams. McClymonds suited up 19 varsity players last week against Riordan and could face depth issues again on Friday. Berell Staples impressed in his debut as McClymonds’ quarterback, tossing two touchdowns and completing 17 of 20 passes for 230 yards. – Christian Babcock
No. 22 Bishop O’Dowd (1-0) at No. 11 Monte Vista (1-0), 7 p.m.: Something will have to give in this matchup between two high-flying offenses. O’Dowd is coming off a 51-13 win over Tamalpais at home. O’Dowd running back Saliou Sow rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Devin Wilson completed 15 of 21 passes for 190 yards and two scores. The Dragons will have to try to disrupt a Monte Vista offense that scored 41 points in a blowout win over Granada. Washington commit Julian McMahan ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns and Fresno State-bound quarterback Brayden Turner threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns. The Mustangs beat O’Dowd in their last matchup in 2019, winning 27-3 at home. – Nathan Canilao
No. 15 Liberty (1-0) at No. 10 Los Gatos (1-0), 7 p.m.: Expect this matchup to be a defensive slugfest. Los Gatos narrowly beat Santa Cruz powerhouse Soquel 14-7 on the road behind solid play from its experienced defense. Jake Gerber and Austin Krug were key in the win as they combined for six tackles and two sacks. In his first start, Los Gatos quarterback Scotty Brennan was an efficient 14 of 16 for 159 yards. The Wildcats will be tasked with stopping Liberty running back Jaxon Bell. The junior rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in Liberty’s 24-7 win over Frontier-Bakersfield. The Lions’ defense was also strong in the victory with defensive backs Jackson Williams and Chris Joe each intercepting a pass. These two teams have played each other in each of the last three seasons with Liberty yet to beat Los Gatos. The Wildcats won a close 35-34 game in Brentwood last year. – Nathan Canilao
Soquel (0-1) at No. 8 San Ramon Valley (1-0), 7 p.m.: San Ramon Valley only mustered seven points in the first half of its season opener against No. 10 St. Ignatius, but scored three second-half touchdowns in what ended up being a relatively stress-free 28-10 win. Matthew Garibaldi ran for two touchdowns, logging 100 rushing yards on 12 attempts. Rhett Thompson completed 20 of 28 passes for 241 yards and threw for a pair of touchdowns. Dylan Deitsch, Caden Stine and Henry Ellis recorded interceptions (Ellis had two). The Wolves’ offense will need to be sharp against Soquel, which held No. 10 Los Gatos to 14 points. — Justice delos Santos
San Mateo (1-0) at Aragon (0-1), 7 p.m.: Aragon has won 13 of the 15 games between the teams in the MaxPreps era (2004-present), including 21-7 last season. San Mateo opened the new season with a 17-6 victory over Balboa last week. Logan Davis ran for a touchdown and Cameron Palma threw for one to Dean Qutteineh to lead San Mateo. Aragon fell short in its opener, losing to Pioneer 14-7. Charlie Henderson passed for 153 yards and a touchdown, completing 14 of 21 attempts, but the Dons managed just one yard rushing in the defeat. Conor Reidy was on the receiving end of Henderson’s TD pass, which covered 43 yards. He finished with three receptions for 82 yards. – Darren Sabedra
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Saturday
Dorsey-Los Angeles (0-1) at Castlemont (0-0), 12:30 p.m.: One of Los Angeles’ storied public school programs travels to East Oakland for the second leg of a home-and-home series. Castlemont went south last season, where it defeated Dorsey 27-16 and later had a player’s helmet displayed at the California High School Football Hall of Fame inside the Rose Bowl. Expect Castlemont to feature an explosive passing attack in its season opener. WR Elijah Washington is an Oregon State commit, and senior quarterback Elvin Smith has a strong arm. Dorsey has a long history of sending players to the NFL, the most famous being 1996 No. 1 overall draft pick Keyshawn Johnson. The Vikings lost to Banning 49-22 last week. – Joseph Dycus
Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 5
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Non-league
Evergreen Valley at Cupertino, 7 p.m.
Harbor at Yerba Buena, 7:15 p.m.
Hollister at Wilcox, 7 p.m.
Homestead at Silver Creek, 7 p.m.
Lick at Monta Vista, 7 p.m.
Mountain View at Leigh, 7:15 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant at Del Mar, 7:15 p.m.
Rancho San Juan at Los Altos, 7 p.m.
Piedmont Hills at Christopher, 7:15 p.m.
Santa Teresa at Milpitas, 7 p.m.
PAL Lake
El Camino at Saratoga, 7 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Lowell at MacDonald, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 6
EAST BAY
Non-league
Alameda at Concord, 7:30 p.m.
Arroyo at Washington-Fremont, 7 p.m.
Benicia at Las Lomas, 7 p.m.
Berkeley at De Anza, 7 p.m.
Bishop O’Dowd at Monte Vista, 7 p.m.
Castro Valley at Livermore, 7 p.m.
Clayton Valley at College Park, 7 p.m.
Dougherty Valley vs. San Leandro at Burrell Field in San Leandro, 7 p.m.
Dublin at Ukiah, 7 p.m.
Foothill at American Canyon, 7 p.m.
Freedom at Carrillo, 7 p.m.
Hayward at Windsor, 7 p.m.
Heritage at Granada, 7:15 p.m.
Justin-Siena at St. Patrick-St. Vincent, 7 p.m.
Kennedy-Richmond at Lower Lake, 5 p.m.
James Logan at California, 7:15 p.m.
Middletown at Piedmont, 7 p.m.
Miramonte at Alhambra, 7 p.m.
Mt. Diablo at Acalanes, 7 p.m.
Mt. Eden at Deer Valley, 7 p.m.
Newark Memorial at Tennyson, 7 p.m.
Northgate at Campolindo, 7 p.m.
Redwood Christian at Ygnacio Valley, 7 p.m.
Salesian at Moreau Catholic, 7 p.m.
Williams vs. Encinal at Estuary Park in Alameda, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Non-league
Fremont-Sunnyvale at Westmont, 7 p.m.
Hill at Gunn, 7:15 p.m.
Hillsdale at Half Moon Bay, 7 p.m.
Jefferson at Capuchino, 7 p.m.
Lincoln-San Jose at San Jose, 7:15 p.m.
Menlo-Atherton vs. Monterey at Monterey Peninsula College, 7:30 p.m.
Mitty at Aptos, :30 p.m.
Monte Vista Christian at Santa Clara, 7:30 p.m.
Palo Alto at Oak Grove, 7:15 p.m.
Pioneer at Leland, 7:15 p.m.
Prospect at Lynbrook, 7 p.m.
Sacred Heart Prep vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral at Kezar Stadium, 7 p.m.
Salinas at Valley Christian, 7 p.m.
San Lorenzo Valley at Gunderson, 6:30 p.m.
San Mateo at Aragon, 7 p.m.
Sobrato at Live Oak, 7:15 p.m.
Terra Nova at Burlingame, 7 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
American-Fremont at Oakland, 7 p.m.
Antioch at Weston Ranch-Stockton, 7 p.m.
Berean Christian at Modesto Christian, 7 p.m.
Bishop Manogue-Reno, Nev. at Pittsburg, 7 p.m.
Burton at Richmond, 7 p.m.
El Cerrito at Monterey Trail-Elk Grove, 7:15 p.m.
Fremont-Oakland at San Rafael, 7 p.m.
Granite Bay at Overfelt, 7:15 p.m.
Jesuit-Carmichael vs. Bellarmine at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.
Liberty at Los Gatos, 7 p.m.
McClymonds at St. Francis, 7 p.m.
Mills at Pinole Valley, 7 p.m.
Riordan vs. St. Bonaventure-Ventura at Ventura College in Ventura, 7 p.m.
Serra at De La Salle, 7:30 p.m.
Soquel at San Ramon Valley, 7:30 p.m.
South San Francisco vs. Bethel at Vallejo, 7:30 p.m.
Stagg-Stockton at The King’s Academy, 7:15 p.m.
Tamalpais at St. Ignatius, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 7
EAST BAY
Non-league
Dorsey at Castlemont, 1 p.m.
Hercules at St. Mary’s-Berkeley, 1:30 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Non-league
Branham at Scotts Valley, 2 p.m.
Carlmont at Menlo, 2 p.m.
Woodside at Sequoia, 2 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Irvington at Mission, 1 p.m.
