A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TOP FIVE
NO. 5MENLO-ATHERTON Last season: 13-2
League record: 5-0 Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division
After Adhir Ravipati stepped down in March barely three months removed from a state title, the search for his replacement as head coach at Menlo-atherton ended with the hiring of Steve Papin.
“I think Coach Adhir built a culture that these guys bought into and believe in and kind of made it their own,” said Papin, who spent the previous five seasons at Independence. “We’re stepping into something that they do very well and they know the expectations and they’ve been kind of teaching it to us as coaches . ... It’s been pretty smooth.” While the foundation is set, that doesn’t mean a little remodeling wasn’t in order. “We like to go fast,” Papin said. “That’s the one thing that we’ve brought, it’s a little more of a tempo-type of offense, more of a flyingaround type of defense.” Players run to every drill. Even the meetings and weight-lifting circuits take place at a rapid pace. M-A lost a ton of talent to graduation, including inside linebacker Daniel Heimuli and nose tackle Noa Ngalu, both freshmen at Washington. That doesn’t mean the Bears expect anything less than back-to-back state titles. “The cupboard is definitely not bare,” Papin said.
Key matchups: vs. Serra, Sept. 6 at Levi’s Stadium; at Folsom, Sept. 27; vs. Sacred Heart Prep, Oct. 18; at Burlingame, Oct. 25
NO. 4 SERRA
Last season: 7-5
League record: 5-2 West Catholic Athletic League In 2016, Serra lost its first four games. The Padres reeled off 10straight wins to finish as a state runner-up. In 2017, Serra lost two out of three games out of the gate. The Padres didn’t suffer another defeat en route to an outright West Catholic Athletic League title and a state championship, the first in program history. Last year, Serra once again lost two out of three to open the season. But after a 7-5 campaign, the Padres didn’t live up to expectations. “We’ve lost games here before, we haven’t won 151games in a row like the Spartans,” said Serra coach Patrick Walsh, referring to his alma mater — De La Salle. “We don’t set out or intend to lose games, but sometimes it happens in life where you have setbacks. We just didn’t like the way we lost last year. It just wasn’t up to our standards in a sense.”
The Padres will count on leadership from wide receiver/cornerback Terence Loville and defensive end Nusi Malani, both rated on the Bay Area Preps HQ Fab 40player list — both on varsity as sophomores in 2017 for the run at a state title. “Take every opponent just one week at a time,” said Loville, who led the team with 589 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches. “Prepare differently for every team.”
Key matchups: vs. Pittsburg, Aug. 31; vs. Menloatherton, Sept. 6at Levi’s Stadium; at St. Francis, Oct. 18; vs. Valley Christian, Nov. 2
NO. 3 VALLEY CHRISTIAN Last season: 11-3
League record: 6-1 West Catholic Athletic League A year ago, Valley Christian rushed the field to celebrate a Central Coast Section Open Division II title after a 31-30 double-overtime thriller against WCAL rival St. Francis.
Yet, the Warriors return to the gridiron in search of redemption after painful losses bookended an otherwise sensational season. “Our guys have a few things in their mind that they’re envisioning,” Valley Christian coach Mike Machado said. “And I think one of them is to be able to get a chance and right some of the wrongs of last year.” There’s enough talent to make another run at WCAL, CCS, Norcal and state titles, with four players showing up on the on Bay Area Preps HQ Fab 40list: Outside linebacker Moon Ashby at No. 18; running back Isaiah Mcelvane at No. 22; cornerback Deven Vanderbilt at No. 35 and defensive tackle J.T. Reed at No. 39. “We’ve got some pieces that you want and need to have on a team if you want to make a run in the WCAL and in Norcals, once you get to that phase,” Machado said. “So we’re going to do our best to fit the rest of the pieces around it to be the best product that we can put on the field.”
One of the pieces is kicker Lucas Ramirez, who booted the game-winning extra point in the CCS title game. Also returning is quarterback Cory Taylor, who took every snap as a junior.
Key matchups: vs. Wilcox, Aug. 30; vs. St. Francis, Sept. 27; at Serra, Nov. 2