1st week mostly follows form, and a fine form it is
Football’s opening weekend across the Bay Area didn’t bring a great number of surprises. Eight of the top 10 teams in The Chronicle’s preseason top 25 poll recorded victories, and only two dropped out.
A few things of note from Week 1:
Antioch’s Najee Harris had a night befitting the nation’s top recruit, rushing for 219 yards and three touchdowns in a 67-38 home win over LincolnStockton. He also caught a 35-yard touchdown pass and had two tackles and an interception in his first extended work on defense since his sophomore season.
“We’ll put him in when we need him,” Panthers coach
John Lucido said after the win. “He’s so fast. He’s a good weapon to have.”
Harris’ night was more impressive when considering he was dealing with a mild knee injury. “I’ll be fine,” said Harris, who was noticeably limping after the game.
The Panthers received some good injury news when linebacker Omari Harris — originally thought to have suffered a broken ankle in training camp — was re-evaluated and determined to have only a sprain. He had four tackles in the game.
In perhaps the most eyeopening East Bay result, San Leandro handed FoothillPleasanton its first regularseason loss since November 2014. The Pirates got two touchdown runs from Omari Land in a 38-24 defeat of the then-No. 9 Falcons. San Leandro hasn’t won more than six games since going 8-3 in 2009.
Then-No. 8 Serra’s 63-35 loss to St. Mary’s-Stockton could be just the tip of the iceberg in a rough early season. The Padres’ young defense faces No. 1 De La Salle on Friday, then plays No. 6 Pittsburg and No. 7 Valley Christian-San Jose.
Sacred Heart Cathedral could be on the uptick after a 27-14 opening win over Terra NovaPacifica. Junior QB Will Irons threw for 179 yards and two scores, but the defense truly thrived with seven sacks and five forced turnovers.
Stately final: If the 32-team Milpitas Spikefest I girls volleyball tournament proved anything Saturday, it was that not much has changed on the Bay Area landscape.
Four-time defending Division II state champion Mitty dropped just one set as it cruised into the Gold Division final, in which it beat reigning Division IV champ Notre Dame-Belmont in straight sets, 25-10, 25-19. Senior outside hitter Nicole Liddle had 10 kills, six digs and four aces.
If Mitty was the best team, Notre Dame’s Katie Smoot was arguably the tournament’s best player. In five matches, the University of Arizona-bound senior had 63 kills with 21 digs, five blocks and five aces.
Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton won the Bronze Division title and Carlmont-Belmont won the Red Division crown. Mitty, 5-0 and ranked No. 13 in the nation by MaxPreps.com, hosts national No. 2 Mater Dei-Santa at 6 p.m. Friday.
Clash zone: Salesian-Richmond junior James Akinjo had 12 points, six rebounds, and eight assists as the Class of 2018 defeated the Class of 2017, 9693, in the NorCal Clash boys basketball showcase event Sunday at Contra Costa College in San Pablo. Los Gatos’ 6foot-5 forward, Dylan Belquist, had a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) for the juniors. Marin Catholic-Kentfield’s Joey Calcaterra led all scorers with 25 points for the seniors. Chace Bryson is the managing editor of SportStars Magazine.