Bay Area high school football 2024: Week 1 preview, schedule
High school football across the Bay Area returns this weekend with a full slate of games.
De La Salle, the Bay Area News Group’s top-ranked team, will be at home in Concord on Friday to face Sacramento powerhouse Grant.
Also in the East Bay, Oakland heavyweight McClymonds will play host to highly touted Archbishop Riordan.
Serra, the Bay’s top team in each of the past two seasons, has a huge test on Friday at juggernaut Folsom.
The Bay Area News Group will have complete coverage all weekend – and season. Please sign up for a digital subscription if you have not already. Your contributions keep us going.
Here are this week’s top matchups:
Thursday
Lincoln-San Jose (0-0) at Willow Glen (0-0), 7:15 p.m.: This battle of Blossom Valley Athletic League schools in different divisions matches up two of the oldest co-educational high schools in San Jose. Only San Jose High, founded in 1863 during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, dates back further than the San Jose high school that bears Lincoln’s name (1942) and Willow Glen (1950). Lincoln is 6-5 against Willow Glen in the MaxPreps era (since 2004). The Lions are led by do-everything junior athlete Kyan Phillips, whom coach Kevin Collins termed a “team leader by example.” Senior Nick DeLuna anchors Lincoln’s defense at outside linebacker. For Willow Glen, the Rams must replace quarterback Cedeño Chavez, the Santa Teresa-Valley Division quarterback of the year last season. – Christian Babcock
Friday
Grant-Sacramento (1-0) at No. 1 De La Salle (0-0), 7:30 p.m.: Two storied Northern California programs collide in this matchup, both aiming to rebound after falling short in state championship games last season. Grant opened its season on Friday with a 28-7 victory at home over Edison-Stockton. Brandon Lambert, a three-star prospect per 247Sports with an offer from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, rushed for 181 yards and three touchdowns in 20 carries. Luke Alexander added 134 yards and a touchdown passing. De La Salle is expected to provide a much stronger test for the Sacramento school. The Spartans are led by four-star edge rusher Matthew Johnson, an Oregon commit, and speedy quarterback Toa Faavae, who is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field while operating DLS’s veer option attack. He’ll have help out of the backfield as the Spartans have three dangerous running backs: Dominic Kelley, Derrick Blanche and Duece Jones-Drew, the son of DLS legend and current assistant Maurice Jones-Drew. This is the first meeting between these teams in the MaxPreps era (2004-present). — Darren Sabedra
No. 3 Archbishop Riordan (0-0) at No. 5 McClymonds (0-0), 7 p.m.: Riordan – San Francisco’s most talented team – will take a trip across the bridge to play the Oakland Athletic League’s best program. Coming off a 7-4 season and CCS Division I playoff appearance, Riordan under coach Adhir Ravipati has an embarrassment of riches on offense. Junior QB Mike Mitchell Jr. threw for 31 touchdowns last season and will test Mack’s secondary by throwing to future college receivers Chris Lawson, Cynai Thomas, Judge Nash and Wesley Winn. Tasked with blocking a retooled McClymonds defensive line is four-star linemen Peter Langi and Tommy Tofi. McClymonds, which reached the 3-A NorCal title game last season, should have a vastly-improved passing game. QB Berell Staples is a prolific 6-2 pocket passer from Edison-Stockton. WR/DB Desmond Sparks and Ugene Jackson – both transfers from De Anza – and two-way LB/RB John “Sharky” Tamale will be asked to slow down Riordan’s high-powered attack while also playing primary roles on offense. After a three-month retirement, longtime Mack coach Michael Peters is back for another season. This is the first matchup between the programs in the MaxPreps era (2004 to present). – Joseph Dycus
No. 4 Serra (0-0) at Folsom (1-0), 7:30 p.m.: Serra has beaten Folsom the past two seasons, but the San Mateo school will have its hands full when it travels to face this iteration of the Sacramento-area powerhouse. Serra coach Patrick Walsh is replacing 18 of 22 starters from last season, and it will be a trial by fire for the young team in Week 1. Folsom is one of the most talented teams in Northern California with highly-touted junior quarterback Ryder Lyons under center. The Bulldogs are coming off a dominant 63-20 home win over storied SoCal program Long Beach Poly on Friday, a game in which Lyons threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 82 yards on 10 carries. Serra’s offensive line, led by Lemani Fehoko, Eli Shamieh and Louis Akpa, will be key to stopping a physical Folsom defensive front. Senior safety Teddy Chung and cornerback Jermaine Barrett add experience to a defense that will be tasked with mitigating Lyons and Folsom’s explosive passing attack. Serra has won its last five season openers. – Nathan Canilao
Amador Valley (0-0, 0-0) at No. 6 El Cerrito (0-0, 0-0), 7 p.m.: Last year’s meeting between these schools, a game that resulted in a 14-7 win for El Cerrito, was defined by defense. This time around, we could be in for a shootout. Jonathan Craft, a Fresno State commit and James Logan transfer, will make his El Cerrito debut. Amador Valley will counter with Tristan Ti’a, a three-star quarterback with offers from Boston College, San Jose State and UNLV, among others (per 247Sports). El Cerrito will be honoring long-time coach Frank Milo, who died on Aug. 1 of natural causes. Milo coached at El Cerrito for 20 years, and his name graces the football stadium. — Justice delos Santos
No. 9 Valley Christian (0-0) at No. 12 Wilcox (0-0), 7 p.m.: This is the sixth consecutive season these traditional South Bay powerhouses have opened against each other. Valley Christian won 16-15 last season. The Warriors, who went 6-5 in 2023, have one of the Bay Area’s better offensive lines. That starts with four-star lineman Champ Tualealea. He’ll try to open holes for well-rounded RB Marcel Leggett. When Valley needs to throw, it will look for TE Colton Hider. Don’t expect veer-based Wilcox to throw much. Kai Imahara will get a trial by fire as the triggerman for the option attack, and Jeiman De Los Santos will get a heavy workload against Ethan Flynn and the rest of the VC defense. Brayden Rosa is a hard-hitting linebacker who will also get carries for Wilcox, and 6-6 DE Adam Kenney will give Tualealea a challenge on the edge. Wilcox reached the CCS Open Division and Division I title games last season. Valley Christian is 5-2 against the Chargers since the teams began playing regularly in 2016. – Joseph Dycus
Santa Clara (0-0) at MacDonald (0-0), 7 p.m.: MacDonald’s brand-new varsity football program welcomes in local rival Santa Clara for the Condors’ first-ever game at the varsity level. MacDonald’s junior varsity went 10-0 in 2023, but the Condors will face a different challenge playing a full varsity schedule with no seniors. Santa Clara returns Peninsula Athletic League El Camino Division first-team linebacker Mitchell Pacheco as a defensive leader but lost several all-league players on both sides of the ball. MacDonald brings in junior quarterback Moussa Fall, a solid athlete who performed well as a sophomore but must adjust to the increased level of competition. The Condors will also feature versatile playmakers in RB/LB John Leonard, TE/LB Saiosi Hautau and WR/DB Ethan Bugarin. – Christian Babcock
Schedule
Thursday, Aug. 29
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Non-league
Carmel at Christopher, 7:30 p.m.
Cupertino at Independence, 7:15 p.m.
Fremont-Sunnyvale at Santa Teresa, 7:15 p.m.
Gunn at Lick, 7 p.m.
Hollister at Branham, 7:15 p.m.
Lincoln-San Jose at Willow Glen, 7:15 p.m.
San Jose at Mills, 7 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Balboa at San Mateo, 7 p.m.
Gunderson vs. Irvington at Washington-Fremont, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 30
EAST BAY
Non-league
Alameda vs. Ygnacio Valley at Thompson Field in Alameda, 7 p.m.
Alhambra at Sonoma Valley, 7 p.m.
Amador Valley at El Cerrito, 7 p.m.
American vs. Pinole Valley at Washington, 7 p.m.
Bethel vs. Hayward at Vallejo, 7 p.m.
Dougherty Valley at Northgate, 7 p.m.
Dublin at Berkeley, 7 p.m.
Encinal at Hercules, 7 p.m.
Foothill at Heritage, 7 p.m.
Granada at Monte Vista, 7 p.m.
Kennedy-Fremont at Mt. Eden, 7 p.m.
Las Lomas vs. Vintage at Memorial Stadium in Napa, 7 p.m.
Mt. Diablo at Deer Valley, 7 p.m.
Newark Memorial at Concord, 7:30 p.m.
Salesian at Piedmont, 7 p.m.
San Lorenzo at Richmond, 7 p.m.
San Marin at College Park, 7 p.m.
St. Mary’s-Berkeley at Moreau Catholic, 7 p.m.
St. Vincent at De Anza, 7 p.m.
Tamalpais at Bishop O’Dowd, 7 p.m.
Vallejo at Benicia, 7 p.m.
Washington-Fremont at Novato, 7 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Non-league
Burlingame at Half Moon Bay, 7 p.m.
Capuchino at Sequoia, 7 p.m.
Del Mar at Harbor, 7 p.m.
Evergreen Valley at Silver Creek, 7:15 p.m.
Hill at Monta Vista, 7 p.m.
Leland at Leigh, 7:15 p.m.
Los Gatos at Soquel, 7:30 p.m.
Milpitas at Oak Grove, 7:15 p.m.
Monte Vista Christian at Piedmont Hills, 7 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant at Westmont, 7:15 p.m.
North Salinas at Sobrato, 7:30 p.m.
Overfelt at Woodside, 7 p.m.
Palma at Live Oak, 7:15 p.m.
Palo Alto at Mountain View, 7 p.m.
Pioneer at Aragon, 7 p.m.
Sacred Heart Cathedral at Soledad, 7:30 p.m.
Sacred Heart Prep at Seaside, 7:30 p.m.
Santa Clara at MacDonald, 7 p.m.
Saratoga at Prospect, 7:15 p.m.
South San Francisco at San Lorenzo Valley, 7 p.m.
Terra Nova at Jefferson, 7 p.m.
The King’s Academy at Aptos, 7 p.m.
Valley Christian at Wilcox, 7 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Castro Valley at Carlmont, 7 p.m.
Frontier-Bakersfield at Liberty, 7 p.m.
Gilroy at Pioneer Valley-Santa Maria, 7 p.m.
Grant-Sacramento at De La Salle, 7:30 p.m.
Lincoln-Stockton at Freedom, 7 p.m.
Livermore at Hillsdale, 7 p.m.
Logan vs. Mitty at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, 7 p.m.
Los Altos at Calaveras-San Andreas, 7 p.m.
Lowell at Acalanes, 7 p.m.
Oakland Tech at Miramonte, 7 p.m.
Patterson at California, 7 p.m.
Pittsburg at Monterey Trail-Elk Grove, 7:15 p.m.
Riordan at McClymonds, 7 p.m.
Spanish Springs-Sparks, Nev. at Clayton Valley, 7 p.m.
St. Francis at Helix-La Mesa, 7 p.m.
St. Ignatius at San Ramon Valley, 7 p.m.
Serra at Folsom, 7:30 p.m.
Vanden-Fairfield at Campolindo, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 31
EAST BAY
Non-league
Antioch at Arroyo, 2 p.m.
Fremont-Oakland at Lincoln-San Francisco, 2 p.m.
Kennedy-Richmond at Williams, 2 p.m.
San Leandro at Redwood, 2 p.m.
SOUTH BAY/PENINSULA
Non-league
Bellarmine at Menlo-Atherton, 1 p.m.
Lynbrook at Pajaro Valley, 1 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Hamilton-Hamilton City at Berean Christian, 12:30 p.m.
Maria Carrillo at El Camino, 2 p.m.
Tennyson at Menlo School, 2 p.m.