Analy lands #10 seed in Div. 3; El Mo seeded 15th in Div. 4
It’s a great time of year for high school football players, coaches and fans, as teams battle to extend their seasons for as long as possible in the North Coast Section playoffs.
Both El Molino (2-3, 4-5) and Analy (5-0, 6-3) landed coveted spots in their respective NCS divisional tournaments on Sunday, with the Lions awarded the #15 seed in the Division 4 bracket, while the Tigers grabbed the #10 spot in the Division 3 tourney.
Each team will hit the road for playoff openers on Saturday, Nov. 11 as the Lions travel to face #2 John F. Kennedy (8-1) in Richmond in a 1 p.m. kickoff. Should El Mo pull an upset, it will travel to face the winner of the #7 Hercules vs. #10 Ygnacio Valley game next week.
The Tigers, who secured their sixth straight league title on Friday at Elsie Allen, will visit unbeaten #7 Encinal (10-0) in Alameda in a 7 p.m. start. If Analy emerges with the win, they’ll advance to play the survivor of the #2 Cardinal Newman vs. #15 Kennedy game.
“We’re very happy to end the season with a league championship and we’re excited for the playoffs to start,” head coach James Foster said. “I’m disappointed we weren’t able to get a first-round home game but we’ll just have to play with a bit of a chip on our shoulder and show what our team can do.”
Analy’s six-peat
The Tigers had no problem wrapping up their sixth straight unbeaten league season on Friday at Elsie Allen, jumping all over the Lobos in a 56-6 rout.
The game signaled the end of one of the great runs in league history before realignment takes effect next fall.
Analy got off to a typically fast start, as quarterback Brenden Medina directed first half scoring drives resulting in touchdowns by Theo Kolybakos (1-yard run), Nic Visser (18-yard pass reception) and Toren Callison (3-yard run). The Tigers added a pair of defensive scores when Kolybakos pounced on a Lobos’ fumble in the end zone and Danny Chidester returned a fumble five yards for another touchdown. Analy led 35-0 at the break.
The Tigers emptied their bench with a running clock in the third quarter adding touchdowns from receiver Tyler Nebozuk (13-yard pass from Visser) and Bennett Simpson (54-yard run). The Tigers scored on a 6-yard pass from Visser to Matthew Pavon in the final period in cruising to a 56-6 rout.
Lions fall to Dragons
El Molino had a disappointing finish to the league campaign in Friday’s visit to Sonoma Valley, nearly overcoming a lethargic start before eventually falling, 27-20.
“We were slow getting started but came on strong at the end,” El Mo head coach Randy Parmeter reported. “We got the ball back with a minute and a half left but couldn’t do anything with it.”
After spotting the Dragons a 14-0 halftime lead, the Lions got it going in the third quarter when quarterback Jacob Sani found receiver Avery Ransome with a touchdown pass to make it 14-7. Sonoma came right back with another pair of scores to make it 27-7, but the Lions made it interesting late in the contest when Sani hit receiver Jalen Hall with a pair of scoring passes as the Dragons hung on for a 27-20 win.
