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Here is a look at the EBAL football teams through the first three weeks of the season.
Amador Valley (0-2): The Dons had the week off, which could be exactly what the doctor ordered. They host a good Liberty team this week and while on paper it may look daunting, I fully expect this to be the best game the Dons have played thus far.
The young players will have had two more weeks of practice, and they should be getting back a two-way lineman that missed the first two games.
California (2-1): After starting the season with a 32-21 loss to Liberty, the Grizzlies have won two straight, with the latest being a 31-14 win over Santa Teresa.
Nicco Kovacs, the quarterback that transferred from Amador, continues to be effective, throwing for 213 yards and a pair of scores. Kovacs has 565 yards passing this year with nine touchdowns against no interceptions. Brady Slack led the rushing attack against Santa Teresa with 68 yards rushing, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Dublin (1-2): After two losses to start the season, the Gaels got their first win, beating Elk Grove 37-28 to pull to 1-2 on the season. In the losses to Antioch (29-7) and Vanden (31-0), the Dublin offense couldn’t get going. But 0-3 Elk Grove was music to the Gaels’ ears.
Awaiting the Gaels this week is Lompoc as Dublin makes the trip to the Central Valley. Lompoc is 3-0 after beating Pioneer Valley 48-6 last week. They beat Santa Ynez 42-0 to open play, then followed with a 38-2 win over Cabrillo. Lompoc has been pretty even running/passing this season with Nelson Brown rushing for 214 yards and four touchdowns to lead the running game. Trevor Thompson has thrown for 224 yards and with three TDs and one pick. Maximus Jones has 11 catches for 167 yards and three touchdowns.
Foothill (2-1): The Falcons recovered from a Week 2 loss to Analy with a 21-0 win at Las Lomas. The Falcons could not have been more balanced in the win, rushing for 153 yards and passing for 153.
Andrew Nelson has thrown for 435 yards this year with a pair of touchdowns. Max Shuga is the top receiver with 17 catches for 311 yards and a score. Amarre Hill leads the ground game with 341 yards and four scores. The Falcons will host San Leandro this week at 7 p.m.
Granada (1-2): As mentioned below in the Game of the Week, Granada has been a tough read this year. The Mats opened with what I thought was an impressive 19-7 win at Campolindo. After that were a 17-7 loss to Miramonte and a 16-14 loss to San Leandro last Friday.
This week the Mats host Berkeley, a 2-0 team with wins over Pinole Valley and DeAnza. I think this is a great chance for Granada to get well and get back to the Mats winning ways.
Livermore (2-1): I have mentioned before I think Livermore is the real deal this year as after a tough 27-24 opening night loss at Ripon, the Cowboys have come back with a 13-0 win over Amador Valley, followed by a 61-0 win over Burton.
The Cowboys will take this week off and then come back on Sept. 25 with a game at Hayward.
Monte Vista (3-0): The Mustangs, formerly the standard of excellence in the area, have been perhaps the surprise team of the year, hitting on both offense and defense. They have scored 30 points per game and allowed only 10.3 per game.
Quarterback Jimmy Lagios, a transfer from Piedmont, has thrown for 515 yards this season and five touchdowns against no interceptions. It’s been a two-headed monster running the ball with Charles Hawkins IV running for 131 yards and a touchdown, while Justin Grisham has 129 yards and a pair of scores. Grant Maina has 15 catches for 180 yards. The Mustangs host James Logan this week.
San Ramon Valley (3-0): It is downright scary what the Wolves have done through the first three weeks. The Wolves average score after three games is 49-11.3. And two of the wins came against programs which have been considered top-notch in El Cerrito (41-14) and Clayton Valley (52-7).
The Wolves were young last year, and the experience is paying off this year. Cole Dawes is the trigger man for the offense and has thrown for 458 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions thus far. Owen Power has been a force carrying the ball with three 100-yard plus games, a total of 363 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Colton Fitzgibbon heads a balanced receiving group with seven catches for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wolves play host to a 3-1 Clovis North team this week. The loss for Clovis came at the hands of Mitty by a 21-7 final.
Game of the Week
There were a couple of options for this week, but to me the most intriguing game is the Berkeley at Granada football game on Friday night.
The season started out well for Granada as the Mats went into Campolindo and got a 19-7 win. I might have given Campo too much credit, as they lost a tough 17-16 game to Bellarmine but then got boat-raced 35-7 by Monte Vista.
After the opening win Granada fell 17-7 to Miramonte, who is now 3-0 on the season. I didn’t think it was a bad loss, but last week the Mats fell to San Leandro 16-14.
San Leandro is not the power it once was, and I thought going in that it would be a win for Granada.
Now the Mats face a 2-0 Berkeley team that has beaten Pinole Valley 38-18 and De Anza 28-6. Neither win was a statement, so Granada should be favored in this one. The Mats have a chance to make a statement here, but a third straight loss could be a bad sign for the rest of the season.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation. To sign up for free, visit here.
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