RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Serra's two-way lineman Lemani Fehoko (55), seen here in action last season. (Dennis Lee)
It can't get any bigger than this to start the high school football season: Top-ranked De La Salle-Concord visits Serra, the Chronicle's No. 2 team, to open Bay Area high school football in 2026.
The game is so big Serra brought in lights at Freitas Stadium, which it normally does once a season, usually against a West Catholic Athletic League foe. This is the first time they've done it to start the season. The Friday game, among more than 90 that kicks off this week among Metro teams, starts at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Serra YouTube channel and the NFHS Network.
"What better way to see where you're at," said Serra coach Patrick Walsh, a 1993 De La Salle graduate who assisted there before taking over then West Catholic Athletic League also-ran in 2000 to turn it into a perennial Bay Area and state power.
Walsh, who is best friends with De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh, hasn't scheduled a scrimmage, which almost all high school teams do, for close to a decade. That's largely because, besides playing out of the rugged WCAL, he normally schedules three tough nonleague foes.
This season: De La Salle, followed by a Sept. 4 game at Hawaii power Kahuku before traveling to defending state 2-AA champion St. Mary's-Stockton. The Padres, who beat De La Salle 24-21 and 28-0 in 2022 and 2023, before dropping games the last two seasons (39-10 and 26-0) are favored to win their 11th WCAL crown under Walsh, who is the school's all-time winningest coach with 196 victories. This will be his 300th game at the helm of the Padres. Walsh has led the team to eight Central Coast Section championships.
Impressive all, but De La Salle doesn't play in an all-private school league and is in another stratosphere in terms of winning with 33 straight North Coast Section championships and a California record seven state crowns (since 2006 when the Bowl Game system was set up). The Spartans haven't lost to an NCS opponent since 1991 (a span of 285 games).
This De La Salle team boasts loads of college-bound talent, including Chronicle Top 50 players Duece Jones-Drew (running back, UCLA), linebackers Landon Miller (No. 1 on the list as a junior) and Zion Cadet (San Jose State) and linemen Clint Lundin (Stanford) and AJ Talaoloa (UNLV). The Padres feature Malakai Taufoou (Oregon) and Jeovanni Henley (Cal), a pair of safeties/running backs, tight end Jace Cannon (USC), defensive end Dylan Modena (UNLV) and two-way lineman Lemani Fehoko (Minnesota).
De La Salle is particularly loaded in the trenches, and Serra among its skill spots. Walsh said the challenge beating the Spartans is familiar; De La Salle is 12-2 versus Serra since 2005.
"What's that Boni Jovi ‘Wanted Dead or Alive' song say, ‘it's all the same, only the names will change,'" Walsh said. "That's how it is, facing the boys from Concord. There's little variance. … As great of skill guys as they've had, where De La Salle has made its fortune is up front. The two games we won, we held our own. That's where it will be won Friday."
Neither team has a top-ranked quarterback, but the Padres have more experience in 6-foot-5, 205-pound senior Caleb Bandel, who split time last season. ("He's matured and is bigger and stronger," Walsh said.) De La Salle will start Jaxon Loftin with starting wideout Ray Pelosi perhaps seeing snaps as well.
More top games being played Friday (7 p.m. start unless noted):
No. 6 Acalanes-Lafayette vs. No. 16 Mitty (at Foothill College-Los Altos Hills): Mitty already sustained a huge loss in quarterback Kai Imahara, a transfer from Wilcox-Santa Clara, who went down with a torn ACL in practice. Acalanes features the region's No. 1 ranked QB in Tyler Winkles.
No. 7 San Ramon Valley-Danville at No. 14 El Cerrito: The host Gauchos, the defending state 4-A champions, will need more than returning QB Dejuan Compton Jr. throwing to WR Michael Boyer to knock off the versatile Wolves, who return Chronicle top 50 players QB Cole Dawes, WR/DBs Colton Fitzgibbon and Dietrick Burks Jr., and top junior OT Aden Owolabi.
No. 8 St. Ignatius at San Marin-Novato: San Marin, which won state titles in 2021 (5-AA) and 2022 (4-A), beat St. Ignatius 27-24 last season in San Francisco. It was the first time the two programs had met. The Wildcats overcame a season-opening loss last year to win the state 3-AA title.
Manteca at No. 9 St. Francis: Manteca is a Sac-Joaquin Section power that has won at least nine games 12 times since 2010. The Buffaloes lost to St. Francis 28-23 in its only meeting in 2017 to decide the Northern California 2-A championship.
No. 20 Marin Catholic-Kentfield at No. 18 Monte Vista-Danville (on NorCalsportstv.com): All eyes on the quarterback spot here, especially for Monte Vista which added Piedmont transfer Jimmy Lagios (2,535 yards, 27 TDs) as a sophomore. Marin Catholic junior QB Dylan Skrinar threw for 2,131 yards and 18 TDs as a sophomore.
No. 4 Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa at Folsom , 7:30 p.m. (on NFHS Network): It's a big debut for Newman coach Kenny McMillan and star junior RB James Curoso, a transfer from Clovis who had 27 touchdowns as a sophomore. Folsom features Cal-bound QB Brody Rudnicki and WR Rob Larson (UCLA). Folsom is ranked No. 7 and Newman No. 15 in the state by Sports Illustrated.
Mitch Stephens has covered high school sports for the Chronicle since 2001. Email: [email protected]
There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢. This article originally published at Serra vs. De La Salle showdown tops Bay Area high school football games of the week .
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