Welcome again to Monday Morning Lights, our weekly characteristic that sheds extra gentle on the highschool soccer weekend and peeks forward to the brand new week. In the event you haven’t already, please subscribe. Your contributions preserve us going.
Concluding his handle to his staff after its win at Campolindo, Clayton Valley coach Nick Tisa introduced his gamers’ voices collectively in unison.
“We’ve got one more game to prove it,” he mentioned Friday night time. “Because those who stay…”
The staff responded: “Will be champions.”
Ten gamers transferred out of the Harmony constitution faculty earlier than this season, and now the Ugly Eagles will play Acalanes for the Diablo Athletic League Foothill title this Friday.
The staff has used the departures — and the dedication of those that remained — as a rallying cry all season.
“I told the guys, if you stay here, you’ll be a champion,” Tisa mentioned. “We’ve got one more to prove it. League championship next week. That’s what’s on the line.”
Final season, within the Ugly Eagles’ first yr again within the DAL since being moved as a “competitive anomaly,” they tied Acalanes with a 3-1 league report. It got here all the way down to their head-to-head assembly, an exhilarating 28-27 Acalanes win.
This yr, a league title will include a sacrifice for both aspect: Trick-or-treating.
Neither aspect, it seems, needed to play the sport on Halloween. Acalanes raised the problem and proposed taking part in the sport Thursday. Tisa seen the Dons had been coming off a bye week, making the shorter turnaround probably advantageous, and proposed Saturday.
They couldn’t come to an settlement, so right here we’re.
“I’m bummed because I’ve got two little girls who are upset about the trick-or-treating,” Tisa mentioned. “But it’ll be fun, man. It’ll be rocking.”
— Evan Webeck
SANTA TERESA: ‘RIORDAN OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS’
Steve Papin usually gained’t shrink back from saying what he thinks.
So when the Santa Teresa coach described the expertise stage of his staff, he didn’t mince phrases.
“It’s a luxury,” he mentioned. “And at times, it gets bogged down because we got so many weapons that they all want the ball. So it’s a great problem to have. And the thing that’s good for us is our players love each other, so there’s no animosity. But as a coach, when we didn’t score before halftime, I’m trying to get everybody the ball instead of just scoring. I feel like the Riordan of the public schools.”
Archbishop Riordan, the top-ranked staff from the Central Coast Part within the newest Bay Space Information Group High 25, is famend for its expertise stage. The Crusaders are suffering from Division I prospects everywhere in the area.
Santa Teresa has its personal group of star gamers, particularly on offense. The Saints are headlined by the receiving foursome of Jaylen Malcom, AJ Rangel, Prince Collins and Honest Smith.
Senior operating again Brian Caldwell has emerged as a key piece, speeding for over 200 yards in opposition to Reside Oak. Multi-year standouts Richard Arechiga and Tekiteki Pekipaki are main the protection, and Pekipaki leads the offensive line as effectively.
And junior switch quarterback Sal Guerrero has been a revelation who has made the entire operation hum for the 8-0 staff.
For Papin to make such an announcement signifies how excessive his confidence is in his staff.
“It’s awesome, because you hear the defense say ‘No. 4, No. 4’ (Malcom),” Papin mentioned. “Then there’s 3 (Collins), then there’s 11 (Rangel). And the quiet one is Brian. I mean, he’s the backbone of our team, and he doesn’t get as much credit. It’s awesome when you feel every time we get the ball, we’re gonna score.”
– Christian Babcock
SOUTH BAY: OFFICIATING SHORTAGE REMAINS AN ISSUE
Friday night time lights imply one thing to the highschool children who play beneath them.
Does it imply much less if these requirements are illuminated on Thursday night time as an alternative? It’s a query many groups throughout the Bay Space should confront a number of instances in the course of the soccer season.
Wilcox and Los Gatos not too long ago performed their storied rivalry matchup on a Friday night time in Santa Clara, however that wasn’t the unique plan. The groups needed to go above and past to maintain their recreation from being performed on a Thursday.
“We kind of paid for some extra refs so we didn’t have to play on Thursday,” mentioned Wilcox coach Paul Rosa, who can also be one of many faculty’s athletic administrators. “Both schools pitched in and paid extra.”
Referee shortages at the highschool stage are effectively documented.
“It’s a tremendous challenge,” Los Gatos coach Mark Krail mentioned after his staff’s 35-21 victory over Wilcox on Oct. 17. “Our local guys have done well recruiting new guys. In this day and age, to be an official is tough. And I am guilty of it, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that they’re dads and fathers and go to work at other jobs. They come out here because they love the game, too. It’s a real tough job.”
As Rosa put it, “Who wants to come get yelled at all night, right?”
Seems, at the very least one in all his former gamers. And extra could also be on the best way.
“I do see some younger guys out here, and everybody’s doing the best they can to try to get more officials,” Rosa mentioned. “We promote it. I try to get some of our old players to do it. One of our old players is doing some JV games. You just got to get younger guys into it, and it hasn’t happened. The section and the coaches in the sport are trying to push it as much as they can. We have signs in our locker room. They’re slowly adding guys. It’s just going to take some time, because it’s not an easy job.”
— Christian Babcock
MENLO SCHOOL: COACH BEMOANS CHALLENGES
Even with its loss to Los Gatos on Saturday, Menlo Faculty has had a powerful season.
The Knights are 7-1 and can be within the Central Coast Part playoffs subsequent month. However the staff is scuffling with getting a small roster prepared for robust video games every week within the Peninsula Athletic League’s high division.
Friday, Menlo visits Wilcox.
“What I want from the kids is for them to be healthy and enjoy their experience and not have to feel like they’re going through hell at the end of the season because of the way our program is built,” mentioned Smith, whose staff has 26 gamers on the roster however had 24 out there Saturday. “I don’t need them to really feel like they’re getting punished for taking part in good soccer.
Associated Articles
Bay Space prep soccer 2025: The place to search out our full Week 9 protection
Bay Space prep soccer Week 9, 2025: Weekend scoreboard, how High 25 fared
Los Gatos suffocates Menlo Faculty’s offense in shutout win as Hudson Schrader’s pair of picks units tone
Highschool soccer in photos: Highlights captured from Week 9, 2025
Bay Space highschool soccer roundup 2025: Better of Week 9 motion
“We need more kids to play football here, and we need to help those kids so that our kids can play healthy and so they can walk to their families and hug them afterwards and feel good not just about winning or losing, but about being healthy and not being completely exhausted.”
— Christian Babcock
PEEK AHEAD TO WEEK 10
Thursday
Antioch (7-1, 3-0) at Liberty (6-2, 2-1), 7 p.m.: Beneath-the-radar Antioch has Liberty, Pittsburg subsequent.
Bishop O’Dowd (5-3, 4-0) at James Logan (5-3, 3-1), 7 p.m.: WACC Foothill title on the road.
California (7-1) at De La Salle (8-0), 7:15 p.m.: Not a great bounce-back opponent for California.
Menlo-Atherton (3-5, 2-1) at Los Gatos (5-3, 3-0), 7:30 p.m.: LG closing in on PAL Bay crown.
Friday
Clayton Valley Constitution (5-3, 3-0) at Acalanes (8-0, 2-0), 7 p.m.: DAL Foothill championship at stake.
Menlo Faculty (7-1, 2-1) at Wilcox (5-3, 2-1), 7 p.m.: Winner will possible end second in PAL Bay.
San Jose (5-3, 4-1) at Evergreen Valley (4-4, 3-2), 7 p.m.: SJ wants two wins for BVAL West Valley title.
Saturday
Archbishop Mitty (5-3, 3-2) at Archbishop Riordan (8-0, 5-0), 1:30 p.m.: Riordan’s final hurdle earlier than Serra showdown.
