Bay Area high school football games of the week: Riordan faces Serra for WCAL title

Riordan defensive end DJ Sanchez (1) is flanked by teammates Sione Haupeakui (35), Soape Mafuahingano (58) and Elijah Morris (41). (Courtesy of Ernie Abrea/MaxPreps) The resurgence of Riordan's football program over the past four seasons has stemmed largely from its offense. Current college players Michael Mitchell Jr. (Stanford quarterback), Cynai Thomas (Oregon State receiver) and Chris Lawson (Washington receiver), along with future UNLV running back and current senior Adonyae Brown, have received the most headlines for a program that has gone 32-12 since 2023 after seven straight seasons without a winning record. Riordan's eighth-ranked 2026 team, 6-2 heading into Saturday's 1:30 p.m. home showdown with second-ranked Serra (7-1) to decide the West Catholic Athletic League title, has been carried by its defense. Both teams are 5-0 in WCAL play.The Crusaders have given up just 53 points in their six wins. Princeton-bound defensive end DJ Sanchez, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior with 23 career sacks, leads the charge with a lot of help from linebackers Jahaziel Tua and Aiden Manu, who lead the team in tackles, Soape Mafuahingano (6-0, 285) and defensive backs Sione Valhola, Tyrone Jones III and Israel Lawson (combined eight interceptions). Sanchez, who not only bench presses close to 400 pounds but also sports a 4.2 GPA, sets the tone. "He's a great student-athlete," said Riordan coach Adhir Ravipati. "He could have picked an FBS school, but his commitment is to academics." Sanchez has eight other college offers including Oregon State, Utah, San Jose State and UNLV. He uses his analytical mind to read offenses, yet Ravipati calls him "one of the most physical kids I've ever coached. He plays with such a high motor and is extremely competitive. He's got a unique set of twitch and power that makes him a handful on the edge on defense." Off the field, Ravipati describes Sanchez as "a goofy kid who's very social and has a great sense of humor." He'll be all business against the Padres, who have won seven straight since a season-opening 35-25 home loss to top-ranked De La Salle-Concord. Led by two-way college-bound stars Malakai Taufoou (Oregon) and Jeovanni Henley (Cal) - who both play running back and safety - along with USC-bound tight end Jace Cannon, his brother/quarterback Jax Cannon, and two-way lineman Lemani Fehoko (Minnesota) and defensive end Dylan Modena (UNLV), Serra is loaded with talent. The two programs have battled for WCAL supremacy the past four seasons. Serra will be playing with an edge, considering Riordan has won the last three meetings, including two last season, 33-13 and 42-35. This season, Serra has outscored WCAL foes 210-60. "They're every bit as good as advertised," Ravipati said of Serra. "They don't have many weaknesses and are very talented across the board. They have a very experienced group of seniors that have played together for a long time, and their cohesiveness shows. We'll have to elevate our play to beat them." More top games of the week(All 7 p.m. Friday)Half Moon Bay (8-0) at Palo Alto (5-3): This PAL De Anza game figures to feature a lot of offense as the visiting Cougars average 44.3 points per game and Palo Alto 38.5. The host Vikings are coming off a 51-46 loss to Mountain View despite 240 passing yards and three touchdowns from Justin Fung and 183 rushing yards by Okiki Asogba. Half Moon Bay beat San Mateo 49-10 last week as junior quarterback Paxton Holden accounted for 222 yards and three touchdowns. Palo Alto has won three of four games in the series, the last game a 33-24 victory in 2024. No. 5 Pittsburg (5-3) at Antioch (7-1): In the 108th Big Little Game, the host Panthers hope to break an 11-game losing streak in the series, and with the dual threat of quarterback Joshua Mason (1,220 total yards, 20 touchdowns), they have a shot. Led by a massive offensive line that includes Stanford-bound tackle George Tyus (6-6, 285), Antioch has six rushing touchdowns apiece from Nehjay McCullough and Ty'keir Lynch. Pittsburg's history - the Pirates have won 22 of 24 since 2004 and own a 73-27-7 series edge - tougher schedule and current college talent give them a considerable edge. Defensive end Terrance Murphy (Fresno State), junior safety Jeremiah Edwards and junior wideout Kenneth Ward were all on the Chronicle's Top 50 preseason watch list. Sophomore Ah'Soni Seals is 3-0 as the Pirates' new starting quarterback. Sacred Heart Cathedral (4-4) vs. Bellarmine (5-3) at San Jose City College:Two teams with first-year head coaches are positioning for Central Coast Section Division 1 spots. The visiting Irish, led by coach Darius Bell, have been ravaged by injury and gutted out an unusual 3-2 victory over Mitty last week. In four wins, Sacred Heart Cathedral has given up a total of 26 points. Bellarmine, a combined 4-26 the previous three seasons, has rallied behind coach Tom Williams. The Bells are coming off a 28-20 Holy War loss to St. Francis despite big games from quarterback Kaden Hill and receivers Dominic Vaccaro and Jaeden Harris. San Leandro (7-1) at James Logan-Union City (3-5): For at least part of the West Alameda County Conference Foothill League title, the host Colts lost all five nonleague games before rattling off WACC wins over Berkeley (31-0), Moreau Catholic-Hayward (39-29) and Hayward (35-34). Senior quarterback Kamari Robinson leads the team in rushing (502 yards) and passing (1,273) and has accounted for 14 touchdowns. San Leandro, thanks to a stingy defense led largely by Marcellus La Brie West (7.8 tackles per game) and Charles Ekpenyong (four sacks), has won four games by a total of seven points, though the Pirates have been far more convincing the past two weeks over Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland (43-26) and Moreau (25-7). Flag football: The first round of the North Coast Section playoffs Wednesday featured just four lower seeds prevailing out of 23 games over three divisions. In Division 1, 11th seed Redwood-Larkspur defeated No. 6 James Logan-Union City 21-6 and now travels to defending champion and third seed San Ramon Valley-Danville, a 35-6 winner over California-San Ramon. In Division 2, 10th seed Rancho Cotate edged No. 7 Hayward 18-12 and now travels to No. 2 Carondelet-Concord, which edged No. 15 Bethel-Vallejo, 26-25. In Division 3, No. 9 Vallejo edged No. 8 Marin Catholic-Kentfield, 15-12 and No. 11 Concord beat No. 6 Encinal-Alameda, 33-20. All quarterfinal play continues at 1 p.m. Saturday at the higher seeds.SubscribeThere’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Bay Area high school football games of the week: Riordan faces Serra for WCAL title.