Winner of the North Bay League

[catstazio]

My picks for the North Bay League is as follows..

Cardinal Newman
Rancho Cotate
Ukiah
Maria Carillo
Montgomery
Elsie Allen
Santa Rosa
Piner

[Ben Herrington]

I'd say its going to be just like last season between Montgomery and C.Newman. Considering the home team in this series has won 2 of the last 15 contests and this years game is at Monty, I'll take Newman.

I'll take the following order for the finish:

1) C.Newman
2) Montgomery
3) Rancho Cotate (Peleti-Gore and Dworkin + defense = :-) )
4) Maria Carrillo (Atoe should boost Carrillo this high, but Pumas offense and lack of passing game will hold them back...again)
5) Piner (New offense and young talent should put Piner around 5 or 6 in league)
6) Ukiah (and this is with a league ending loss to Piner @ Piner. New offense completely different from their past... I'm not so sure Ukiah can make it happen but I haven't seen them in the off season at all)
7) Santa Rosa (One win season. I hope Les is the man to turn SR around)
8) Elsie Allen (Should be interesting to see them in the next five years once the realignment goes through)

[catstazio]

Yeah.. On my list Ukiah and Montgomery Should flop spaces.. I did mess that one up most likely.. But, Rancho could be the team this year.. I couldn't take them over Newman though.. Had to pick Newman to win the league..They are pretty loaded this year..

[Ben Herrington]

Newman looks like Newman this season, perhaps around the 2007 level.

Monty has a lot returning, basically everything but their secondary.

Rancho lots some receivers but Peleti Gore can pass to just about anyone. The option is going to be great this season so I'd agree, it could be Ranchos title if they want it bad enough.

Ukiah strikes me as a good darkhorse but going from a passing offense the last few seasons to a running only offense is a hugh change. Having Casa, Petaluma, and Eureka on the schedule will result in a tough 1-2 record at best. The upside is Ukiah will be ready for league just like Monty and Newman.

Piner offense is going to be great but a lot depends on their sophomore QB. I say Piner is 3-7 at the worst, 4-6 at the best, and a slim chance of 5-5 if they can top Ukiah at home in week #10. Either way I look forward to seeing 2-8 be a thing of the past.

Carrillo will be the same old thing but has a slim chance at 3-0 in the non-league. I can see a win over Petaluma and a win against Windsor but both games will be tough. A win over Casa will be next to impossible but look at the series between the two. Carrillo is a question mark but I think the lack of passing will hurt.

Santa Rosa is in trouble, their JV last season was far from ready to play. They have the two Rossellis along with a few other players but I would expect a one win season.

Elsie Alllen is Elsie Allen, at least they have the facilities and means to have a good home field. A committed staff and players that keep coming back is nice to have too. I only have 9 games on their schedule so far.

[catstazio]

I agree with everything you said.. I haven't seen all the schools.. I know Newman is loaded.. I didn't realize Montgomery had so many returning players.. I know Rancho will be in the mix.. Ukiah will be back to smash mouth football.. They have a solid group.. Your right, Piner should be much improved..

[4thqtrcomeback]

All of Montgomery's starting D-line are back as well as four out of five starting O-line. Any running back they put behind their o-line should put up some good numbers. Not to mention they have a couple good D-linemen coming up from JV, which will provide depth which is a huge luxury in HS. Their lb's are going to get many opportunities to make plays.

[penguin]

I know Maria Carillo lost Wilson, Ferris, and Odom, does anyone know who's replacing them? And didn't their JV team have a relatively successful season last year?

Unlike the SCL, which should be a one team race, the NBL is going to be very fun to watch.

[Ben Herrington]

Not too sure name wise about who is replacing key players at Carrillo, but their Junior and Senior class have had JV and Varsity success. Eight win seasons on the JV I think doesnt just happen, they must be doing something right.

Monty is going to have a great year running the football.

[4thqtrcomeback]

Does Newman have a lot returning from their 2009(7-5) team or a lot of good JV kids coming up?

[catstazio]

Newman is loaded this year.. So is Montgomery it sounds like.. Should be a great year of competitive football for the most part in the North Bay League... I can't wait..

[Ben Herrington]

I wonder who is going to be the suprise team this season.

Could be Piner going 4-6, could be Ukiah going 5-5, maybe Carrillo finishing higher than 3rd in league. Could even be Rancho Cotate beating Newman and Monty.

Ukiah @ Piner is going to be a good one especially in week #10
Ukiah @ Carrillo is going to be a good one too in week #8
- Ukiah could make a playoff run if they win both and it would really hurt Carrillo.

Rancho @ Carrillo in week #10 is going to be good to as Carrillo should be playing great ball by then.

Newman plays @ Rancho and @ Montgomery in two key games as well.

[4thqtrcomeback]

It should be interesting. I think as a whole, the league was down last year, but it is quite the opposite this year.

With CN in D3 this year, the NBL has a good shot to win the D2 & D3 championship.

The road to D2 is a bit easier this year with Eureka, Petaluma, and CN getting bumped down into D3 by the new enrollment figures. Rancho, MC, and Montgomery could all be in the mix for D2 this year. I don't know too much about Ukiah and SR for D2, or Piner for D3.

On another note, Eureka is going to be good in D3. They have almost everyone back besides Soma. Their other two backs were tough too.

[Ben Herrington]

Eureka is going to hurt people, they have got to be the favorite for Div. III. Petaluma I would think will finish around 5-5 so I wouldn't view them as a big threat, they lost something like 22 starters.
CN, Novato, Marin Catholic, Encinal, and Eureka should be at the top of the division.

Div. II on the other hand is going to have a hard time with Casa Grande, Montgomery, and Rancho Cotate all hunting for a top seed. Carrillo will be in the mix but I wouldnt put them about middle of the pack. They play a tough schedule and lack the passing game but then again this is a new year :-)

[bella]

With the new adjustments to enrollment , D-III definately looks like a tougher division than D-II going into this year.

[footballfan]

What about the SCL? Casa and Windsor battling it out?