Bay Area News Group high school football predictions: Week 12, 2023

Not much gets people more fired up in high school sports than playoff seedings and formats.

Count us in that group.

Mike Lefkow, in our weekly video show that includes this week’s picks, can’t believe teams such as Liberty and Antioch in the North Coast Section and Prospect and Cupertino in the Central Coast Section are not playing postseason games this weekend.

“That’s a travesty,” he said. “Prospect was 8-2. You get 80 percent on a math test or an English test or a history test, you’re probably going to get at worst a C+ and you’re probably going to get a B.”

I explained to Lefkow that in the Central Coast Section, divisions have been created for teams not on the same level as others in their league.

The lower divisions receive fewer playoff spots but those teams don’t have to play stronger competition during league play.

“Then schedule at their level and create a sixth division,” Lefkow said.

The NCS’s format is entirely different. Teams are placed into divisions months before the start of the season and each division receives eight playoff spots with no opportunity to move up or down.

Liberty and Antioch got caught up in a numbers game. There were too many qualified teams in the Open/Division I pool.

Meanwhile, a team both Liberty and Antioch beat during league play — Heritage — is seeded fifth in the NCS Division II bracket.

The video also includes our thoughts on Campolindo coach Kevin Macy, who continues to voice his displeasure about competitive equity, and Lefkow, Joseph Dycus and I picking our champions in each division for both sections.

We also predict 16 more games this week. I lead Lefkow by eight games and Dycus by 18 in the season standings.

In one of the marquee matchups on Friday, all three of us and calpreps.com’s computer took Los Gatos to beat Archbishop Riordan.

Lefkow and Dycus went even further. They’ve got Los Gatos winning the CCS’s Division I championship.

If you want just the predictions, keep scrolling.

Also, if you haven’t already, please subscribe here for digital access all season long. Your contributions keep us going.

Enjoy the video.

WEEK 12 PICKS

CCS

Open/Division I

No. 7 Wilcox (7-3) at No. 2 St. Francis (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: St. Francis

Dycus: St. Francis

Lefkow: St. Francis

No. 6 Valley Christian (6-4) at No. 3 St. Ignatius (6-4), Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Sabedra: Valley Christian

Dycus: Valley Christian

Lefkow: Valley Christian

No. 5 Archbishop Riordan (7-3) at No. 4 Los Gatos (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Los Gatos

Dycus: Los Gatos

Lefkow: Los Gatos

Division II

No. 5 Menlo School (9-1) at No. 4 Live Oak (9-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Menlo School

Dycus: Live Oak

Lefkow: Live Oak

No. 8 Christopher (9-1) vs. No. 1 Archbishop Mitty (5-5) at Foothill College, Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Archbishop Mitty

Dycus: Archbishop Mitty

Lefkow: Archbishop Mitty

Division III

No. 6 Scotts Valley (9-1) at No. 3 Aragon (8-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Aragon

Dycus: Aragon

Lefkow: Aragon

No. 7 Alisal (9-1) at No. 2 Capuchino (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Capuchino

Dycus: Capuchino

Lefkow: Capuchino

Division IV

No. 5 Leigh (7-3) vs. No. 4 North Salinas (7-3) at Rabobank Stadium, Friday, 4 p.m.

Sabedra: North Salinas

Dycus: Leigh

Lefkow: North Salinas

Division V

No. 5 Los Altos (5-5) at No. 4 Santa Teresa (4-6), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Los Altos

Dycus: Santa Teresa

Lefkow: Los Altos

NCS

Open/Division I

No. 7 Campolindo (7-2-1) at No. 2 San Ramon Valley (9-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: San Ramon Valley

Dycus: San Ramon Valley

Lefkow: San Ramon Valley

No. 4 Clayton Valley (5-5) at No. 5 California (6-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: California

Dycus: California

Lefkow: Clayton Valley

Division II

No. 5 Heritage (4-6) at No. 4 Redwood (7-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Sabedra: Redwood

Dycus: Redwood

Lefkow: Redwood

No. 6 Rancho Cotate (6-4) at No. 3 Granada (7-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

Sabedra: Rancho Cotate

Dycus: Rancho Cotate

Lefkow: Rancho Cotate