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It’s just a little over halfway through the season, yet the flag football monster game with San Ramon Valley (5-0 in EBAL play) visiting Amador Valley (5-0) on Tuesday night has the feeling of a championship game.
The Wolves are the standard of excellence for the East Bay Athletic League, but Amador beat them in San Ramon’s tournament last year and has been getting it done this year, including a 13-12 win at Cardinal Newman, ending the Cardinals 29-game winning streak.
Neither has lost to a team from Northern California. Amador’s (11-2) two losses came against Beckman of Irvine in a tournament in San Luis Obispo, with San Ramon Valley (10-3) falling to Orange Lutheran, Sierra Canyon and San Marcos, three teams that are a combined 39-6 this year.
San Ramon Valley is led by junior quarterback Gia Ryan, one of the top-rated players in the Bay Area.
Ryan has thrown for 1,909 yards and 27 touchdowns against only six interceptions. The key to the passing game is depth. Tatum Prindiville leads the way with 61 receptions, nine of which have been touchdowns.
But Kennedy Warren and Lena Warren both have 30 or more catches, while Molly Gates has 13 catches, with four having been for scores and Hania Bowes also has 13 catches, three of which have been touchdowns.
Defensively Emma Lozak has 23 of San Ramon’s 29 sacks on the season. Bowes has seven interceptions with Jersey Camacho has four picks.
Amador has four-year starter Riley Harrington at quarterback with the senior throwing for 2,261 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.
The Dons have moved the ball on the ground this year, with Sydney Nissen running for 516 yards and 10 touchdowns. Junior Avery Butley 390 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns, with Harrington adding 309 yards and six scores.
Reese Fogarty leads the receiving corps with 50 catches and eight touchdowns. Nissen has 36 catches and Madison Wittmer has 31 catches. Kaylin Causey has 40 catches, with a pair going for scores.
Sabella Stout has 39 sacks this season with Sydney O’Donnell is also in double figures with 10 sacks.
Summer Brown roams the defensive backfield to the tune of eight interceptions with Evangeline Freschi adding four picks.
With almost half the season still to be played, there’s a lot of football to be played but the winner of this game definitely has a leg up on the rest of the league.
Football wrap-up
Through the first four weeks of EBAL non-league football, one thing is clear – Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley are legit and the November meeting between the two teams at Monte Vista could be between a pair of undefeated teams in EBAL play.
The Wolves have not played a cake non-league campaign but if you just looked at the scores, it would appear that way. Through four games, the average score is 47.25-10.25 for SRV. The 41 points scored in the opening week against El Cerrito is the low water mark for the season.
Monte Vista has been efficient on offense as well and has improved in scoring in every game. After starting with a 27-10 win over Marin Catholic, the Mustangs beat Liberty 30-14, Campolindo 35-7, and this past week James Logan by a 41-21 final.
It will be interesting to see how the two teams fare against De La Salle, with the Mustangs set to host the Spartans on October 16, then the Wolves traveling to Concord the next week for an Oct. 23 game.
Two other games caught my eye this past week.
Amador Valley got their first win and scored their first points of the year with a 32-28 win over Liberty. It’s a young Amador team that figured to get better as the season went on.
The other game was Granada’s 34-0 thumping of Berkeley. The Mats opened the season with a 19-7 win at Campo, then suffered perplexing losses to Miramonte and San Leandro.
That brought the team to a game with a 2-0 Berkeley squad. I felt neither Berkeley win was overly impressive and that Granada had a chance to get well.
They did just that and then some, posting the shutout. Now they face another unbeaten team in 3-0 Deer Valley, with a defense that has allowed six points in three games.
But Deer Valley has not faced a strong team this year as they beat St, Mary’s of Albany 41-6, Lincoln of San Francisco 39-0, and Mountain House 34-0.
I think we see Granada move back to a winning record after this week.
Game of the Week
San Ramon Valley at Amador Valley flag football (Tuesday, Sept. 22, 7:45 p.m.). The most anticipated sporting event of the fall season for all sports. San Ramon Valley is the standard of excellence for the EBAL and Amador Valley is the flavor of the month, jumping out to a 11-2 mark, including a win over Cardinal Newman, ending the Cardinals 29-game winning streak. The winner controls the EBAL but you just have a feeling this will not be the last time these two meet!
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation. To sign up for free, visit here.
