High school football leads off fall sports calendar

High school football begins with five games involving local teams on the Aug. 23-24 weekend, highlighted by the nationally-televised game with St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale visiting De La Salle in Concord on Friday, Aug. 23.

MaxPreps has rated this as the eighth biggest game of the 2019 high school season. The schools met in 2011 with the Florida powerhouse beating the visiting Spartans 30-6 as defensive standout Joey Bosa (third draft pick in the 2016 NFL draft out of Ohio State) led the Raiders defense that stifled a DLS team which went on to win the California State championship and finish third in final national rankings.

This season has seen a major reconfiguration of the North Coast Section playoff format. There are now seven football divisions with a maximum of eight teams making the playoffs in each. DLS is the only local team in Division I while Clayton Valley Charter is the sole area team in D-II.

The two Concord schools will play one another Nov. 1 in the final regular-season game for each after CVCHS was moved to the East Bay Athletic League after winning seven successive championships in the Diablo Valley and Diablo athletic leagues.

The North Coast Section playoffs begin Nov. 8-9 and conclude Nov. 22-23 with the State Regional Bowl Games Dec. 6-7 and the finals Dec. 13-14.

Area schools non-league schedules

Berean Christian (Division 7)- 8/24 Skyline (Oakland), 8/31 at Salesian (Richmond), 9/7 at El Molino (Forestville).

Clayton Valley Charter (Div. 2)- 8/30 Turlock, 9/7 Liberty (Honor Bowl @ James Logan), 9/20 at Canyon Springs (North Las Vegas), 9/27 at Berkeley.
Concord (Div. 4)- 8/23 at Dougherty Valley (San Ramon), 8/30 Arroyo (San Lorenzo), 9/13 at Rodriguez (Fairfield), 10/25 at Alhambra.

De La Salle (Div. 1)- 8/23 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL), 8/30 at Central Catholic (Modesto), 9/6 St. Francis (Mountain View), 9/13 at Folsom, 9/20 Buchanan (Clovis), 9/27 at St. Mary’s (Stockton).

Mt. Diablo (Div. 4)- 8/23 at John Swett (Crockett), Elsie Allen (Santa Rosa), 9/6 at Harbor (Santa Cruz), at American (Fremont).

Northgate (Div. 3)- 8/23 at Hercules, 8/30 Alhambra, 9/6 at Hug (Reno), 11/1 Las Lomas.

Ygnacio Valley (Div. 6)- 8/30 John Swett (Crockett), 9/6 at Brookside Christian (Stockton), 9/14 at Galileo (San Francisco), 9/20 San Lorenzo.