The Northern California Boys HS leagues get started this weekend, and there are many questions to answer.

Did De La Salle rebuild well enough to compete against a favored Jesuit?

In the Varsity Single-School league, longtime powers Jesuit will open against De La Salle. While De La Salle was one of the top teams in the league last year, they have graduated some key players and will have a tough time against a Jesuit squad that is just as strong as they have ever been.

Bellarmine, which was in the middle of the pack last season, faces a Clayton Valley team looking to move up. This result will tell us a lot, because one of these programs has a shot to push the regular leaders, and the winner of this game will likely be that team.

Is newcomer team Riordan for real?

Dixon was rebuilding last year. Let’s see if they’ve rebuilt. It might seem like we won’t learn much from an opening game against Riordan, which is new to the league, but Riordan showed very well in the Storer Classic and they’ve been building with the same group of kids for a while.

Who’s the true contender, Dixon or Riordan?

Riordan will not be a pushover, and in fact, whichever team wins this game immediately gets labeled as a contender.

With the loss of a couple of teams to the Silver Division, NorCal’s Varsity Gold league is unflinchingly competitive. A good team could finish 1-9 here.

Can Peninsula Green Start Strong?

Is Danville the best club in the country?

In the Club Varsity Gold Division, there are more teams to worry about, and many of them we regard highly. Danville has started superbly, winning three out of three at the Storer Classic, and beating ranked teams to do so. They face off with Peninsula Green, which is a squad that always produces impressive talent. The problem with Peninsula Green is they lack depth, and so they have to fill in the cracks in the team over the season. They could well lose to Danville now, and beat them in the playoffs in April.

Can Hayward stay frosty?

Hayward is a wild card, as they always have good players, but weren’t at their best off the field at the Kickoff Tournament, so we’ll see if they have some discipline. 

Who’s the true contender, SFGG or North Bay?

SFGG v North Bay is one of those games featuring two teams who could contend. Likely both will, but the winner gets a huge leg up. Both get Danville late in the season. 

Is newcomer team Pleasanton for real?

Pleasanton is, like Riordan, a program that was successful in the Silver Division and has moved up, and one that shouldn’t be overlooked. They open against Lamorinda.

Granite Bay beat Lamorinda in a non-league game last weekend, and open up against CK McClatchy. This is i the weird Sacramento Division. It’s a weird one because Jesuit, which is the favorite in the single-school league, also plays here (but not in the playoffs). 

Does Jesuit still have the depth to win in two leagues?

Jesuit’s coaches do not divide the squad for the single-school and multi-school - why should they? It’s irrelevant to them where the opposition gets their players. So you will see the best Jesuit lineup against the best opposition. When they face Sierra Foothills on February 20 and Bellarmine on February 21, you can bet Sierra Foothills will face Jesuit’s front-line 15. A week later, the situation might be reversed.

Jesuit takes on Davis this weekend in multi-school, and it’s a good bet that they see the single-school opponent De La Salle as the tougher day at the office. Regardless, Jesuit should do well in this league again. But it’s possible someone can unseat them, and that someone might well be Sierra Foothills.

How good is Sierra Foothills?

Here we go again, burying the lede, but Sierra Foothills, which finished 7-2 in league play last year and a creditable 7th in the NIT where they lost to the eventual champs by a try, could well win the entire division.

Up against Cougar, SF should win this weekend, and will certainly want a noter shot at Jesuit, which beat them 25-21 last year.

With 50 kids at training for the varsity team and about 230 signed up for U10s through U19s, Sierra Foothills will be a program we talk about for a long time. With Riley Clark captain and a terror in the midfield, and Kristopher Schmidt leading the way up front, they have a ton of talent, and depth.

This weekend's NorCal HS Boys games in Varsity Gold