NorCal Latest - Time to Make a Statement

Northern California is full of games this weekend, even if they don't officially count toward the standings.

The NorCal Premier League, which is basically now a slightly whittled-down DI, has all non-standings games, as the teams from the A side of the ledger play the teams from the B side of things. This is a great way to measure the relative strength of the teams involved. CK McClatchy, led by Zach Neff and Inoke Waqavesi, has visions of producing a few upsets, so they will get a chance against a tough Jesuit team (Jesuit Sacramento Starts Strong), while Peninsula Green has an excellent shot at a win against one of the so-called big boys when they take on the Solo Falcons.

Pen Green lost 57-35 to Danville last weekend - Danville Defeats Pen Green, but there were some positives that came out of that game (such as scoring five tries).

"We were positive about the game," said Pen Green Coach Rob Benson. "And we were pleased that our fitness held up so well.  We will be working on correcting mistakes and we will be ready to take on Danville in the playoffs."

There's still a ton of talent in Pen Green - Nathan Talakai scored three tries in that game, and Luca Gillespie-Brown, William (Bo) Mailau, Alex Lopeti, Tala Talapusi, and Luke Raffaeli. Solo lost, but it was close, and center D'loren McMullen and flyhalf Cameron Gharlick are very talented.

Granite Bay against SFGG is another interesting clash, as SFGG has brought in players from Archbishop Riordan to augment their numbers, and Granite Bay had a big graduating class last year. Mother Lode plays at Marin, and that is a big chance for Mother Lode, which beat Solo last week, to solidify a strong start.

Mother Lode's win over the Falcons wasn't easy - the final score was 39-33 and the lead changed hads five times.

No. 8 Skyler Mitchell is back from injury and he scored two tries and set up center Austin Boswell for another. The halftime score was 15-14 in Mother Lode's favor, and the Solo took the lead. But flanker Jake Ericksen led a Mother Lode surge to retake the lead and then hold on, barely.

Along with Mitchell and Ericksen, Mother Lode got some good work from flyhalf Matt Johnson, who stepped into that role from fullback and looked very comfortable. 

Skyler Mitchell was named man of the match but strong play from the work horse flanker Jake Ericksen sealed the game. Matt Johnson stepped in from fullback to play flyhalf and looked like a natural at the position taking the attack to Solo and scoring a try himself.

In other divisions, watch out for Elsie Allen. They've started on fire, and look to build on that as they host a tough Pleasanton team. Keep an eye on the Center Parkway v Sac Eagles game, also.