Home » Santa Clarita News » Santa Clarita Sports » High School Football » Santa Clarita High School Football Playoffs Preview: November 11
Santa Clarita High School Football

Santa Clarita High School Football Playoffs Preview: November 11

Only three teams from Santa Clarita remain standing after last week’s  first round of playoff games. Who will shine under the Friday night lights and continue their playoff run.

Here are this week’s match-ups:

Golden Valley (7-4) vs Paloma Valley (9-2)

The Golden Valley Grizzlies will be on the road as they set to take on the Paloma Valley Wildcats in their next upcoming playoff game. The Grizzlies were able to advance in the Division-7 2022 CIF Championships after a victory over Summit High School. The Grizzlies had some champion worthy play, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ajani Smith. Smith has been a key player in the Grizzlies success this season, and his chemistry with quarterback Christopher Melkonian has been nothing short of phenomenal on the field. Smith had a chance to prove his many talents on the field, by stunning Summit with a 34-yard pass of his own. Furthermore, proving his skills on defense, Smith was able to pick off an interception for the Grizzlies, getting them another chance with the ball. The unspoken heroes of this game however, the offensive line had an amazing game as well, keeping Summit out of the pocket, allowing Melkonian to pull off those game changing plays.

Paloma Valley has had nothing short of a great season with an 82% winning chance in their games. The Wildcats won first in their league and are looking to take that success deep into the playoffs. With an astounding running game, running back Stephen Gallegos has proven his determination averaging 120 yards per game. Quarterback Brady Nelson ranks 7th in their division passing yard leaderboards with 2,389 yards. Golden Valley is on the road as they face Paloma Valley on Friday at Paloma Valley High School with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

West Ranch (11-0) vs. Upland (7-4)

The West Ranch Wildcats continue their undefeated streak, and after last week’s victory over St. Pius, their momentum builds as they are set to take on the Upland Scots in the next round of the Division-3 CIF football playoffs. The Wildcats quarterback Ryan Staub had an unstoppable game with 26 completed passes and 312 passing yards. Staub proves exactly why he’s ranked 2nd overall in passing yard leaderboards in the division. On the other side of those throws down the field was wide receiver Chaz Hilst as he ranked 3rd overall in the division with almost 1,000 receiving yards under his belt. Standing with Hilst in the top 10, wide receiver Maverick Diaz has 765 yards to add to his record this season. On the defensive side, outside linebacker Brady Van-Bennekum ranks 6th overall in the division with 98 total tackles. The Upland offensive line is going to have to watch out for middle linebacker Connor Reyes with nine sacks to his name, ranking him top 10 in the division.

The Upland Scots are going to have a tough game ahead of them, but they have proven resilient so far. Finishing 2nd overall in their league, the Scots have a boastful running game to use against the Wildcats. Scots running back Rickey Allen averages 98.9 rushing yards every game, and wide receiver Ian Sanchez averages 46.2 receiving yards per game. The Scots quarterback, Noah Sandavol averages 1,213 passing yards per game, ranking him 12th in the division. West Ranch is set to host the Upland Scots to continue their playoff journey on Friday at Valencia High School with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

Santa Clarita Christian (7-3) vs. Coast Union (8-2)

The Santa Clarita Christian Cardinals advance in the 8-man Division II playoffs after a victory over San Luis Obispo. The Cardinals are now set to take on the Coast Union Broncos. Cardinals quarterback Cayden Rappleye led his team to victory last week with 242 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Rappleye showed he is not afraid of leaving the pocket which paid off with a 25-yard run downfield. However, Rappleye doesn’t just show off his strengths on offense, but he has also proven himself on defense. When Rappleye isn’t throwing the ball he’s playing cornerback for the Cardinals, and he isn’t shy to make a couple tackles either. Rappleye got a game changing 10.1 tackles in last week’s game. On the receiving end of the plays, wide receiver Wyatt Shields recorded 109 yards and 3 touchdowns for his team. Helping out on the running game, Timothy Taddler II scored one touchdown and 34 rushing yards. Defense played a huge part in the Cardinal’s success, especially cornerback Eli Duhm who recorded three interceptions for the Cardinals.

The Coast Union Broncos are going to be a tough opponent this week for the Cardinals. Finishing 2nd overall in their league, the Broncos have been on a two game winning streak, and they are looking to add a third this week. Coast Union were able to defeat the Calvary Chapel Grizzlies to get to where they are now. Looking for a chance to advance, Santa Clarita Christian will travel to face the Coast Union Broncos at Coast Union High School on Friday with kickoff starting at 7 p.m.

*Dates, Times and Locations are subject to change


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to news@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS AM 1220 & FM 98.1 - Santa Clarita Radio - Santa Clarita News

Santa Clarita High School Football Playoffs Preview: November 11

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Karen Marin

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, and moved to Santa Clarita when I was 13 years old. I am currently majoring in Communications at College of the Canyons where I hope to graduate and transfer afterwards. I am on the speech team, competing in events across the state working on my public speaking skills as I research and talk about informative new topics. My older brother first introduced me to football, and since then, I instantly fell in love with the sport, and my dream is to become a sports broadcaster.