The Central Coast Section released its playoff brackets Sunday and four of Salinas’ six teams earned the right to compete for a section championship.
Undefeated Gabilan Division champion Palma, marking its 41st consecutive postseason appearance, was joined by Salinas, Alisal, and North Salinas, while Alvarez and Rancho San Juan fell short of contention.
Here’s what to expect from each team and what to know about their bracket’s eight-team field ahead of Friday and Saturday’s first-round games.
Open/Division I: Palma earns No. 4 seed, Salinas No. 8
The Chieftains’ chase for their first section title since 2023 — when they were crowned in Division III and went on to win a state championship — will start against Soquel, who head coach Jeff Carnazzo’s team beat two weeks ago in a clash for the Gabilan Division title.
Soquel’s star quarterback Sam Whelan left that Week 9’s contest in the first half with an injury and is likely to miss the remainder of the season. The team beat Monterey, 34-7, in its season finale and lone game this year without Whelan under center.
Palma will host the No. 5 seed Knights at Rabobank Stadium on Friday, with the winner set to face No. 3 Los Gatos or No. 6 Saint Francis.
Junior Eli Dukes has been the driving force behind Palma’s success and rushed for 245 yards and recently three touchdowns on the Knights’ defense. The college prospect’s season-long performance has propelled Palma to its first undefeated regular season in Carnazzo’s 25-year, title-filled tenure.
Among California players who have played 10 or fewer games, Dukes ranks fifth in the state with 2,001 rushing yards, adding 27 touchdowns. He’ll be key to the Chieftains’ pursuit of a deep playoff run as they enter an Open Division bracket loaded with elite competition, including highly regarded Junipero Serra of San Mateo and MaxPreps’ 16th-ranked team in the state, Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco.
Salinas, which endured a 38-point defeat in last season’s Open Division No. 8 vs. No. 1 matchup, will once again aim to play spoiler — this time against the top-seeded, undefeated Crusaders of the vaunted West Catholic League.
With a kickoff set for Saturday afternoon, the Cowboys will travel 108 miles — more than double any other team in this bracket for its first-round matchup — in part of yet another postseason berth. This year counted as the school’s 18th straight, and seventh in a row under head coach Steve Zenk, who has never missed the CCS tournament while at the helm.
Averaging over 37 points per game and scoring 40 or more in five of its last six, Salinas has relied on its sophomore duo of quarterback Michael Andrade, who’s scored 35 total touchdowns, and wideout Hovan Lusk, who’s caught 10 touchdowns and collected 859 receiving yards.
Each are looking to help win the program’s first playoff bout since 2022 after two consecutive first-round exits.
First round – Open/Division l
8 Salinas (7-3) @ 1 Archbishop Riordan (10-0) – Saturday, 11/15 @ 1:00 pm
7 Archbishop Mitty (6-4) @ 2 Junipero Serra (6-4) – Saturday, 11/15 @ 1:00 pm
6 Saint Francis (5-5) @ 3 Los Gatos (7-3) – Friday 11/14, 7:00 pm
5 Soquel (9-1) @ 4 Palma (10-0) – Friday, 11/14 @ 7:00 pm
Division II: North Salinas and Alisal get in, notching No. 5 and No. 8 seeds
North Salinas will appear in its third straight postseason under eighth-year head coach Ben Ceralde, though the program is still chasing its first playoff victory in that stretch. The Vikings opened the year strong at 4–1 before dropping four of their final five games, and now draw No. 4 seed Santa Teresa of San Jose — an undefeated team that has won 19 of its last 21 contests.
Alisal returns to the postseason for the third straight year after reaching the Division III section title game in 2023. The Trojans now turn their focus to top-seeded St. Ignatius of San Francisco, which earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs thanks to its grueling schedule — despite a 4–6 record. The Wildcats also come out of the powerhouse West Catholic League, which saw six of its eight teams claim a playoff berth.
One of the section’s premier talents, Jayden Duarte brings the kind of offensive game-breaking ability Alisal will need to have a shot at pulling off the upset.
First round – Division ll
6 North Salinas (8-0) @ 3 Santa Teresa (10-0) – Friday, 11/14 @ 7:00 pm
7 Wilcox (6-4) @ 2 Sacred Heart Cathedral (4-6) – Saturday, 11/15 1:00 pm
5 King’s Academy (9-1) @ Menlo (8-2) – Saturday, 11/15 1:00 pm
8 Alisal (5-5) @ 1 St Ignatius (4-6) – Friday, 11/14 @ 6:00 pm
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Central Coast Section Playoff Preview: Four Salinas teams set for action
Reporting by Andrew Edwards/Special to the Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
