There are three teams I left off the rankings this week: Berean Christian, Harker, and Salesian. All three have some tough games in the next few weeks and I expect one or more of them will crack the top eight.
Of those in the top eight, Ferndale, the defending Division IV champ, remains at number one. I am not sure Ferndale will finish undefeated. They have a tough game this Saturday when they host Div. III Fortuna. Also, they must play a resurgent McKinleyville twice in league play. McKinlyeville, barely a Div. III school, was transferred from the HDL Big Five to the HDL Little Four, which of course changed the name of each league. McKinleyville had suffered through several years of misery and their student population dwindled. Thanks to a top JV team the past few years, more talent is rising to the varsity level and they are competitive again. Last weekend, they defeated former league foe Arcata 52-0. Although McKinleyville is a Div. III team this year, look for them to compete at the Div. IV level next year. They only have 712 students, 700 being the cutoff between Div. III and Div. IV.
I expect Justin Siena to have a great year and to be in the title game. They may not get one of the top two seeds by virtue of the tough league they play in, which almost guarantees a couple of losses, but I do think they are as good, if not better, than Ferndale. Last year's title game contender, St. Patrick/St. Vincents, is good, but not as good as last year. I'm not sure they will win their league and will probably finish with an 8-2 or 7-3 record.
Out of the NCL teams, Middletown, Clear Lake, Fort Bragg, and Cloverdale are fighting for a few spots in the Div. IV playoffs. I think Middletown and Clear Lake will make it, but anyone -- including a Kelseyville team that got trounced in week one by Berean Christian -- can make a run and surprise us all.
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