NCL I North and South Preview

It's the Civil War all over again as the teams in the NCL I North face off against the NCL I South. Here are the games:

Lower Lake (0-3) at Cloverdale (2-1) Friday night.

Though a Division III school, Lower Lake is down from last year and will likely struggle against Cloverdale on the road. Cloverdale will try to rebound from last week's 35-14 loss at Middletown.
My prediction: Cloverdale wins 35-7.



Clear Lake (2-0-1) at Middletown (2-1) Friday night.

Although some think Middletown will win easily, I think this game will be close -- at least for the first half. Clear Lake beat Willits by nearly the same score that Cloverdale did the week before, but I don't think that translates to a similar outcome in this game. I expect the score to be tied or within a touchdown at the half, with Middletown pulling away in the second half, but not by much.
My prediction: Middletown wins 28-17.




Fort Bragg (2-1) at St. Helena (2-1) Friday night.

This game will be a great barometer for the NCL leagues because neither team has faced a common opponent this season. I do believe that Fort Bragg is the tougher team, having played a close game against a good St. Vincent team that is better, in my opinion, than anyone St. Helena has played. I think it will be a wild one with lots of points scored, but most of those by Fort Bragg.
My prediction: Fort Bragg wins 48-28.



St. Vincent (3-0) at Willits (0-3) Friday night.

Division V St. Vincent is a good team having squeaked by the top two NCL I North teams in back to back weekends at home. Usually Willits is a difficult place to escape with a win, but Willits is down this year. A surprise outcome would be if the rain hinders the St. Vincent passing game and the score ends up closer than blowout proportions.
My prediction: St. Vincent wins 35-0.



Kelseyville (1-1-1) at Upper Lake (2-1) Saturday afternoon.

Kelseyville, who opened the season with a blowout loss to Berean Christian, rebounded the next two games. Clear Lake was expected to win handily against Kelseyville, but the game ended in a 7-7 tie. Then Kelseyville followed that with a 37-21 win over previously undefeated St. Helena. Upper Lake surprised everyone when they beat Lower Lake 28-14 on the road last week. How good are these teams? Except for the fans of both, I don't think anyone knows for sure.
My prediction: Kelseyville wins 28-21.