The first round of the 2025 North Coast Section (NCS) football playoffs is set to begin this weekend, featuring an exciting lineup of matchups across seven divisions.
In the Open/Division I bracket, the No. 8 seed San Ramon Valley (6-4) will face off against the top-seeded De La Salle (10-0) on Friday at 7 PM. In another notable game, No. 7 Liberty (8-2) will take on No. 2 Pittsburg (9-1), while No. 6 San Marin (8-2) faces No. 3 Cardinal Newman (9-1) at the same time. Additionally, No. 5 Marin Catholic (5-5) will challenge No. 4 Acalanes (10-0) on Friday evening.
The winners from the upper half of this bracket will advance to compete for the Open Division title in the second week of playoffs. The team that loses in the Open Division championship will go on to face the victor from the lower half of the bracket for the Division I championship in week three.
Moving to Division II, No. 3 California (7-3) will visit No. 6 American Canyon (9-1), while No. 7 Amador Valley (4-6) is set to challenge No. 2 Monte Vista (5-5). No. 5 Windsor (6-4) will also be in action against No. 4 Clayton Valley Charter (5-5), and the top seed, No. 1 Campolindo (8-2), will take on No. 8 Livermore (9-1).
In Division III, No. 6 Dublin (6-4) is set to meet No. 3 El Cerrito (8-2), while No. 2 Rancho Cotate (5-5) travels to face No. 7 James Logan (7-3). Other matchups include No. 4 Antioch (7-3) against No. 5 Ukiah (6-4) and No. 8 San Leandro (6-4) squaring off against No. 1 Vintage (6-4) at Memorial Stadium in Napa.
Division IV features No. 6 Alameda (9-1) visiting No. 3 Miramonte (5-5), with No. 7 Redwood (5-5) taking on No. 2 Benicia (6-4). No. 5 Deer Valley (6-4) will face No. 4 Granada (5-5), while No. 8 Irvington (7-3) visits No. 1 Hayward (7-3).
The Division V playoffs will see No. 6 Northgate (5-5) challenging No. 3 Salesian (9-1) on Saturday at 1 PM, while No. 7 Arroyo (8-2) takes on No. 2 Ferndale (10-0). Additionally, No. 5 Maria Carrillo (7-3) will meet No. 4 Las Lomas (5-5) on Friday, and No. 8 Analy (6-4) faces off with No. 1 St. Vincent de Paul (9-1) on Saturday.
In Division VI, No. 6 Mt. Diablo (6-4) is set to match up against No. 3 Bishop O”Dowd (6-4), while No. 7 Sonoma Valley (9-1) will visit No. 2 St. Helena (10-0). No. 5 Petaluma (7-3) is also in action against No. 4 Fortuna (6-4), and No. 8 San Rafael (7-3) will challenge No. 1 St. Bernard”s (9-1) on Saturday.
Finally, in Division VII, No. 6 Redwood Christian (8-2) will take on No. 3 Willits (7-3), while No. 2 Piedmont (6-4) faces No. 7 St. Patrick-St. Vincent (7-3). No. 5 Concord (6-4) will challenge No. 4 Vallejo (7-3), and No. 8 Archie Williams (6-4) is set to play against No. 1 Middletown (8-2) on Friday evening.
As the playoffs commence, anticipation builds for thrilling matchups that will determine which teams advance further in the quest for championship titles across the various divisions.
