Bay Area high school football 2025: Week 8 preview, schedule

Week 8 of the high school football season is here.

This week’s lineup features Campolindo  traveling to Acalanes, Wilcox playing host to Los Gatos, San Mateo taking on The King’s Academy,California playing rival San Ramon Valley and more. 

The Bay Area News Group will have complete coverage all weekend – and season — at mercurynews.com/sports and eastbaytimes.com/sports.

Here are this week’s top matchups:

Thursday

San Mateo (4-2, 1-0) at The King’s Academy (5-1, 1-0), 7 p.m.: King’s Academy comes off an eye-opening 45-7 win over Burlingame and will look to keep the good times rolling at home. Quarterback Ricky Gutierrez had a big day last week, passing for 230 yards and three touchdowns to Adrian Barnett, Aaron Duncan and Jaiden Flores. Justin Turner returned an interception for a touchdown as well. San Mateo had a strong start to league play as well, taking a 35-7 lead on Mountain View and cruising to a 35-21 victory. The Bearcats’ backfield had a big day, as quarterback Lukas Fitzgerald had 20 carries for 126 yards and a score and Jovani Hernandez Cruz carried 18 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. HSRatings.com projects a 31-17 King’s Academy win.  —Christian Babcock 

Friday

No. 9 Campolindo (6-0, 0-0) at No. 4 Acalanes (7-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.: This Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division matchup has been circled on the calendar for both of these rival schools. Campolindo and Acalanes are off to undefeated starts and have proven to be two of the Bay Area’s top teams. Campolindo is coming off an impressive 28-21 win over Monte Vista on the road. Quarterback Reid Habas has been an efficient thrower and has plenty of weapons to throw to with receivers Everett Zellmer and Sean Parker on the perimeter. The Cougars’ running game is just as lethal with senior workhorses Micah Parker and Zach Tabibian holding down the backfield. Campolindo’s defense, led by San Diego State-bound defensive end/tight end Crosby Kelly, will have a tall task on its hands slowing down Acalanes’ high-powered offense. Acalanes has put up 41 points per game behind dual-threat junior quarterback Tyler Winkles and bruising power back Josh Elerts. Junior wide receiver Finley Rivera is averaging a whopping 104.9 receiving yards per game. Acalanes beat Campolindo twice last season – once in Moraga in the regular season and again in the North Coast Section Division III championship game. HSRatings.com predicts a final score of 28-21 in favor of Acalanes. – Nathan Canilao

No. 6 Los Gatos (3-3, 1-0) at No. 16 Wilcox (4-2, 1-0), 7 p.m.: A renewal of one of the South Bay’s best rivalries could decide the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division title. It’s early in the league season, but as usual, the Wildcats and Chargers look like the class of the PAL Bay. After early-season stumbles against West Catholic Athletic League foes Valley Christian and Archbishop Mitty, Wilcox has righted the ship and won four in a row. The Chargers have a confident and composed junior quarterback in Kai Imahara and a talented two-way player in running back/safety Elijah Vallejo. Santino Barragan and Isaiah Arevalos have made splash plays on defense. Los Gatos, after a tough early slate against stellar nonleague competition, is looking for a signature win. HSRatings.com projects the Cats will roll 44-10 and gives Los Gatos a 98% chance to claim victory.  —Christian Babcock  

No. 7 San Ramon Valley (5-2, 1-0) at No. 8 California (6-0, 0-0), 7:15 p.m.: Can California stay undefeated? That will be the challenge for the Grizzlies as they welcome rival San Ramon Valley in this East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division matchup. SRV is coming off a lopsided 41-14 win over Amador Valley in which quarterback Cole Dawes completed 11-of-13 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Colton Fitzgibbon has been Dawes’ favorite target this season, catching eight touchdown passes through seven games. The Wolves will need to find a way to stop California quarterback Arjun Banerjee, who has tossed 13 touchdowns and has a completion percentage of 73.3%. California running back Jordan Lee figures to be in SRV’s defensive gameplan as the senior is averaging 97.2 rushing yards per game. California will be looking for its first win over SRV since 2018, having lost the last seven matchups. HSRatings.com projects a 28-21 win for SRV. — Nathan Canilao

Half Moon Bay (4-2, 1-1) at No. 25 Woodside (6-0, 1-0), 7 p.m.: Can Woodside sustain its dominant start for one more week? Signs point to yes. The Wildcats have not truly been tested so far this season, and at this rate, they might not be until the playoffs. Woodside has shut out half of its opponents, winning every game by at least 21 points. Charlie Dalrymple splits snaps at quarterback with JJ Lange, though Lange is more of a running threat and has only attempted one pass this season. The Cats will also snap the ball directly to running backs Evan Frampton and Daniel Torres and fullback James Yauch. Half Moon Bay is coming off a thrilling triple-overtime loss to Milpitas and is looking for a bounce-back win. Running back Ronin McCauley is a key piece offensively, and linebacker Lane Miller helps lead the defense. HSRatings.com projects a 41-28 Woodside win.  —Christian Babcock 

Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 16

Branham at Christopher, 7:15 p.m.

El Camino at MacDonald, 7 p.m.

Evergreen Valley at Prospect, 7:15 p.m.

Gunn at Los Altos, 7 p.m.

Mt. Pleasant at Independence, 7:15 p.m.

San Mateo at The King’s Academy, 7 p.m.

San Jose at James Lick, 7 p.m.

Sobrato at Gilroy, 7:15 p.m.

Washington-Fremont vs. Kennedy-Fremont at Tak Fudenna Stadium, 7 p.m.

Yerba Buena at Hill, 7:15 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 17

Albany at Bethel, 7:30 p.m.

Bellarmine at St. Ignatius, 7 p.m.

Berean Christian at Ygnacio Valley, 7 p.m.

Berkeley at Castro Valley, 7 p.m.

Burlingame at Carlmont, 7 p.m.

Campolindo at Acalanes, 7 p.m.

Castlemont at Skyline, 7:30 p.m.

College Park at Alhambra, 7 p.m.

Cupertino at Saratoga, 7 p.m.

Deer Valley at Antioch, 7 p.m.

De La Salle at Amador Valley, 7:15 p.m.

Del Mar at Silver Creek, 7:15 p.m.

Dublin at Granada, 7:15 p.m.

Encinal at Arroyo, 4 p.m.

Freedom at Heritage, 7 p.m.

Gunderson at Westmont, 7 p.m.

Half Moon Bay at Woodside, 7 p.m.

Hercules at Kennedy-Richmond, 7 p.m.

Irvington at Piedmont, 7 p.m.

James Logan at Tennyson, 7 p.m.

Jefferson at Monta Vista, 7 p.m.

Leigh at Santa Teresa, 7:15 p.m.

Lincoln-San Jose at Live Oak, 7:15 p.m.

Livermore vs. Redwood Christian at Emerald HS, 7 p.m.

Los Gatos at Wilcox, 7 p.m.

McClymonds at Fremont-Oakland, 7 p.m.

Menlo School at Palo Alto, 7 p.m.

Mills at Homestead, 7 p.m.

Milpitas at Aragon, 7 p.m.

Miramonte at Clayton Valley Charter, 7 p.m.

Monte Vista at Oak Ridge, 7 p.m.

Moreau Catholic at San Leandro, 7 p.m.

Mountain View at Capuchino, 7 p.m.

Mt. Diablo at Concord, 7 p.m.

Mt. Eden at Alameda, 7 p.m.

Newark Memorial at Hayward, 7 p.m.

Northgate at Benicia, 7 p.m.

Oakland Tech at Oakland, 7 p.m.

Overfelt at Oak Grove, 7:15 p.m.

Pioneer at Piedmont Hills, 7:15 p.m.

Pittsburg at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Sacred Heart Cathedral vs. Archbishop Mitty at Foothill College, 7 p.m.

Sacred Heart Prep at Menlo-Atherton, 7 p.m.

St. Mary’s-Berkeley at De Anza, 7 p.m.

St. Patrick-St. Vincent at Richmond, 7 p.m.

Salesian at El Cerrito, 7 p.m.

San Lorenzo at American, 7 p.m.

San Ramon Valley at California, 7:15 p.m.

Sequoia at Hillsdale, 7 p.m.

South San Francisco at Santa Clara, 7 p.m.

Terra Nova at Fremont-Sunnyvale, 7 p.m.

Vallejo at Pinole Valley, 7 p.m.

Willow Glen at Leland, 7:15 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 18

St. Francis at Serra, 1:30 p.m.

Valley Christian at Archbishop Riordan, 1:30 p.m.