THE PAGMETER
SEMI FINAL FRIDAY
PAG METER Early lines & Predictions
The Pag Meter in the quarterfinals went 18-6 and for the year 476-94 (83%)
Pag Meter misses in the Quarterfinals;
The Pag Meter flat out blew the upset special of Clovis vs Edison. I really thought that the Tigers would match up with the Cougars but that was not even close on that projection. The Clovis defense steam rolled the Tigers offense. I should have known when I saw the Tigers crowd not show up and the HUGE Cougars crowd that the Cougars would roll.
* The Pag Meter missed on the Golden Valley vs Highland game. The Bulldogs defense is on fire!
* Division 4 is where I had my issues.
* I missed the Kerman vs CVC game but did say that the Lions matched up well and can beat the Cavaliers if they play outstanding up front.
* I missed the Madera South vs Chowchilla game and boy can the Redskins play great on defense! MS moved the ball at will vs Bullard and Edison but Chowchilla stuffed the run and has the Stallions number.
* I missed the Selma vs Washington Union game. The Panthers offense stepped up
* I missed the Mendota vs Fowler game. I should have known that Beto would get the Aztecs fired up to play in Fowler.
Pag Meter big wins in the Quarterfinals;
* I picked Sunnyside over the slumping Tulare Union Redskins
* I picked Tulare Western beating Tehachapi and getting their 1st playoff win since 1986
*The Pag Meter’s No 1 team in division 4 Chavez beating Exeter
* California City traveling half the day and beating Tranquility
* Clovis North beat up Buchanan and then the fight!!!
The Quarterfinals wins but we almost had some shockers;
* Liberty holds off Central
* Sanger trailed 10-0 to Garces
* Kennedy trailed Strathmore
* Dos Palos hangs on over Firebaugh
* Memorial battled South
* Bullard hangs on over Clovis West
There are so many great matchup in the Semifinals.
Hanford, Ridgeview and Kennedy are the defending champions in their divisions.
Immanuel and Avenal lost in the title game.
Clovis, Liberty, Sanger, Lemoore, Chavez, Mendota, California City, and Sierra Pacific are back in the semifinals.
Kickoff is at 7pm Friday
Bring the leftover Turkey and get out and support the Semifinals!
Pag Meter weather forcast for kickoff.......VERY COLD!!!
Football weather!
Infact freezing!!!
Dress very warm!
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Valley Championship Division of Division 1
No 5 Clovis North Broncos (7-5) at No 1 Clovis Cougars (11-1)
Final Clovis 28 Clovis North 14
Pag Meter early line Clovis -14 ½
The early scoop
This is the rematch from week 9 when the Cougars beat the Broncos 41-28
How they got to the semifinals
Clovis North beat Buchanan 45-28
Jayson Lee rushed for 216 yards and scored 3 TD’s.
Clovis beat Edison 28-6
Josh Hokit was the Dog House Grill player of the week playing outstanding on both sides of the ball
The last time they played, Clovis rolled on offense and after watching the game film, I can’t figure out what the Broncos were thinking on their defensive alignments? The defensive scheme made no sense and the Cougars wide receivers were so wide open all night long. It’s like the CN game plan was to have QB Sean Kuenzinger try to miss his wide open receivers. CN cornerbacks would stand there 10 yards deep and let receivers run by them and hoped that somebody else would cover them. It looked like the pregame warm up when Clovis goes against air. Horrible game plan!!
It didn’t work because Kuenzinger went 13-17, for 269 yards and tied a school record with 6 TD passes. Head coach Tim Simons has put in his old defense scheme in after that game so we will see if that helps.
The scoop
The Edison Tigers defense semi slowed down the Cougars passing attack with 160 yards passing but the Broncos defense can’t do what the Tigers can do especially in the secondary.
The X factor is the Broncos defense because it’s has given up a bunch of points. Now last week the Broncos beat up the Bears but remember the Bears offensive game plan was not good and never gave Buchanan a chance to win. The Clovis offense is light years above the Buchanan offense.
The Pag Meter says that there was a big fight at the end of the Buchanan-Clovis North game that will affect this game. Five CN players are out with three starters are suspended and can’t play against Clovis. Starters that are out are outstanding CN safety Jason Helmuth, left tackle Malique Goedig, and left guard Garrett Richardson are out for the semifinals. Wow the entire left side of the offensive line is out. That’s a killer.
Apparently the CIF is letting CUSD make the decision on who is suspended for this week’s game. Some might miss the 1st quarter and then get to play. This week, the Broncos practices have been bad with no fire because of the fight. Not good!
Pag Meter side note
This is a tough situation on the Bronco players being suspended. Buchanan started the fight, the Bears players came across to field because they were getting their butt kicked and had nothing to lose and CN answered back. Heck I would have too! You come at me and I’m fighting. Some CN players made wrong decisions in the fight. Buchanan should pay the biggest price and I guess that will be in the 1st couple of games next year. Was CUSD a tad harsh disciplining Clovis North? They sure were not in 2012 when the Broncos got away with soooo much!
It wouldn’t have mattered if players at CN are suspended or not because Clovis is a better football team. Buchanan started the fight and played dirty and so far nothing about what will happen with Buchanan. Probably next year?
For the Broncos to pull the upset over the No 1 Cougars, they have to slow the game down and play power football and run the ball effectively with long drives and finish off with points. Can they do that without their left side of the offensive line? Not good! Yes they did. 14-14 heading into the 4th quarter. CN controlled the clock until the 4th quarter.
It’s the old cliche that it’s hard to beat the same team twice and the Broncos coaches have dissected the week 9 game film. The defense should play better? CN played much better on defense.
The Pag Meter says that it would be a miracle if Clovis North beats Clovis now with all the suspensions, the bad practices, etc...It will be a hard hitting game and the difference will be the red hot Cougars defense and the struggling Broncos defense. The Cougars are playing next week.
Pag Meter Prediction Clovis 28 Clovis North 14
Final CLOVIS 28 CLOVIS NORTH 14
Pag Meter nailed the score!
Broncos Jayson Lee, rushed for 127 yards and scored a TD to make the scored 14-14 heading into the 4th quarter and then is was all Cougars.
Josh Hokit’s scored on a 1-yard TD run and Clovis had the lead with 8:39 remaining. QB Sean Kuenzinger, threw a 13-yard TD pass to sophomore TE Colton Byrd and the No 1 Cougars are playing for the valley championship.
hrew
No 3 Bullard Knights (9-3) at No 2 Liberty Patriots (8-3)
Final Liberty 41 Bullard 7
Pag Meter early line Liberty -3
The Early scoop
The Knights have NOT been very successful playing in Bakersfield especially with the Knights very good teams throughout Bullard history. They did beat Stockdale 3 years ago with a young team and before that. the Knights beat the North Stars in 1970. That’s it. All the great Knights teams have all died in Bakersfield.
How they got to the semifinals
Bullard beat Clovis West 35-28
Charles Williams rushed for 175 yards and scored 3 TD’s.
Liberty beat Central 40-27
Quincy Jountti rushed for 226 yards and scored 3 TD’s.
These teams are so much alike that it's creepy. They both have outstanding running backs. They both have very good defenses. They both are good and bad at throwing the football. They both make country dumb mistakes.
The big difference is the Quarterbacks. That was the huge difference and it wasn't close
The Knights junior QB Jack Taylor doesn’t run much and the Patriots D does not need to focus on that.
The Patriots senior QB Jordan Love can run and pass and the Knights have to focus on him. The Knights could not slow Jordan down!
The X factor is both team’s passing attack and who is more effective will win. For the Knights to win, QB Jack Taylor has to play at his highest level. The Bullard passing attack didn't show up. Bullard was exposed because they can only throw when Jack rolls right.
The Patriots struggled against the Central Grizzlies because that’s the best team the Patriots have played in 2 months. The SWYL is flat out bad this year and Liberty is very good. When you play bad teams every week, a good team will crush them. When you aren't battle tested, it’s hard to turn up the heat with a flash. That statement is true but Liberty is the best team in the valley!
The Knights come in and this will be the best team by far that Liberty has seen in awhile. True but Liberty beat up the Knights!
The Pag Meter says that Charles Williams is the best back in the valley and Liberty will do a good job against him but sooner or later he is breaking one. He was stuffed all night long
Can the Knights defense control Jordan Love and Quincy Jountti? That is the huge question mark! They did not!
The Knights junior linebackers of Cameron Lamanuzzi and Ben Baker need to fire up the defense because it will be a war upfront. The Knights defense got crushed trying to stop the run and pass.
The Patriots have two players on defense that play in beast mode with senior LB Krys Barnes and junior DE Kurtis Brown. Brown comes in banged up but is almost unblockable! The Liberty defense stuffed the Knights
The other big X factor is the Knights special teams because it is not good. Bullard can not afford any blunders to win in Bakersfield.
The Knights schedule has them battle tested and Liberty is not. Both teams will make silly mistakes and who can clean up their act will play next week. It didn't matter because the Knights got their ass kicked!
The Knights have more team speed than Liberty and that could be a factor.
The Pag Meter picked the Knights to reach Championship Friday back in August so I’m sticking with my pick. This will be a hard hitting good old fashion football game!! That being said, if the Knights have no plan B if Charles Williams is stopped, then the Patriots will roll. THEY HAD NO PLAN B.
Pag Meter Prediction Bullard 28 Liberty 27
Final LIBERTY 41 BULLARD 7
If this was an MMA fight , the Knights would have tapped out by halftime.
This is a game where Liberty was prepared for the Knights offense and the Knights had no plan B after Williams was shut down. You think the Knights would have learned something after Sanger beat them up. The X factor all year for the Knights was the passing game and the passing game was crushed. The Knights passing game is really not a passing game and I don't even know what to call it.
Give all the credit to the Patriots because they were physically tougher for 48 minutes. QB Jordan Love, went 14-of-23 for 220 passing yards and rushed for 70 yards. RB Quincy Jountti rushed for 173 yards and scored 4 TD's.
Division 2
No 5 Sunnyside Wildcats (8-4) at No 1 Ridgeview Wolf Pack (12-0)
Final Ridgeview 56 Sunnyside 16
Pag Meter early line Ridgeview -18
The early scoop
The defending champion Wolf Pack practiced on their 5th straight Thanksgiving day.
How they got to the Semifinals
Sunnyside beat Tulare Union 46-14
The Wildcats had a 33 -7 lead and never looked back. Trae Magee rushed for 3 TD’s and Tajee Scott scored 2 TD’s. Marcus Hawkins rushed for 123 yards
Ridgeview beat West 54-35
Darius Smith rushed for 187 yards and scored 2 TD’s including a 90 yard TD run and the Wolf Pack opened up a big lead before they shut it down in the 4th quarter.
Sunnyside is the team that can beat the New England Patriots and then turn around and lose to the 11 employees at Marie Callender’s. What team will show up?
The X Factor is the Sunnyside Wildcats! The big question is can the Wildcats focus on their assignments and not think about playing the best team in Bakersfield and play with an attitude? Or will they played scared and be intimidated? The Wildcats were intimidated and had zero chance of winning.
The Pag Meter says that Sunnyside has the talent to hang but it is now between the ears!! They have to believe or it will be a long ride home. The Wolf Pack have not been tested all year!!!
Pag Meter Prediction Ridgeview 45 Sunnyside 25
Final RIDGEVIEW 56 SUNNYSIDE 16
The Wolf Pack had a 49-0 lead at the half. Enough said. The defending champions are playing in their 5th straight section championship.
No 3 Sanger Apaches (10-2) at No 2 Lemoore Tigers (10-2)
Final Lemoore 15 Sanger 5
Pag Meter early line Lemoore -5
The early scoop
This is the rematch from week 3 when the Tigers beat the Apaches 21-19
How they got to the Semifinals
Sanger beat Garces 13-10
The Apaches got down 10-0 and was in trouble until the Andrew Azua picked off a pass when the Rams tried a fake field goal. The game winner came in the 4th quarter when QB Michael Castillo hit Christian Graney on a 21 yard TD pass and the Apaches dodged a bullet.
Lemoore beat El Diamante 24-7
QB Logan Ahlin threw for 154 yards with 2 TD passes and Allen Perryman had 4 catches for 96 yards. Trey Perryman rushed for 83 yards
This is the game everybody knew that would happen back in July. It was just a matter of where the game was going to be played. Since Lemoore won the 1st meeting 21-19, the game is in Lemoore.
Both teams are so much better now. Sanger fumbled 5 times and Lemoore was banged up and played without QB Logan Ahlin.
The X factor is the Apaches offense. The Tigers beat up the Apaches offense. Both defenses are real good.
The Pag Meter says that the Apaches game plan is to pound the ball with Isaiah Hilliard with long drives.
On paper the Tigers have more team speed but if the Apaches offense is on their game, this game comes down to the final minutes. The possible semi X factor could be the CMAC champions were tested in every game and the WYL champions haven’t been tested since they played Sanger. Boy this is a tough call with 2 really good defenses!!
Pag Meter prediction Lemoore 21 Sanger 14
Final LEMOORE 15 SANGER 5
The Apaches Kryptonite is the Lemoore Tigers. They can't beat them. This game was a defensive battle. Allen Perryman caught a 23 yard TD pass from QB Logan Ahlin for the game winner. The Apaches had no plan B after the run game was shutdown.
Division 3
No 12 Golden Valley Bulldogs (6-7) at No 1 Hanford Bullpups(11-1)
Final Hanford 42 Golden Valley 14
Pag Meter early line Hanford -25
The early scoop
This is the Dog Bowl
How they got to the semifinals
Golden Valley beat Highland 29-8
Tyler Thompson rushed for 138 yards and scored 3 TD’s with runs of 3, 16 and 3 yards.
Hanford beat Kingsburg 42-7
WR Ju’Wuane Hughes is back and boy did the Bullpups miss him! He had 190 receiving yards.
The Cinderella team vs the defending champions. Can the Bulldogs pull the shocker? Not a chance
Who would have thought that the 6-6 Bulldogs would be in the semifinals!
The X factor is the Bulldogs defense and can they match up with the Bullpups offense? Hanford is healthy again.
The Pag Meter says that the Bulldogs need to bring the muscle up front and pound it with Thompson and play great defense to pull the shocker. Hanford is back playing good again and has way too much speed but hey, that’s why they play the game.
Pag Meter Prediction Hanford 45 Golden Valley 19
Final Hanford 42 Golden Valley 14
Red hot QB Ryan Johnson went 16 for 22 for 240 yards passing and threw 4 TD passes and the defending champions are one win away. ,
No 6 Tulare Western Mustangs (9-4) at No 2 Memorial Panthers (9-3)
Final Memorial 35 Tulare Western 26
The Pag Meter early line Memorial -5
The early scoop
The battle of two very good defenses.
How they got to the Semifinals
Tulare Western beat Tehachapi 15-8
David Alcantar scored 2 TD’s with runs of 1 and 18 yards.
Memorial beat South 27-21
QB Michael Alvarez started off the scoring when he went 73 yards for a TD. Joey Ruiz scored 2 TD’s including a 37 yard pick six. Chris Paz caught a 22 yard TD pass from Alvarez.
The X Factor is both QB’s with the Mustangs Andre Aguilar and Panthers QB Michael Alvarez. Both QB’s can run and pass and the defenses has to focus on them as well as both hot running backs.
It’s David Alcantar vs Joey Ruiz.
The Pag Meter says that this a very even matchup on both sides of the ball and who can finish in the red zone will play next week.
Pag Meter Prediction Memorial 31 Tulare Western 24
Final MEMORIAL 35 TULARE WESTERN 26
The Panthers trailed at the half 26-7 and the Panthers rolled in the 2nd half with Joey Ruiz, who scored 3 TD's and finished with 201 yards rushing.
DIVISION 4
No 9 Kerman Lions (7-5) at No 4 Chowchilla Redskins (10-2)
Final CHowchilla 46 Kerman 27
Pag Meter early line Chowchilla -7
The early scoop
This is a rematch from week 6 and the Redskins rolled 46-21
How they got to the Semifinals
Kerman beat CVC 21-14
Sophomore QB Sean Chambers rushed for 163 yards including a 52 yard TD run and Brandon Smith scored on runs of 15 and 11 yards.
Chowchilla beat Madera South 27-20
The Redskins jumped out 21-0. The leader Alex Gutierrez is back after breaking his arm and scored on a 4 yard TD run. Anthony Stewart scored 2 TD’s with runs of 5 and 7 yards and Danny Chavez scored on a 2 yard TD run.
When they played in week 6, the Redskins scored 3 TD’s late and the Lions were banged up so the 46-21 score looks like a blowout . This is a completely different Lions team now. I know I know what you're thinking...hey Pag Meter, the Lions had to win on a Hail Mary pass in the win over Taft?
In football, you need to be lucky and good at the same time and the Lions have the eye of the Tiger right now. In Kerman’s case, it’s the eye of the Lion. Taft is not an easy place to play.
For the Redskins, they have RB Alex Gutierrez back after breaking his arm a month ago and is back so early and he scorched the Lions in the 1st meeting scoring 3 TD’s. Gutierrez is not a 100 % but he is the Redskins spark plug. Nobody plays harder than Alex!
The X factor is can the Lions come in with the CVC confidence? If they can beat CVC , then they can beat Chowchilla but has to play great defense. They did not. The Lions were not ready.
The Redskins have plenty of team speed and with a big offensive line. The Lions have to be tough up front or they will get beat up. The Lions got beat up.
The Pag Meter will be at this game!!
Pag Meter UPSET SPECIAL Kerman 30 Chowchilla 28
Final CHOWCHILLA 46 KERMAN 27
The Pag Meter should have waited until after the warm ups from both teams before making the prediction because I would have change it to a Chowchilla blowout. The Redskins came to play, had a great warm up and were fired up. Kerman looked like they were going to a late night movie and were half asleep. The Lions were done at the coin flip and were out played from A to Z . The score looks good but this was a blow out. Anthony Stewart scored 4 TD's and the Redskins are a very good team!!!
No 3 Washington Union Panthers (9-3) at No 2 Chavez Titans (10-2)
Final Washington Union 31 Chavez 28
Pag Meter early line Chavez -4
The early scoop
The best defenses will battle
How they got to the semifinals
Washington Union beat Selma 31-14
Noah Beukers scored 2 TD’s on runs of 1 and 30 yards. Devontae Massey caught a 40 yard TD pass.
Chavez beat Exeter 28-17
Damian Avila rushed for 83 yards and scored 2 TD’s with runs of 1 and 3 yards
Both teams have shut down defenses and when they are on, they are both tough to run against.
The X factor is the Panthers offense. The O will sometimes stall and senior QB Ashanti Ross who has thrown for 1,177 yards in 8 games will need to make the right decisions against the Titans. His favorite receiver is Carlos Silva with 37 receptions.
The Titans have not played a tough schedule but they are very good on both sides of the ball and will get after it. They are so good at tackling.
The Titans QB Deion Perkins is playing outstanding and has thrown for 1,442 with 16 TD passes. Perkins will throw to a bunch of different receivers.
The Pag Meter says that the Titans gave up a bunch of yards to Exeter and they need to be ready this week because this will be the fastest team that the Titans have played.
Pag Meter Prediction Chavez 31 Washington Union 28
Final WASHINGTON UNION 31 CHAVEZ 28
The Pag Meter nailed the score but the wrong team. QB Ashanti Ross hit Noah Beukers in the end zone with a 16-yard TD pass and the game winner with only 49 seconds to go in a great game. Noah Beukers was the player of the game on both sides of the ball.
Division 5
No 4 Woodlake Tigers (9-3) vs No 1 Immanuel Eagles (9-2)
Final Immanuel 42 Woodlake 7
Pag Meter early line Immanuel -24
The early scoop
The Tigers have won 9 in a row and can they keep it close heading into the 4th quarter?
How they both got to the Semifinals
Woodlake beat Kern Valley 34-17
Noe Garcia scored 4 TD’s and the Tigers are rolling.
Immanuel beat Caruthers 44-14
The Eagles jumped out to a 22-0 lead and it was over after the 1st quarter. Kyle Dunigan and Ryan Case each scored on 8 yard TD runs. QB Caleb Paulson threw 2 TD passes. Andrue Lackey caught a 20 yarder and a 40 yard TD catch by Adrian Jump. Case also scored on a 15 yard TD run.
It was just a few short years ago when the Tigers used to dominate the Eagles. Now the Eagles have promoted their sports programs and now are dominating division 5.
The X factor is the Tigers need to keep it close heading into the 4th quarter because the Tigers are a 2nd half team. The Eagles are a knockout team and that means they want to get it over with in the 1st quarter. The Eagles got the knockout
The Pag Meter says that the Eagles are tough on the carpet.
Pag Meter Prediction Immanuel 39 Woodlake 14
Final IMMANUEL 42 WOODLAKE 7
QB Caleb Paulson threw 4 TD passes and the defense shutdown the Tigers
No 7 Mendota Aztecs (9-4) at No 3 Dos Palos Broncos (7-5)
Final Mendota 49 Dos Palos 34
Pag Meter early line Dos Palos-1
The early scoop
This is a rematch from week 7 and the Broncos won 14-13
How they both got to the Semifinals
Mendota beat Fowler 24-7
Edgar's younger brother Erick Segura scored on a 7 yard TD run and QB Junior Cardenas threw 2 TD passes, the 1st TD pass went to Luis Mojarro on a 19 yarder and the 2nd went to his cousin Julian Cardenas on a 20 yard TD catch.
Dos Palos beat Firebaugh 22-18
The Broncos win their 6 straight game
The last time they played, the Aztecs missed an extra point in the 3rd quarter and lost 14-13.
This is the toughest one to pick of all semifinal games. If they played 100 times, it might be flip of a coin at 50/50
The X factor is the Broncos are made for a playoff team. They are big upfront and will pound you with a big offensive line and they don’t make mistakes.
The Pag Meter says that the Aztecs are playing their best football and if they can beat the Redcats in Fowler, the Aztecs can win 26 miles away from home in Dos Palos. If Mendota doesn’t turn the ball over then they win.
Pag Meter Prediction Dos Palos 21 Mendota 20
Final MENDOTA 49 DOS PALOS 34
QB Junior Cardenas had his best game at the right time and threw for 358 yards with five touchdown passes. The Aztecs are playing their best football.
Division 6
No 4 California City Ravens (8-4) at No 1 Kennedy Thunderbirds (9-3)
Final Kennedy 49 Cal City 18
Pag Meter early line Kennedy -16
The early scoop
Last year in the semifinals Kennedy Beat California City 48-6
How they both got to the Semifinals
California City beat Tranquility 26-8
The Raven’s defense played a great game
Kennedy beat Strathmore 40-28
Devon Lee scored 3 TD’s and the Thunderbirds trailed 14-7 in the 1st quarter before kicking it into gear.
Last year the Ravens got smoked in the playoffs against Kennedy and you know the players that played have watched that game film a bunch of times.
The X factor is the Ravens offense because the defense can hang but will need the offense to do their part.
The Pag Meter says that the Ravens have to make the long drive again and will need to play amazing on both sides of the ball to have a great bus ride home.
Pag Meter Prediction Kennedy 37 Cal City 21
Final KENNEDY 49 CAL CITY 18
The defending champions are rolling into the section finals. RB David Zepeda rushed 20 times for 145 yards.
No 3 Sierra Pacific Golden Bears (8-4) at No 2 Avenal Buccaneers (8-4)
Final Avenal 35 Sierra Pacific 21
Pag Meter early line Avenal -8
The early scoop
This is the rematch from week 1 and the Buccaneers won 25-19
Both teams just knew they would meet again the day after Thanksgiving!
How they both got to the Semifinals
Sierra Pacific beat Orange Cove 49-13
Playing their best football heading into the semifinals
Avenal beat McFarland 72-6
This game was over at the coin flip.
Everybody just knew they would play again. Both teams were not tested last week in the quarterfinals so both teams are fresh.
The X factor is the Golden Bears and can they clean up the mistakes from the 1st game?
The Pag Meter says that both teams are dangerous and Avenal has the edge playing at home. Avenal is more battle tested and that could be the difference.
Pag Meter Prediction Avenal 33 Sierra Pacific 23
Final AVENAL 35 SIERRA PACIFIC 21
The Golden Bears led 21-14 after 3 quarters and it was all Bucs in the 4th quarter.
