Coaching for Pizza: GCYFL Playoff and Halloween Updates Plus All Sorts of Sports Related Information

Sunday, October 20, 2024

We need to do a little catching up on Saturday night's doings.

I preferred to shine that day's spotlight solely on Jacob's Camarillo Stingers Blue team's Gold Coast Youth Football League's Junior American Conference Playoff Game.

Let's start with a recap of Saturday's GCYFL playoff results, remembering that the two last place teams from the higher rated, ten team Junior National Conference were relegated to the American Conference Playoffs as the #3 and #4 seeds.

Junior American Conference Playoffs

First Round Results

Saturday, October 19, 2024

#1 seed North Valley Bears (7-0) - BYE

#8 seed Camarillo Stingers Blue (6-2) - 10

#9 seed Camarillo Stingers Grey (4-4) - 0

#4 seed Fillmore Raiders (0-8 in JNC) - BYE

#5 seed Santa Clarita Aztecs (7-1) - 46

#12 seed Simi Valley Bulldogs Orange (2-6) - 6

#2 seed Simi Valley Bulldogs Black (6-1) - BYE

#7 seed Saugus Spartans White (6-2) - 40

#10 seed Oxnard Knights (4-4) - 8

#3 seed North Oxnard Warriors (0-8 in JNC) - BYE

#6 seed Santa Clarita Wildcats White (6-2) - 30

#11 seed Calabasas Rams Gold (3-5) - 0

No surprises in the GCYFL's opening salvo of playoff games as the higher seeds all won their games.

Junior American Conference Playoffs

Quarter-Final Playoff Schedule

Saturday, October 26, 2024

#8 seed Camarillo Stingers Blue (6-2) at

#1 seed North Valley Bears (7-0)

#5 Santa Clarita Aztecs (7-1) at

#4 seed Fillmore Raiders (0-8 in JNC)

#7 seed Saugus Spartans White (6-2) at

#2 seed Simi Valley Bulldogs Black (6-1)

#6 seed Santa Clarita Wildcats White (6-2) at

#3 seed North Oxnard Warriors (0-8 in JNC)

Jacob's Camarillo Stingers Blue crew will play their game against the North Valley Bears on the road at Sylmar's El Cariso Community Regional Park at 7:00 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs as their are no stands at this field.

For the Blue squad, it will be their eighth game away from their "home" field at Camarillo H.S. this season.

GO STINGERS!

Our friends Jeff and Grace Festerling's son Camden plays his Pop Warner football for the El Rio Spartans Midget Black team.

The Spartans are members of the Pacific Youth Football League.

What are the differences between the

GCYFL and the PYFL, you ask?

The three that come to mind are that: A. the PYFL plays 12 minute Quarters while the GCYFL plays 10 minute Quarters; B. the PYFL has higher weight limits than the GCYFL hence the Midget players were anything but midgets in size; and C. the PYFL has an annoying habit of having their teams actually play their scheduled home games at their designated home field at Rio Mesa H.S.

I had promised to come to the Spartans' last game of the regular season to take some photos for the Festerlings to enjoy.

Just as with our grandson Jacob's game today, this game was an intra-organization game as as the El Rio Spartans Midget Black team was taking on the El Rio Spartans Midget Red eleven on Rio Mesa H.S.'s John Reardon Field.

The Festerling boy, #96, was a Captain

The Blacks were bigger but the

Reds looked faster

This double team is opening a

huge hole for a positive run play

The Black team relied on its

size advantage to run the rock

The Reds' team speed meant

excellent Defensive pursuit

Open Field Tackles are HARD to execute!

"Sir, would you like some

maple syrup with your pancake?"

The Pit was not for the faint of heart

Is this legal?

The Black team was on the march

I opted to beat the traffic and left the game at Halftime with the Blacks team leading 8-0.

I missed a wild Second Half as the Blacks (6-1) beat the Reds (3-4), 36-22.

College football was big on Saturday . . .

I have become more and more enamored with my now two favorite non-NIL, non-Transfer Portal universities. Let's see how they performed this weekend.

We'll start with the Navy game.

DOMINANT!

Navy Midshipmen (6-0, 4-0 AAC) - 51

Charlotte 49ers (3-4, 2-1 AAC) - 17

Six wins earn you a Bowl Bid!

The #24 ranked Midshipmen have a huge game next Saturday when they travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey's MetLife Stadium to play a non-conference game against the independent, #12 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1).

A HUGE game indeed with lots of College Football Playoff implications!

What about Army, you wonder?

Another solid W!

Army Black Knights (7-0, 6-0 AAC) - 45

East Carolina Pirates (3-4, 1-2 AAC) - 28

The #23 ranked Black Knights have a bye next week before their first Commander-in-Chief Trophy game of the season on November 2nd, a non-conference contest at West Point against their academy rival Air Force Falcons (1-6, 0-4 Mountain West Conference).

The Army QB is a BALLER!

QB Bryson Daily has tied Army's all-time single season record for rushing TDs and still has five more regular season games, a bowl game and a possible AAC Championship Game to add to his totals.

Getting your name mentioned in the

same sentence with Army Legend

Elmer Oliphant is quite an honor!

Looking at Elmer Oliphant's image reminded me of the Illinois Fighting Illini's throwback helmets for their game on Saturday vs. the Michigan Wolverines.

Absolutely LOVED the Illinois look!

But no, they were definitely not leather helmets.

The throwbacks were to honor Fighting Illini great Harold "Red" Grange, a.k.a., "The Wheaton Iceman," on the 100 year anniversary of Grange's legendary 1924 game against the Wolverines when he scored four TDs in the first 12 minutes of the game leading Illinois to a 39-13 win.

The complete throwback Illinois uniform

Red Grange in 1924

I think I'm loving Red's high tech helmet even more than the throwback one.

Sunday's newest AP Top 25 Poll

Our unrankedWashington Huskies (4-3, 2-2 BIG-10) had a bye this week and now face the surprising #13 ranked Indiana Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 BIG-10) on the road next Saturday.

As for NFL Sunday . . .