NorCal Football Guys Podcast: Week 7 Recap, Playoff Picture Breakdown & Week 8 Preview (Almond Bowl Chico and PV, Gridley-Orland, East Nic-Winters)

Tex and KG recap Week 7 Northern Section football, including Los Plumas’ 32-point second half upset at Gridley behind Cayden Parris, Chico’s 35-7 EAL-opening win over Shasta, Foothill’s 44-14 win over Red Bluff featuring Ethan Anderson’s 253 yards and four TDs, and PV’s 52-28 win over Enterprise led by Brayden's four TDs. Other highlights include East Nic staying unbeaten, Lassen’s first win (56-6) with Landon Kurac accounting for five TDs, Williams’ MVL statement win over Maxwell powered by Azael Velasquez, and big performances from Paradise, Etna, UPrep, and others, plus an eight-man roundup. They discuss KG’s season picks (136-33), explain Northern Section playoff points and seeding vs league standings, compare division formats with other sections and competitive equity, then preview key Week 8 games led by East Nic at Winters, Chico vs PV (Almond Bowl), Shasta at Foothill, and Gridley at Orland.

00:00 Welcome and Coach Richards
03:02 Week Seven Recap Begins
04:53 EAL Results and Takeaways
07:32 NAL and MVL Upsets
10:08 More Scores and Eight Man
14:02 KG Pick-Em Praise
15:07 Division Two Playoff Picture
18:54 Division Three Seed Chaos
21:28 Division Four and Five Outlook
24:00 Competitive Equity Debate
34:49 Week Eight Game Preview
40:03 Notable Matchups and Sign Off

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Shasta High Coach Aaron Richards on Building a Physical 5-0 Team, Offseason Culture, and Standout Leaders

Coach Aaron Richards of Shasta High School shares his football and coaching journey from growing up in Cottonwood and playing at West Valley to NAIA and college coaching stops before returning to lead in the North State, now in his sixth season at Shasta. He explains how last year’s heavy injuries fueled an offseason commitment to strength and speed training, helping produce a 5-0 start and improved team physicality. Richards highlights the Lassen game as an early tone-setter and discusses replacing key offensive linemen by developing younger players. He details Shasta’s multi-sport approach and the importance of running the ball in November. He praises standout leaders Devin Ortega and Brayden Taylor, describes extensive Sunday preparation meetings, and credits staff, team moms, and administration while emphasizing player development and community impact, with winning as a byproduct.

00:00 Meet Coach Richards
00:26 Coaching Journey
01:23 Building Toughness
02:15 Season Turning Point
04:53 Offseason Philosophy
06:01 Devon Ortega Spotlight
08:03 Brayden Taylor Leadership
09:50 North State Football Rise
11:24 Winning In November
12:52 Sunday Prep Grind
14:47 Shoutouts And Program Values
16:52 Closing Thoughts

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NorCal Football Guys Podcast: Week 6 Recap + Northern Section Record Breakers (Wyatt Shaw & Wyatt Gillett)

KG and Tex recap Northern Section high school football results from Friday, Oct. 2 (Week 6), including wins by Redding Christian (6-0), East Nicolaus (6-0) over Pierce 7-6, Winters (6-0) over Paradise, Foothill over McLane, Chico over Corning, and other key scores across divisions and eight-man football. They highlight career record-breaking performances: Redding Christian QB Wyatt Shaw surpassing Jason Neugebauer’s Northern Section career passing yards mark (now 7,300+), plus holding multiple passing records, and Los Molinos RB Wyatt Gillett breaking Patrick Lunney’s career rushing record with 5,100+ yards. They also acknowledge historian Kevin Askeland’s role in tracking records, then preview upcoming league-play matchups, including Chico at Shasta, Foothill vs. Red Bluff, Enterprise at PV, Durham at East Nicolaus, Williams at Maxwell, and key NAL and West Side League games.

00:00 Welcome and Week Recap
01:08 Week Six Headlines
02:18 SVL and EAL Spotlight
06:04 More Scores Around NorCal
09:30 Eight Man Roundup
09:54 Record-Breaking Wyatts
14:33 Section Stats Historian
15:49 Week Seven League Preview
24:16 Games to Watch Picks
26:39 Final Sign Off

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NorCal Football Guys Podcast: Week 4–5 Recaps, MaxPreps Rankings, and Key Matchups (Gridley–Lassen, Red Bluff to Texas)

Tex and KG return to the NorCal Football Guys podcast after a short break, reflect on Tex’s interview with Winters coach Daniel Ward, and recap missed Week 4 and Week 5 Northern Section results, including Oakmont over Enterprise, Colusa over Hamilton, Pierce shutting out Williams (with A. Velasquez later returning for 309 yards and five TDs vs Portola), Redding Christian’s 71-8 rout of Central Valley and a subsequent forfeit win, Gridley’s win over Paradise then loss at Colfax, and dominant Sac Valley League wins by East Nicolaus and Winters. They discuss EAL vs D3 crossover results, concerns about Redding Christian’s lack of close games, and the influence of MaxPreps rankings (Redding Christian #1; East Nic #2; Gridley #3; Winters #4). They preview upcoming games led by Lassen at Gridley, Red Bluff traveling to Midland, Texas, Pierce at East Nic, and Paradise at Winters, and name sleepers Los Mo and Shasta while promoting listener growth and future interviews.

00:00 Welcome Back and Coach Ward
01:57 Week Four Recap Highlights
06:50 Week Five Recap Shockers
09:54 Redding Christian Dominance Debate
13:56 D2-D3 Crossover Breakdown
19:45 Rankings and Playoff Seeding Talk
21:50 Scoreboard Standouts and Stars
25:54 MaxPreps Rankings Update
27:25 Week Six Games to Watch
33:49 Sleepers and Final Sign Off

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Winters HC Daniel Ward on Building a NorCal Powerhouse, Winning State & the Warriors’ Next Chapter | NorCal Football Guys

The NorCal Football Guys Podcast (hosts KG and Tex) welcomes Coach Daniel Ward, head football coach at Winters High School since 2008, to discuss Winters’ tradition, community pride, and recent success, including a state championship win over Morse of San Diego. Ward praises the podcast for raising the Northern Section’s profile, then explains how Winters’ identity is built on toughness, selfless players, and strong relationships with kids—values influenced by former coach Jack Delbar. He recaps last season’s title run, emphasizing how a loss to Gridley and other close games built resilience, and describes the importance of small-town support. Ward highlights past star Jacob Lowrie and record-setting QB Lane Brown, then previews this year’s developing roster, key contributors, and the challenges of a tough SVL schedule and a small roster.

00:00 NorCal Podcast Intro
01:06 Meet Coach Ward
02:07 Shoutout to NorCal Media
03:47 Winters Pride and Community
05:12 Delbar Legacy and Toughness
07:48 Relationships Over Xs and Os
09:50 State Title Season Story
15:10 Adversity Fueled the Run
17:52 Scheduling Local Rivalries
21:14 Woodland Wolves 
21:44 Jacob Lowrie Spotlight
22:40 Toughness Stories
25:27 Lane Brown Era
28:12 Family and Community
30:48 Reloading After Title
31:45 New Leaders Emerge
35:40 SVL Gauntlet Ahead
36:45 Thanks and Sign Off

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NorCal Football Guys Podcast: Week 3 Recap, Unbeatens Check-In & Week 4 Preview

KG and Tex recap Northern Section Week 3, highlighting the EAL/Sierra-Foothill crossover results (Chico falls to Jesuit, Foothill routed by Del Oro, PV loses to Rocklin after a key goal-line stand). They cover major wins including Gridley’s 34-13 statement over Red Bluff behind Johnny Delgado and a dominant defense, Winters’ 31-28 comeback vs Woodland Christian during a Childhood Cancer Month Gold Out organized by Sean Wujon, East Nic staying unbeaten vs Marysville, and Redding Christian’s 46-7 win over Maxwell led by QB Shaw and defender Darren Goodman. They discuss Orland’s first win over Pierce, surprise unbeatens (Enterprise, Williams, Hamilton, CV), notable games (Los Molinos over Trinity by one, CV beating Etna 52-41), eight-man updates, scheduling philosophy, and preview Week 4 matchups including PV-Central Catholic, Chico-Manteca, Gridley-Paradise, Williams-Pierce, and Redding Christian-CV, plus a youth shout-out to Juice Hess and the 12U Chico Panthers.

00:00 NorCal Football Guys Intro
00:57 Week Three Agenda
01:42 EAL Crossover Recap
04:11 Gridley Stuns Red Bluff
06:54 Winters Gold Out Comeback
09:07 East Nic Stays Unbeaten
10:28 Redding Christian Rolls
12:50 Orland Gets First Win
14:59 Pierce Outlook and Seeding
16:37 Unbeaten Teams Radar
18:59 Hamilton Beats Willows
21:10 CV Outguns Etna
22:39 Trinity vs Los Molinos
23:32 Mid Valley Statement Wins
24:25 Eight Man Spotlight
25:46 Sorting Undefeated Teams
29:44 Scheduling Strategy Debate
35:11 Week Four Game Slate
39:56 Games To Watch Picks
43:30 Youth Shoutout Sign Off

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NorCal Football Guys Podcast: Non-League Recap, Undefeated Starts & Week 3 Preview (PV/Chico/Foothill vs SFL)

KG and Tex welcome listeners back to the NorCal Football Guys podcast to recap the first two weeks of Northern Section high school football and preview week three. They highlight big early results including Redding Christian’s dominant wins behind QB Wyatt Shaw and an ongoing win streak, Winters’ strong 2-0 start with a stingy defense, East Nicolaus’ statement shutout of West Valley, Gridley’s strong showing with new QB Johnny Delgado, Red Bluff’s 400-yard rushing night and shutout of Lassen, and close games like Paradise’s 29-28 win over Las Plumas plus a Hawaii Unity Bowl trip. They also note Enterprise and Shasta starting 2-0, discuss Hayfork’s 39-game eight-man streak and Loyalton’s rebound, preview key matchups (PV-Rocklin, Chico-Jesuit, Foothill-Del Oro, Gridley-Red Bluff, Woodland Christian-Winters, Orland-Pierce), and explain KG’s rankings formula based on production and strength of schedule while urging teams to post stats and track pancake blocks for linemen.

00:00 NorCal Football Guys Intro

00:57 Hosts Return and Setup

01:23 Week One Recap Highlights

05:20 Week Two Results Roundup

14:53 Paradise Hawaii Trip

16:26 Eight Man Spotlight

20:05 Week Three Big Previews

24:53 Key Matchups to Watch

29:18 Redding Christian Title Chase

31:03 How Rankings Are Made

34:25 Support Stats and Linemen

36:15 Closing and Sign Off

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 NorCal Football Guys Podcast: 2 State Champs Recap, Week Zero Highlights & 2026 Division Predictions

KG and Tex relaunch the NorCal Football Guys Podcast with a recap of a remarkable Northern Section season featuring two state champions: Redding Christian (Division V) and Winters (Division IV). They break down Redding Christian’s dominant run and returning playmakers under Coach of the Year Gerald Piper, plus Winters’ title path and the impact of MVP Lane Brown’s historic 2,000+ passing and 2,000+ rushing season as the Warriors reload. They also highlight undefeated eight-man Hayfork and other playoff storylines, including Gridley’s Division III title and Chico’s surprise Division II championship. The hosts review “week zero” results, preview key upcoming matchups and out-of-section games, make early division picks, discuss eight-man contenders, and note the growth of girls flag football in the section. 

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Welcome to the NorCal Football Guys Podcast!  We are excited to kickoff the 2026 Northern Section football season with you all!  Look out for our upcoming podcast releasing soon!

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