7 Friday Night: Recent Episodes
SportStars Magazine
SportStars Magazine — the NorCal high school sports publication that also produces the SportStories Podcast — now offers up 7 Friday Night: A weekly high school football-specific series hosted by SportStars editor Chace Bryson and his longtime friend and colleague, Ben Enos. With former De La Salle-Concord coaching legend Terry Eidson as a regular guest, 7 Friday Night will be a lively conversation between three men (and sometimes more!) who care deeply for high school football.
In the last 2023 episode, Ben and Chace break down all the big results from last weekend's CIF State Bowl Championship games — which included 10 wins by NorCal teams. The hosts offer thoughts and analysis on each game from the top five divisions and more.
Afterward, they welcome now two-time state champion Charles Williams of Marin Catholic-Kentfield. The two-way star had an epic performance in the Wildcats' 3-A State Bowl win over Mayfair. Williams talks about the win, the team's growth over the season, and reflects on the end of a heavily decorated Marin Catholic career.
Finally, Coach Eidson makes his last visit of the season to talk some about De La Salle's tough loss to Mission Viejo in the 1-AA State Bowl — and why his lack of burrito transport skills may have had an impact. We're also treated to one last Dumb Football, and Coach can't resist making one last pick for the season either.
We've reached the final weekend of the season, and hosts Chace and Ben fight through their melancholy feels to pack an episode full of NorCal regionals review, State Bowl preview chatter and multiple guests.
CalHiSports.com editor and state high school sports historian Mark Tennis joins the program first to help preview this weekend's state bowl matchups. Tennis and the hosts chat about CIF's new three-site approach, the competitive equity debate, which NorCal teams should be considered favorites and more.
Coach Eidson's segment follows and features its own special guest as De La Salle head coach and professional Eidson needler, Justin Alumbaugh, drops by. Alumbaugh talks about the Spartans' big NorCal win and season-long resiliency while Eidson breaks down De La Salle bowl opponent, Mission Viejo, shares an in-depth player-produced scouting report, and ruminates on how he can keep his Los Panchos Burrito Magic alive in Southern California.
This week's show sees Ben and Chace recount a glorious weekend of section finals — there were FOUR one-point games. They talk upsets, share analysis from the three games they were present for, and list their NorCal Top 5 heading into CIF State Bowl regionals this week.
Speaking of regionals, the hosts list all 15 games and break down several of the pairings before they each take a side on the top six divisions.
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his weekly appearance and breaks down De La Salle's big matchup at home against an undefeated Clovis North-Fresno team. Coach also makes his prediction on two of the big games and offers up his favorite "Dumb Football" of the week.
It's our annual Thanksgiving/Section Championship episode full of delicious (yeah, we went there) commentary on all things pigskin along with a visit from Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez. Chace & Ben review semifinals (and Open Championship) weekend before diving into thoughts, analysis and picks on several of this week's biggest section finals.
One such final is the North Coast Section Div. I showdown between Pittsburg and San Ramon Valley. Coach Ramirez spends 15 minutes with the guys discussing the matchup, the nuances of his first season as head coach, and revealing the Pirates uniform combination.
Finally, Coach Eidson drops in for his weekly segment and offers perspective on De La Salle's 31st straight NCS title. He also weighs in on the controversial special-teams related ending to the Central Section semifinal involving Shafter High. And finally, the boys talk best Thanksgiving pies.
It's another playoff mega-episode with multiple guests, beginning with St. Ignatius-SF quarterback Soren Hummel. Soren details his team's last second win over Valley Christian-San Jose as well as they keys to Wildcats success this season. He also casts the tie-breaking vote in our season-long poll of whether it's a greater feeling to hit a walk-off home run or an 80-yard game-winning TD pass.
Chace and Ben break down all the scores and notes from last week's playoff action before diving into the slew of great semifinal matchups this week. They also play a few rounds of "Fill The Gap" and make their picks for the week.
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his usual stop to talk about trying to stop San Ramon Valley's Luke Baker for the second time this season. He also makes a few of his own playoff picks and delivers some "Dumb Football."
As Coach Eidson waxes poetic about a nip in the air, the changing leaves and the stadium lights turning on by 5 o'clock, the 7FN team breaks down playoff brackets and matchups from throughout NorCal. Chace and Ben chat seedings, results, matchups and more.
The show also welcomes first-time guest, Dom Ingrassia, after he helped lead San Marin-Novato to the program's first win over Marin Catholic-Kentfield since 2008. Ingrassia talks about what it meant to the team to snap the 15-game skid to the Wildcats, what makes this Mustangs team tick, and how Ingrassia Family dynamics played out during the week.
Coach Eidson recounts his trip to the Breeder's Cup, weighs in on some NCS seedings and pairings, and offers up some Dumb AND Smart Football. Finally, all three members of the pod make their picks for the week.
This week the crew breaks down the Sac-Joaquin Section playoff brackets and shares thoughts on the biggest surprises, best first-round matchups and best potential quarterfinal or semifinal clashes.
There's also plenty of chatter about the final week of North Coast Section action, which includes Ben and Chace asking Coach Eidson to put his seeding committee hat on when it comes to separating the resumes of Pittsburg and San Ramon Valley-Danville.
Finally, Coach Eidson also brings back "Dumb Football" and all three members make their picks for the week. Can Ben hold on to his narrow lead?
The entire 7 Friday Night team opens the show on a somber note as they gather to share some thoughts on the passing of De La Salle assistant coach Steve Jacoby. After, Chace and Ben begin dissecting the loads of good football happening throughout NorCal.
Ben recounts attending the Metro League classic between Grant-Sacramento and Monterey Trail-Elk Grove. They also look ahead to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs which are just a week away before turning their attention to the Bay Area and welcoming Acalanes-Lafayette receiver Trevor Rogers. Rogers shares about the Dons' big game at Las Lomas-Walnut Creek this week, the keys to his team's turnaround after an 0-3 start, and his serendipitous middle initial.
Finally, Coach Eidson returns for his own regularly scheduled segment and brings praise for El Cerrito. All three eventually make a number of picks for the week, and they don't feel great about any of them.
All three members of the podcast just happened to be at the biggest game of last week, and perhaps the biggest game of the year so far: De La Salle at San Ramon Valley. So naturally, there's a good deal of discussion about the Wolves' near victory and eventual overtime loss.
Chace and Ben also revisit NorCal's Week 9 scoreboard with some kudos for 12 Bridges-Lincoln, Alhambra-Martinez and more. They also make their weekly picks, and Chace plays dirty in hopes of making up ground.
Finally, Coach Eidson brings all the content this week. Thoughts on De La Salle's narrow escape, more tales of burritos, a rousing edition of "Dumb Football" and a story about his 6-month old puppy, Harlow.
Chace returns to the command seat and promptly screws up a recording session. But he and Ben persevere for a jam-packed episode that welcomes special guest, Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills coach Casey Taylor fresh off his 200th career victory. … The hosts also review Week 8 across NorCal, make their picks for Week 9 and discuss thoughts on every state championship being in SoCal this season. … Finally, Coach Eidson also drops in for thoughts on the De La Salle/San Ramon Valley Top 5 showdown and another hilarious edition of “Dumb Football”
For the second time this season, roles reverse as Coach Terry Eidson slides into the co-host seat. This time he's covering for Chace who takes advantage of his school district's Fall Break for a family getaway to the Magic Kingdom.
So Ben and Coach guide the show along and Chace makes a pre-recorded visit midway through the episode to offer up Week 7 analysis and get his pick in. There's plenty covered in the episode, including Ben's thoughts on seeing Jesuit-Carmichael in person, Coach Eidson's update on De La Salle and a hatred of bye weeks (plus the Burrito Mojo is alive and well), Dumb Football, Fantasy Baseball heartbreak and more.
If you listen long enough, you might even hear Coach Eidson sing The Bangles.
Coach Eidson knows not to mess with a winning streak, which is why his segment opens with a soliloquy on the game day meal that has continued to serve him and De La Salle well this season — a grilled chicken burrito with extra guacamole. And since the burrito delivered again last week, there's a good amount of talk on the Spartans' clash with Folsom.
Chace and Ben also revisit a number of other key results from Week 6 and share thoughts on the handful of teams that made strong impressions. Coach Eidson also gets into the nuances of getting kids to care about Special Teams, his upcoming induction into the De La Salle Athletics Hall of Fame, and of course some more "Dumb Football"
Finally, all three offer their picks for the week.
It's a busy week at 7 Friday Night as Ben returns to the co-host chair, Coach Eidson still brings the heat from his usual spot, and Del Oro-Loomis star QB Caden Pinnick visits the show.
Ben and Chace discuss their games from last Friday: College Park-Pleasant Hill at Antioch and McClymonds-Oakland at San Ramon Valley-Danville. They also discuss the current NorCal Top 5 and then later get to their picks for the week.
Pinnick's visit includes talk on the Golden Eagles' 5-0 start along with life in the crazy-good Sierra Foothill League. The hosts also ask him what game he's going to on the team's bye week, and revisit their goal of grilling multi-sport quarterbacks about what their favorite sports moment would be.
Finally, Coach Eidson talks up De La Salle's win over No. 4 St. Mary's-Stockton along with this week's trip to No. 2 Folsom. He also looks to stay undefeated in picks and offers up some more "Dumb Football."
Roles are reversed this week as Coach Terry Eidson takes the co-hosting chair while Ben pre-recorded a segment before taking vacation to Seattle. Chace and Coach Eidson go over De La Salle's first win of the season and preparing for a No. 3 vs. No. 4 showdown against St. Mary's-Stockton. Coach also gives his thoughts on Campolindo choosing not to play overtime against Windsor. Coach Eidson also picks two of the toughest matchups of the week: Del Oro @ Casa Roble, and San Ramon Valley @ McClymonds.
In Ben's segment, both he and Chace play their first "Fill The Gap" of the 2023 season with a focus on early season impressions. Ben also shares his thoughts on seeing California-San Ramon defeat Escalon and shares a brief interview with Cal coach Danny Calcagno. Calcagno talks about the keys to the Grizzlies 2-1 start and what he expects from their matchup with No. 6 Pittsburg this week. They also make their own picks for the week.
Finally, Coach Eidson and Chace wrap things up with "Dumb Football" and some final thoughts.
It's time for contenders to prove themselves as several Top 20 matchups dot the Week 4 schedule. Hosts Chace and Ben look back at some of the notable Week 3 results before looking ahead to this week's games and making picks.
Coach Eidson joins for a mega-segment that features his thoughts on De La Salle's first shutout loss in 18 seasons, how good No. 1 Serra-San Mateo looked, plus riffs on fantasy football drafts and the 2001 Spartans being named Sports Illustrated's No. 1 high school football team of all time.
Coach also makes his picks for the week and advises Chace on how to not get caught in traffic.
Star Wars references can not be avoided on a week in which co-hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos welcome San Ramon Valley QB Luke Baker. No Jedi mind tricks were attempted however.
The guys talk to Baker about the Wolves' season-opening win at St. Ignatius, and how reaching a CIF State Bowl game last year changed the program, and even his own personal outlook for his senior year. His baseball prowess is also mentioned.
In addition to Baker, the hosts revisit Week 2 of NorCal football and preview the upcoming slate of games this week. Coach Terry Eidson also makes his visit and shares thoughts on De La Salle's loss to Orange Lutheran and what the Spartans are focusing on heading into a No. 1 vs. No. 2 NorCal clash with Serra-San Mateo. And finally, "Dumb Football" is back! Plus, all three make their first picks of the season.
Rejoice! The 7 Friday Night trio has returned for Season 3 of NorCal Football insights and tom foolery. SportStars editor Chace Bryson returns to help keep the egos of co-host Ben Enos and recurring guest star, Coach Terry Eidson, in check. His efforts are noble.
For the Season 3 Premiere, Ben and Chace discuss the completed first week of action in the Sac-Joaquin Section before previewing the Bay Area's opening week. They pay special attention to the No. 1 vs. 3 Saturday matchup between Serra-San Mateo and Folsom.
Coach Eidson also talks about his official return to the sideline, his thoughts from the Spartans' scrimmage against Jesuit-Carmichael, and expectations for Game 1 against Orange Lutheran. He also offers some advice to Chace, who has taken on a second job by becoming a teacher.
With the Spring Football window wrapping up, hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos figured it was a good chance to reconvene and hit on some of the major offseason talking points.
They discuss new North Coast Section playoff divisions, announced tweaks to the Central Coast Section postseason, key transfer news and a few coaching changes. They also attempt to put together a too-early Preseason Top 5.
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson drops in to chat about agreeing to return to the De La Salle sideline for 2023. He also shares some thoughts on the passing of NFL legend Jim Brown, and his big summer plans as he officially retires from full-time teaching. (Also, psssst! The countdown to Aug. 18 has begun.)
SportStars Magazine's coverage of the 2022 NorCal high school football season officially came to an end on Jan. 19, 2023, with the last release of our All-NorCal Football content. Which means it's officially season finale time for 7 Friday Night as well.
Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos get together for an in-depth discussion on all the honor roll content. They begin by sharing thoughts on SportStars' coach and player of the year award winners — and they start with overall NorCal Player Of The Year, Blake Nichelson of Manteca. For that part of the conversation, the hosts welcome Manteca High coach Mark Varnum to share some thoughts and anecdotes on his All-American running back and linebacker.
After all the awards talk, Chace and Ben dive into this year's 54-player All-NorCal Team. They break down some of the tough decisions and share thoughts and insights on various players who made the squad. Who were they happiest to see make the list? Who do they wish they saw in person? Who are they most looking forward to seeing in 2023?
For the second year in a row, we've dug through the 7 Friday Night audio archive to pick out some of our favorite funny moments from the season. Some moments that were included in the show, and some that had been edited out.
After recording two shows per week for five months, there was no shortage of content to include. We've got blown lines, technology fails, script confusion, several Coach Eidson highlights — including the best of "Dumb Football" — and plenty more.
Enjoy 30 minutes of some of our best absurdity from Season 2.
Finally rested from their weekend of five games, two pods and one flight delay, hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos endeavor to revisit CIF Bowls weekend one last time while also taking a sweeping glance back at the entire 2022 season.
As part of their final look back at state championship weekend, the hosts welcome San Marin-Novato coach Dominic DiMare. The Mustangs defeated Granada Hills 32-8 on Saturday to claim a second straight CIF State Bowl title (5-AA in 2021 and 4-A this year). DiMare shares his favorite part of the this year's bowl win, what made this team tick, and what the program's bright future may hold.
Chace and Ben then look back at their season on the sidelines and hand out awards for some of the best performances they saw in person in 2022. And finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his last drop-in of the season for a look back on De La Salle's roller-coaster year and a final installment of "Dumb Football." Chace and Ben also get Coach to weigh in on his favorite Christmas song.
The Northern California football season came to an end on Saturday. Hosts Chace and Ben huddle up in their hotel studio in Mission Viejo for a second late-night/early-morning instant recap of some of the action.
Before chatting about the losses for San Ramon Valley-Danville, Pittsburg and Serra-San Mateo, they make sure to provide some good vibes by providing audio from Grant-Sacramento's thrilling win in the 3-AA state final covered by Ike Dodson. Then afterward they talk about some of the other winners from finals played up North before turning back to their own day and looking for bright spots and silver linings.
The penultimate day of the California high school football season was not a kind one to NorCal teams. Still awake after 20 hours of travel and game coverage, Chace and Ben record their thoughts and impressions on tough state bowl losses for McClymonds-Oakland and De La Salle-Concord. They also share postgame soundbites from both teams.
The guys also take a quick glance ahead to Saturday's games.
The 7 Friday Night CIF State Championships Mega-Week rolls on with our official preview episode. No picks this Thursday! Chace crowns Ben the season picks champion and they begin discussion on a number of this week's state championship bowl games in which both share what team they'd be most happy to see win and offer up some bold predictions.
Also, the hosts know that when you want to have a serious discussion about state championship football games, the one person you want to include is CalHiSports.com co-founder and publisher, Mark Tennis. In his visit, Tennis and the guys spend time on all five of matchups taking place at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo this Friday and Saturday. Chace and Ben also sneak in a question on who Tennis views as the NorCal Player of the Year after 15 weeks.
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson stops by to give his thoughts on De La Salle opponent, Lincoln-San Diego, and provide the masses with another segment of "Dumb Football." Coach and Ben also face off in a battle of CIF State Championship Trivia.
It's CIF State Bowl Championship Week and the show kicks off its week-long coverage with a jam-packed episode looking back at a number of NorCal championship results.
Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos offer up impressions and anecdotes from NorCal wins by Pittsburg, Grant-Sacramento and De La Salle-Concord. Then they pivot to 3-A NorCal Champion Bellarmine-San Jose and welcome a guest appearance from running back Ben Pfaff. The senior talks about the team's big win over Vanden-Fairfield, details his mid-season injury frustrations, and shares what has unlocked the team's full potential down the stretch.
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his usual drop-in and shares his thoughts on De La Salle avenging its previous two losses to Folsom, and speaks to the logistics behind taking a team to SoCal for a state bowl. It's the first of FOUR shows this week. Buckle up.
The stakes are higher for everyone now as the season moves past sections and into NorCal regional bowl playoffs — and that goes for the 7 Friday Night crew too as Chace, Ben and Coach Terry Eidson attempt to finish strong when it comes to their NorCal football picks.
Coach Eidson goes first after going 3-0 in his section championship picks last week. He takes a stab at three regional games before offering up this week's edition of "Dumb Football." Then the hosts offer up analysis and picks on every NorCal matchup from Divisions 1-5, ten games total. They do so in a challenge draft format to keep things interesting.
GAMES PICKED: No. 3 De La Salle-Concord @ No. 2 Folsom • No. 5 Manteca @ No. 4 Pittsburg • Lemoore @ No. 6 McClymonds-Oakland • No. 7 Marin Catholic-Kentfield @ No. 12 San Ramon Valley-Danville • No. 20 Vanden-Fairfield @ Bellarmine-San Jose • Grant-Sacramento @ El Cerrito • Menlo School-Atherton @ San Marin-Novato • Pleasant Valley-Chico @ Escalon • Ripon Christian @ Hughson • Clear Lake @ Orland
This episode is an appropriate one to follow the Thanksgiving holiday, because it's stuffed! Hosts Chace and Ben revisit a wild weekend of section championships games, including the two they covered: El Cerrito vs. Windsor, and Pittsburg vs. Clayton Valley-Concord.
After that, they turn the page to regional championship weekend. They provide some initial thoughts on a few of the pairings before jumping into analysis of the Big Kahuna on the slate, the rematch between NorCal No. 2 Folsom and No. 3 De La Salle-Concord in the 1-AA playoff. For that, they welcome Folsom coach Paul Doherty to the show. The hosts get Doherty's thoughts on his team's Sac-Joaquin Section championship win over Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, this week's showdown with the Spartans, and a little bit about Sacramento State football's big playoff game on Saturday.
Finally, Coach Eidson also makes his usual stop and offers some De La Salle views on the Folsom rematch. He also shares which game he'd most want to see as a fan this week.
With Thanksgiving this Thursday, the 7 Friday Night Pick 'Em show arrives a day early. That way you can either get your NorCal football picks fix on Thanksgiving Eve, or it should make a great companion to your meal prep on Thursday morning.
Ben has taken a three game lead in the standings after a 5-0 week, so naturally Chace suggested a change to the format. This week, in order to get more games picked — and more shoutouts to deserving teams — the hosts partake in a picks draft. The each four games from the Division I-III championships in the three big sections. They also work jointly to pick the final game that went undrafted, and even add a couple Challenge Round picks to finish off. Coach Eidson also makes his three picks after another 2-1 week, and offers a brief "Dumb Football" segment.
GAMES PICKED: No. 4 Pittsburg vs. No. 6 Clayton Valley-Concord • No. 16 San Ramon Valley-Danville vs. No. 15 Campolindo-Moraga • El Cerrito vs. Windsor • No. 1 Serra-San Mateo vs. No. 8 Mitty-San Jose • St. Ignatius-S.F. vs. Bellarmine-San Jose • Menlo School-Atherton vs. Hollister • No. 2 Folsom vs. No. 5 Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills • No. 12 Manteca vs. No. 17 Granite Bay • Grant-Sacramento vs. Christian Brothers-Sacramento • Pinole Valley vs. Justin-Siena-Napa • Vanden-Fairfield vs. Capital Christian-Sacramento
Our Championship/Thanksgiving Week episode features hosts Chace and Ben discussing the riveting semifinals they saw last week before diving into a number of enticing finals matchups this week.
The two play "Fill The Gap" to highlight the championship game they'd most want to see, as well as the one that's most under the radar.
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his weekly visit to share about his Baltimore trip, thoughts on the De La Salle/Pittsburg championship game (not that he's watched it back) and just how NCS titles are viewed in a program that's won 30 in a row and always sets its goal on a state bowl title. Also, the guys ask him how much football he's allowed to view on Thanksgiving Day. His answer is measured.
It's a week full of section semifinals, so finding good games to pick certainly wasn't hard for the 7 Friday Night team. Co-host Ben Enos remains the king of NorCal football picks after expanding his lead to two games over SportStars editor Chace Bryson — who is taking his foundering rather well.
Ben and Chace both complete their three main picks (one lock) plus a Challenge Round of two games each. Also, Coach Terry Eidson looks to continue his long streak of 2-1 performances with his three picks. And last, but certainly not least, he provides an epic edition of "Dumb Football."
GAMES PICKED: No. 3 De La Salle-Concord v. No. 4 Pittsburg (NCS Open final) • No. 10 Salinas @ No. 1 Serra-San Mateo • No. 14 Rocklin @ No. 15 Manteca • Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park @ No. 18 Campolindo-Moraga • Patterson @ Grant-Sacramento • Bellarmine-San Jose @ Wilcox-Santa Clara • Escalon @ Sutter • Kimball-Tracy @ Vanden-Fairfield • Aptos @ St. Ignatius-S.F. • St. Bernard's-Eureka @ San Marin-Novato • Analy-Sebastopol @ Miramonte-Orinda
This week on 7 Friday Night, hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos revisit a wild week of playoff action featuring several upsets (we see you, Turlock!) before turning to the coming week of semifinals across several sections.
For some of that semifinal preview talk, the hosts welcome Wilcox-Santa Clara coach Paul Rosa to the show. The Chargers are the top seed in the Central Coast Section Div. II bracket and host Bellarmine-San Jose this week as they attempt to defend their section title. Rosa talks with the guys about this year's team and how it compares to last year's 2-A NorCal Champions. He also offers his thoughts on the CCS playoff system as well as this week's matchup with the Bells.
There IS one championship game this week, and it's kind of a big one. NorCal No. 3 De La Salle-Concord and No. 4 Pittsburg will meet in the North Coast Section Open Div. final. Coach Terry Eidson offers a breakdown on that matchup in his weekly visit, and also recalls some of his favorite upset wins with the Spartans (though they were very rarely underdogs).
With nearly every section having moved to playoffs, the 7 Friday Night crew finds tough sledding everywhere when it comes to their NorCal football picks for the week.
Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos continue their season-long see-saw battle as Ben regained the lead with a 3-2 performance last week. In a turn of events that few saw coming, Coach Terry Eidson has become the most consistent among the trio. The Coach has reeled off four straight 2-1 efforts, while predicting 3-0 every time — including this week. Also, Coach drops a brief (for him) "I told you so" about Flightline at the Breeders' Cup and puts a smart twist on "Dumb Football".
GAMES PICKED: No. 14 Central Catholic-Modesto @ No. 6 Monterey Trail-Elk Grove • No. 7 McClymonds-Oakland @ Oakland Tech • No. 17 Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton @ No. 10 Salinas • Mitty-San Jose @ No. 18 Los Gatos • Granite Bay @ No. 19 Downey-Modesto • Amador Valley-Pleasanton @ Liberty-Brentwood • Vintage-Napa @ Foothill-Pleasanton • Yuba City @ Grant-Sacramento • Half Moon Bay @ St. Ignatius-S.F. • Escalon @ Hilmar • Del Norte-Crescent City @ Tennyson-Hayward.
After the Sac-Joaquin Section ushered in the postseason last week, the rest of the major sections will follow suit this week. All of which leads to playoff analysis overload from hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos.
The duo first revisits the opening week of SJS playoffs and name the results most surprising to them, as well as their favorite quarterfinal matchups on the way in Week 12. Then they dive into the brackets released by the Central Coast and North Coast sections, each sharing what seeding decisions surprised them and which first round matchups they are most looking forward to.
Finally, Chace and Ben revisit De La Salle's statement win over Clayton Valley last week. Coach Eidson makes his weekly stop to also chime in on the Spartans win, his thoughts on the NCS Open seeds and a tip of the cap to retiring Pittsburg coach Victor Galli.
This week's Thursday Pick 'Em show opens with a mini-emergency pod as hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos both share their reactions to Tuesday's retirement announcement of Pittsburg High coach Victor Galli. Then they get down to usual Thursday business by diving into some NorCal football picks for what should be a wild week of action across the region.
For the first time ever, Chace and Ben unknowingly end up with the same three main picks from the slate of key matchups. They differ on one of them — and it's the big one: No. 4 De La Salle-Concord at No. 11 Clayton Valley-Concord. Coach Terry Eidson provides an eventful visit. Not only does he make his three picks for the week, but the hosts also indulge him by letting him briefly talk horse racing and the upcoming Breeders Cup. And lastly, Dumb Football returns with Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields in the crosshairs.
GAMES PICKED INCLUDE: No. 4 De La Salle-Concord @ No. 11 Clayton Valley-Concord • No. 9 Marin Catholic-Kentfield @ San Marin-Novato • Palma-Salinas @ No. 10 Salinas • Antelope @ Tracy • Liberty-Brentwood @ Heritage-Brentwood • California-San Ramon @ Amador Valley-Pleasanton • Enterprise-Redding @ Chico • Lincoln-Stockton @ Sheldon-Sacramento • Lodi @ Vacaville
The show ushers in a major week of NorCal football action as the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs begin while a number of big regular season finales take place in the Central Coast and North Coast sections.
Playoffs aside, there is no bigger matchup this week than the all-Concord showdown of No. 4 De La Salle at No. 11 Clayton Valley. 7 Friday Night hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos attack it from several angles, which includes a visit from Clayton Valley co-coach Tim Murphy. Coach Murphy talked about his team's resurgence following a 1-3 start, how he was forced to look examine his own late-in-his-career coaching philosophies, and what he believes will be the biggest keys to the game. The hosts also have Coach Terry Eidson break down the De La Salle side of the game during his weekly segment. And finally, the hosts examine the playoff scenarios should the Ugly Eagles pull off the upset.
Chace and Ben also look at the SJS playoff brackets and talk about which top seed is the best bet for a section title. Plus a post-Halloween topic: What's Coach Eidson's favorite scary movie?
Host Chace Bryson's failure to press record trickled down from Tuesday's show, but co-host Ben Enos graciously showed up to make his picks a second time. And Ben has some work to do after surrendering his overall lead in the picks standing after holding it for just one week.
The guys make three main picks from a board of eight big games, and then proceed to their Challenge Round. Coach Terry Eidson also drops in for his picks and hangs around to rant his way through our first edition of a segment we've titled "Dumb Football."
GAMES PICKED: Las Lomas-Walnut Creek @ No. 20 Campolindo-Moraga • No. 6 Del Oro-Loomis @ No. 18 Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills • Menlo-Atherton @ No. 15 Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton • Foothill-Palo Cedro @ Enterprise-Redding • Granada-Livermore @ Foothill-Pleasanton • Dixon @ Casa Roble-Orangevale • Woodcreek-Roseville @ Roseville • Livermore @ Dublin • Berean Christian-Walnut Creek @ Concord • Los Banos @ Pacheco-Los Banos
It's a 7 Friday Night megashow this week. Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos are refreshed after attending a weekend concert and ready to go. They revisit a number of games from Week 9, with first-person impressions from Chace on the Central Catholic-Manteca thriller. The pair also take a look at key regular season finales in the Sac-Joaquin Section and pour over some projected postseason brackets.
Then it's back to the North Coast Section and a special guest appearance from Cal commit, Sailasa Vadrawale, of Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park. The 3-star WR/DB talks about his team's big shutout win over rival Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa, navigating these last few weeks without starting senior QB Liam Keaney, and shares recommendations for local game day eateries.
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly visit and shares thoughts on coaching two-way guys, while also lamenting that players like that are disappearing because everybody just wants to play offense. (It's hard out there for defensive coaches). Also, what was the last concert that Coach attended?
Another big week of action arrives and the 7 Friday Night trio is here for it and ready to deliver its usual NorCal football picks. And for the first time all season, SportStars Magazine editor Chace Bryson now trails his co-host Ben Enos in the overall season standings.
Per usual, both hosts make three picks from among the region's biggest games of the week, then follow that with the always-spirited Challenge Round. Meanwhile, a confident Coach Terry Eidson also drops in for his three picks of the week.
GAMES PICKED: Los Gatos @ No. 6 Wilcox-Santa Clara • No. 18 Central Catholic-Modesto @ No. 8 Manteca • No. 11 Monterey Trail @ Grant-Sacramento • No. 13 St. Francis-Mountain View @ Riordan-S.F. • Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park @ Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa • Roseville @ Inderkum-Sacramento • Aptos @ Palma-Salinas • Menlo School-Atherton @ Menlo-Atherton • Tennyson-Hayward @ James Logan-Union City
It's the last quarter of the regular season and everyone is playing through something at this point — including your friendly 7 Friday Night hosts. Ben recorded while battling through an illness and Chace was recovering from a weary weekend that included hosting a sleepover of four sixth grade boys. But the guys weren't going to let it keep them from delivering a good half hour of NorCal football chatter.
The hosts each talk about their Week 8 games, with impressions from Clayton Valley's win at San Ramon Valley and Campolindo topping Acalanes in a Diablo Athletic League classic. They also talk about key storylines they'll be tracking over the last three weeks of the regular season: Just how many twists and turns are left in the North Coast Section Open/Division I bracket; plus is there anyone who can really keep Serra from a Central Coast Section title and CIF Open berth?
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his visit and talks about De La Salle getting back on track, what his thoughts are on Clayton Valley's surge, and how difficult it is to adjust schemes late in the season.
It's The Ocho! Week 8 of the NorCal high school football season has arrived and the guys are ready with their picks for some of the top matchups in the region.
SportStars editor and host Chace Bryson still holds a very narrow season lead over co-host Ben Enos. Will that change this week? Both hosts made their three primary picks followed by the Challenge Round of giving one another a pair of blind picks. Coach Terry Eidson also showed up to confidently make his three picks for the week. He also offered a 30-second rant on tackling in the NFL and mused that he should start his own TikTok.
GAMES PICKED THIS WEEK: No. 12 Del Oro-Loomis @ No. 2 Folsom • Tracy @ No. 3 St. Mary's-Stockton • No. 8 Salinas @ Aptos • No. 20 Clayton Valley-Concord @ No. 15 San Ramon Valley-Danville • Oakdale @ Central Catholic-Modesto • Freedom-Oakley @ Liberty-Brentwood • College Park-Pleasant Hill @ Berean Christian-Walnut Creek • Patterson @ Golden Valley-Merced • St. Ignatius-S.F. @ Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. • Foothill-Pleasanton @ Livermore
When he picked against Downey High of Modesto in the Week 7 Thursday Pick 'Em episode, SportStars editor Chace Bryson vowed to bring Downey quarterback Conner Stoddard on to the show if the Knights won. And they did — topping Turlock 24-22 thanks to a last-minute scoring drive led by Stoddard. So Chace and co-host Ben Enos welcomed the senior standout for a talk about the comeback win, his chemistry with his receivers, and what's been behind the team's 7-0 start.
Chace and Ben also break down their games from last week, including thoughts on St. Mary's-Stockton finally besting De La Salle in a 45-35 barnburner. The hosts also dive into thoughts on some of NorCal's top leagues in a round of "Fill The Gap."
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly visit and also shares his thoughts on De La Salle's loss in Stockton. Also, now that he's seen all of NorCal's heavyweights in person, the hosts ask him what team he thinks is the most well-rounded.
As the NorCal high school football season charges into its second half, the 7 Friday Night team is back for another round of game picks.
Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos go head-to-head in one of their three main picks this week, and the Challenge Round features several unbeaten teams. Meanwhile, Coach Terry Eidson delivers his three picks, and is relieved there are no De La Salle ties to any of them.
GAMES PICKED INCLUDE: San Ramon Valley-Danville @ McClymonds-Oakland • Downey-Modesto @ Turlock • Elk Grove @ Sheldon-Sacramento • Half Moon Bay @ Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton • Vacaville @ Vanden-Fairfield • Lincoln-San Jose @ Christopher-Gilroy • Bishop O'Dowd @ Tennyson-Hayward • Kennedy-Richmond @ St. Mary's-Berkeley • Placer-Auburn @ Lincoln
This week's episode is jam-packed with content and interviews, including a 10-minute conversation with the Campolindo QB-WR duo of Dashiell Weaver and Robbie Mascheroni.
Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos open the show by discussing last week's games before handing out some midseason hardware for first-half Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. They also tackle Coach of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors. Afterward, they welcome Weaver and Mascheroni for a talk about the 5-0 Cougars, playing for heavily-respected coach Kevin Macy, and a trip to Disneyland together. (Which spurs a tangent conversation about the best ride at the park.)
Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly visit and shares his own hot take about Disneyland. He then recounts how he spent De La Salle's bye-week Friday, gives thoughts on the "Dog Days" of midseason, and wraps up with thoughts on No. 5-ranked St. Mary's-Stockton — the Spartans next big NorCal opponent this week.
Your favorite NorCal football podcast trio is back for another week of attempts at predicting outcomes to some of the region's top matchups of the week. Hosts Chace Bryson, Ben Enos and Coach Terry Eidson each provide their NorCal football picks following a week in which all three finished with winning records.
Chace and Ben offer up their usual slate of three primary picks (with one "lock") before moving on to their Challenge Round where the banter devolves into Nation's pies and one's favorite citrus fruit. Coach Eidson zeroes in on his third winning week in a row, and rides with a former Spartan yet again.
GAMES PICKED INCLUDE: No. 2 Folsom @ No. 14 Oak Ridge • No. 16 Granite Bay @ No. 13 Del Oro-Loomis • No. 7 McClymonds @ No. 4 Pittsburg • Clayton Valley @ No. 20 Jesuit-Carmichael • No. 18 Bellarmine @ Riordan-S.F. • Whitney-Rocklin @ No. 19 Rocklin • No. 17 Menlo-Atherton @ Half Moon Bay • Tracy @ Lincoln-Stockton • St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo @ Salesian-Richmond • Casa Roble-Orangevale @ Citrus Heights
Before hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos dive into NorCal football conversation, Chace is compelled to rave about the tacos he had during an anniversary outing in Roseville last weekend. Ben then threatens to talk about pumpkin spice season, but good sense prevails and the pair get to their gridiron chatter.
This week there's plenty of talk about Folsom's big win at De La Salle. Chace also gives his impressions on San Ramon Valley-Danville after seeing the Wolves defeat Liberty-Brentwood last week. Both hosts also take some time to give shoutouts to some of the many undefeated teams that are outside of the rankings radar and don't get talked about enough. Finally, at the end of the show, be sure to catch Ben's thoughts on the recent story surrounding the cancelled game between Galileo-S.F. and Richmond.
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his usual stop and shares his thoughts on the Folsom-De La Salle game, and how the current season compares to some other seasons when the Spartans have faced adversity. With Jimmy Garappolo's backpedal safety as a muse, the hosts also poll the coach on some of the most bonehead plays he's seen over the years.
The 7 Friday Night crew is back for another round of blind stabs and bold predictions when it comes to NorCal football picks. Host Chace Bryson finally stumbled last week in going just 2-for-5, leaving an opportunity for co-host Ben Enos and weekly guest Coach Terry Eidson to each pick up ground on the SportStars editor.
Chace and Ben make their three primary picks from a six-game slate of some of NorCal's best Week 5 matchups, and then each serve each other two blind picks in the Challenge Round. There are also tales of Ben's high school baseball career and a breakdown of how an actual fight between a bear and a tiger might play out. Finally, Coach Eidson predicts he'll go 3-0 yet again — and as he points out, he's due.
Games picked include: No. 3 Folsom @ No. 2 De La Salle-Concord • No. 18 Menlo-Atherton @ No. 6 Wilcox-Santa Clara • No. 13 Los Gatos @ Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton • San Ramon Valley-Danville @ Liberty-Brentwood • College Park-Pleasant Hill @ Northgate-Walnut Creek • Capital Christian-Sacramento @ Vista del Lago-Folsom • El Cerrito @ Vacaville • Encinal-Alameda @ Alameda • Mitty-San Jose @ Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F. • Patterson @ Merced
In this week's show, hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos take a look back at the first five weeks and discuss what teams have surprised them, and what team has the upper hand to be NorCal's top CIF State Bowl representative.
It was also a week to sing the praises of the Sac-Joaquin Section's Sierra Foothill League, which is a collective 23-4 heading into the weekend of Sept. 23-24. Chace shares his thoughts on Folsom's big win at Pittsburg, and both hosts discuss the Bulldogs big game at De La Salle this week. The show also welcomed its second athlete of the season — senior captain Conner Dasmann of undefeated Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (also an SFL team).
Dasmann talks about a Trojans defense that's allowed just 10 points in four games, what's keyed the team's turnaround from a 3-7 finish in 2021, and what its like playing in the SFL. Coach Terry Eidson also makes his weekly visit after a lightning quick trip to San Diego last weekend to watch De La Salle defeat Cathedral Catholic.
Everyone is in a better mood for the weekly NorCal Football picks show as the 7 Friday Night picking trio went a combined 12 of 15 last week — even Coach Terry Eidson got one right.
With confidence levels up, hosts Chace Bryson (5-0 in Week 3) and Ben Enos (4-1) dive into another tough slate of key matchups across NorCal. They make their three main picks, including their one lock, before offering up two more blind challenge picks to each other. Coach Eidson also makes his stop to deliver his three picks for the week.
GAMES DISCUSSED: Folsom @ Pittsburg • Menlo-Atherton @ Del Oro-Loomis • Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park @ Vanden-Fairfield • El Cerrito @ Foothill-Pleasanton • Tracy @ Downey-Modesto • Sheldon-Sacramento @ Jesuit-Carmichael • Riordan-S.F. @ Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton • Pleasant Valley-Chico @ Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills • American Canyon @ Livermore • Corning @ Red Bluff
Depressed by the play of the 49ers on the NFL's opening weekend, hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos turn to some high school football chatter to soothe their Sunday evening torment.
After Ben and Chace revisit some of the highlights from their Week 3 games, the real healing begins as they are joined by Pittsburg High coach Victor Galli to talk about the No. 4-ranked Pirates' big game this week against No. 3 Folsom. However, to make things even spicier, they hosts had Coach Terry Eidson make his weekly appearance at the same time. Longtime friends, and current fantasy football partners, Galli and Eidson each tell some stories about one another and football eventually gets discussed as well.
Coach Galli shares his thoughts on his 3-0 Pittsburg team and talks about the big matchup with Folsom. The hosts also pick the brains of both coaches on ways in which they attempt to avoid let-down games. (Which is something Galli's Pirates did in the previous week and Coach Eidson's De La Salle teams had plenty of experience with).
We're back for another week of NorCal football prognosticating efforts. Host Chace Bryson is looking to build off of a strong week, while co-host Ben Enos and Coach Terry Eidson try not to let bitterness consume them.
With plenty of good matchups to choose from, Chace and Ben make their usual three primary picks and follow up by giving one another two challenge picks. Coach Eidson makes his three picks and tries not to get too snarky when Chace mentions going 4-1 the previous week.
GAMES DISCUSSED INCLUDE: No. 15 at Central Catholic-Modesto @ No. 1 Serra-San Mateo • No. 14 St. Francis-Mountain View @ No. 2 De La Salle-Concord • Foothill-Pleasanton @ No. 10 Vanden-Fairfield • Merced @ No. 13 Monterey Trail-Elk Grove • Acalanes-Lafayette @ Sheldon-Sacramento • Silverton (Ore.) @ Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills • Jesuit-Carmichael vs. Christian Brothers-Sacramento (at Hughes Stadium) • Elk Grove @ San Ramon Valley-Danville • Berkeley @ American Canyon • Placer-Auburn @ Vista del Lago-Folsom • Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa @ Vintage-Napa.
After covering the big No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown between De La Salle and Serra-San Mateo, SportStars editor Chace Bryson left town for a long weekend in Las Vegas — which left co-host Ben Enos slightly reeling as he attempted to keep the 7 Friday Night ship on course. However, Chace returned in time for the two hosts to have their weekly chat about all things NorCal football.
Serra bet on itself during the first two weeks of the season, and it has paid off with NorCal's No. 1 ranking. Their comeback win over De La Salle is discussed, and the hosts also talk about some of the key themes from Week 3 (where a handful of gambles didn't pay off for ranked teams). Also, to keep the theme going, Sheldon-Sacramento scores points like a slot machine that hit the 5x multiplier on the pay line. Huskies coach Chris Nixon joins the program to chat about the team's fast start and its intersectional showdown against Acalanes-Lafayette this week.
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly drop-in and shares his own thoughts on the De La Salle/Serra game and where each team may go from here. He also gives us all an update on the fantasy football team he shares with Pittsburg coach Victor Galli.
While the first week of full NorCal action delivered plenty of excitement on the field, there was less enthusiasm in Picksville. Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos were a combined 5-5, and Coach Terry Eidson went winless. The trio looks to change its fortunes this week, but the matchups don't get any easier.
Chace and Ben each make three primary picks from a selection of games, while once again closing with a spirited Challenge Round (where you may learn which big cat would win in a fight: Jaguar or Cougar). Coach Eidson squirms his way through picking the No. 1 De La Salle-Concord vs. No. 2 Serra-San Mateo game, and takes a stab at a few other big games.
GAMES PICKED INCLUDE: No. 2 Serra @ No. 1 De La Salle • Liberty-Henderson (Nev.) vs. No. 4 Pittsburg (in San Diego) • Monterey Trail-Elk Grove @ No. 5 St. Francis-Mountain View • No. 7 St. Mary's-Stockton @ No. 6 Central Catholic-Modesto • No. 16 Bellarmine-San Jose @ No. 8 McClymonds-Oakland • Campolindo-Moraga @ Aptos • Windsor @ Escalon • Salesian-Richmond @ Tennyson-Hayward • Jesuit-Carmichael @ St. Ignatius-S.F.
Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos have a ton of talk about after a thrilling first week of football across all of NorCal. A primary focus is placed on Serra-San Mateo which traveled to No. 2 Folsom and gutted out a 17-12 win. Now, the Padres are the No. 2 ranked team and take to the road again Friday — to No. 1 De La Salle for a nationally-televised game on ESPNU. No big deal.
Actually, yes big deal! The show welcomes its fist player guest of the season, Serra senior Ryan Silver. The San Diego State-bound two-way lineman talked about what it took to earn the win at Folsom, and how the team is approaching its new challenge this week. (By the way, after this week, Serra faces current No. 6 Central Catholic-Modesto and then No. 5 St. Francis-Mountain View).
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his weekly stop to share his thoughts on last week, as well as his memories of coaching against Serra coach Patrick Walsh (his former player at De La Salle) and what he liked about playing in TV games.
Our Thursday prediction show hits top gear this week as high school football officially opens across all of Northern California. Everybody — hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos as well as Coach Terry Eidson — is feeling confident after hitting on most of their picks during last week's Sac-Joaquin Section openers.
Chace and Ben highlight six of the week's top matchups and select three to pick (both settled on the same game as their "Lock"), plus each host chooses two random games to serve the other in the new "Challenge Round." Finally, Coach Eidson gives his predictions for three games, and includes a relatively thorough analysis of NorCal's game of the week: No. 3 Serra-San Mateo at No. 2 Folsom.
Games discussed include: No. 3 Serra @ No. 2 Folsom • No. 7 Bellarmine-San Jose @ Menlo-Atherton • No. 14 Salinas @ No. 9 Clayton Valley-Concord • Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park @ Las Lomas-Walnut Creek • Granada-Livermore @ Riordan-S.F. • Amador Valley-Pleasanton @ El Cerrito • Downey-Modesto @ East Union-Manteca • Chico @ Sutter • San Marin-Novato @ Acalanes-Lafayette.
It's a big week on the show as hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos revisit results and key takeaways from the first week of play in the Sac-Joaquin Section, before moving on to preview the rest of NorCal football getting underway.
As part of that preview, the hosts welcome Las Lomas coach Doug Longero to the podcast. The Knights of Walnut Creek are expected to be among the favorites in the Diablo Athletic League-Foothill Division race this fall, and they open up by hosting Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park in what should be a strong nonleague showdown. Coach Longero talks about all of that, and plays the good sport as more than a few painful Las Lomas losses are revisited.
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his weekly appearance. He shares some of his most memorable season openers with De La Salle and also talks a little about the art of play calling on both sides of the ball.
As the Sac-Joaquin Schedule gets set to bring a soft-open to the 2022 NorCal football season, it's as good a time as any for the show to debut the first of its Thursday Pick 'Em Series. Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos begin their season of predictions, choosing from a slate of six notable SJS matchups.
Ike Dodson, the show's guest from Aug. 16, returns to make a few picks. Finally, Coach Eidson begins his season of vengeance upon the Gods of Prognostication. He even follows through on an early-season vow to not take it easy on programs coached by former De La Salle players or friends.
GAMES DISCUSSED INCLUDE: No. 6 Central Catholic-Modesto @ Merced • No. 14 Vanden-Fairfield @ Yuba City • Vista del Lago-Folsom @ No. 16 Manteca • No. 18 Granite Bay @ Elk Grove • Inderkum-Sacramento @ Del Oro-Loomis • Whitney-Rocklin @ Antelope.
With real, live football action set to begin in the Sac-Joaquin Section, hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos welcome fellow SportStars writer/photographer Ike Dodson for a primer discussion on all things SJS.
Dodson speaks about some key themes he came across during his reporting for a variety of NorCal Football Preview content. The trio also highlights some of the top storylines worth following as the SJS season progresses.
And speaking of SportStars' NorCal Football Preview content, Chace and Ben discuss several of the stories that will be released in the exclusive digital issue on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly stop. He recounts the hassles of building preseason schedules for De La Salle, and also talked about the SJS programs which elevated the section and eventually caught the attention of the Spartans.
We made it through the void! High school football is nearly back, and hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos open Season 2 of 7 Friday Night with a discussion on who should top SportStars Magazine's preseason rankings along with what they've learned from there early reporting.
The hosts also share some soundbites from their Aug. 9 visit to Pittsburg High's practice, including remarks from Miami-bound QB Jaden Rashada and Oregon State-committed receiver Zach Card.
Finally, distinguished weekly guest Terry Eidson returns for Season 2. The retired De La Salle coaching legend shares some insight on the 2022 Spartans and recalls the annual frustration he felt during the first week of padded practices.
Turn on the lights! High school football in Northern California is nearly back, and SportStars Magazine is thrilled to be reviving its weekly football podcast for another season. Hosts Chace Bryson and Ben Enos are back to steer the always-wobbly-yet-ever-formidable ship with analysis, guest interviews, game predictions and more.
Retired De La Salle coaching legend Terry Eidson has also signed on to once again return as a weekly contributor.
The show has lots planned for its second season, which will officially begin on Aug. 11. Make sure you're following or subscribed wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
In the final episode of our first season, hosts Chace and Ben wrap up the 2021 Northern California high school football season with an in-depth discussion on SportStars' just-released postseason honors and awards.
Joining the hosts for the entire episode is fellow SportStars reporter and photographer, Ike Dodson. As the primary trio responsible for selecting the magazine's All-NorCal Team and players of the year, the three talked about the process while giving a glimpse behind the curtain on how they came to certain decisions.
They also share several thoughts on the final All-NorCal Team roster. Who was each writers' lock for the team? Who did they lament not getting onto the roster? Which player would they take No. 1 overall in a fantasy draft? And, which of the players has them most excited for the 2022 season? All that, plus the show's first ever musical guest! How can you not listen?
As we near the last episode of our first season, hosts Ben and Chace went back and found some of the moments that made them laugh the most over the first 21 episodes. A few of them made the final edits for various episodes, but many didn't.
Not surprisingly, many of the most humorous moments came during the hosts' weekly visit with retired De La Salle-Concord coach Terry Eidson — and his occasional alter ego known as "Cobra". Often those moments came at the hosts' expense.
Join the guys as they share some of their favorite lighthearted moments from the last five months.
NorCal football teams won 10 CIF State Bowl Championships on the state's final weekend of football. Hosts Chace and Ben revisit the fun by providing thoughts on the two teams they saw claim their first titles, San Marin-Novato and Vanden-Fairfield. They also welcome the offensive coordinator to another brand new state champion, Mike Hill of Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F..
Hill shares his thoughts on the Fighting Irish's big win, its epic mid-season turnaround and helping to put some respect on City football. The hosts also take a look back at the season as a whole by exploring some "what if" scenarios through one of their favorite games, Fill The Gap.
Finally, Coach Terry Eidson makes his final appearance of the season. He shares his thoughts on what he saw while watching the CIF Bowl showcase games on television, and also offers up some thoughts on the sheer exhaustion most of the bowl coaches are feeling this week. Chace and Ben also have Coach Eidson reflect on being part of the podcast this season, before setting off a powder keg when they suggest sharing their favorite Christmas movie.
We triple-dog dare ya not to listen! Happy Holidays.
It's our last weekend of games, and hosts Chace and Ben are trying not to get emotional. Instead, they pour their energy into an hour of CIF State Bowl conversation.
The show welcomes Cal-Hi Sports co-founder and editor Mark Tennis for the second time this season. As someone who maintains the most-recognized state football rankings, there's no better person to preview some of the biggest bowl matchups this weekend. Tennis shares his thoughts on the bowl games themselves as we reach the 15th anniversary of the CIF bowl era, and offers up a variety of insight on the five large division games being played at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo this Friday and Saturday.
Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly appearance and shares his thoughts on Folsom's seismic NorCal regional win over De La Salle. He also empathizes with Serra-San Mateo coach Patrick Walsh who is preparing to face National No. 1 Mater Dei-Santa Ana in the Open Division bowl. Eidson has plenty of experience preparing for SoCal powerhouses, and revisits some unhappy memories to add insight to the process Serra is going through before Saturday's 8 p.m. kickoff.
Finally, Chace, Ben and Coach Eidson share game picks for the final time this season.
It's a jam-packed show this week as Chace and Ben revisit an entertaining weekend of section championships and the 24-hour guessing game of who the CIF would advance as NorCal's Open Division representative. The hosts also preview this weekend's slate of CIF NorCal regional games — and there's definitely some good ones.
Among the top games of the weekend is the Division I-AA regional featuring Folsom at De La Salle — a rematch from early October featuring SportStars' No. 1 and No. 3-ranked teams. Folsom twin brothers, Tyler and Josh Tremain, both join the show to talk about the Bulldogs' section championship win over Rocklin (which avenged an earlier defeat), and what they'll need to do if they want to do the same thing to the Spartans.
And in his weekly appearance, Coach Terry Eidson offers up a unique list of Thanksgiving favorites before sharing his thoughts on the CIF committee's choosing of Serra-San Mateo over De La Salle for the Open Division Bowl Championship. He also talks about his experiences serving on seeding committees.
Finally, there's plenty of the usual picks and analysis. Also, the hosts debut a new game called "Name That Team." NorCal's final week of football before state bowls starts here.
The show goes all out as it reviews an absolute wild weekend of semifinals while also previewing section championship weekend throughout Northern California. Hosts Chace and Ben welcome fellow SportStars colleague Ike Dodson. The magazine's Sac-Joaquin Section writer and photographer joins them for the greater portion of the show. He recounts being at Rocklin last Friday for the Thunder's 51-48 instant-classic comeback win over St. Mary's-Stockton, and sticks around for some "Fill The Gap" and the full game picks segment.
Also, the show finally welcomes Dublin's "Rolling Ball of Butcher Knives" — TE/FB/LB, TJ Costello. TJ's already transitioned to hoops season, but visits to help the hosts breakdown the North Coast Section Div. II final between Foothill-Pleasanton and Campolindo-Moraga.
And finally, the founder of our TJ Costello Fan Club, Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly appearance. He shares thoughts on the best way for coaches to navigate a championship week, makes his weekly picks with a high level of self-deprecation, and is surprised to find himself smack dab in the middle of the hosts' feud over baked goods.
With long time foes De La Salle and Pittsburg meeting this week to decide the North Coast Section Open Division final, hosts Chace and Ben welcome DLS coach Justin Alumbaugh to the program. Together they chat about this year's Spartans team and its evolution after becoming the program's first team in 30 years to lose to a NorCal opponent. They also discuss the pros and cons of the coaching staff turnover of the past few years, and of course, the big matchup scheduled for this Saturday. They even work in some good chatter about Coach Terry Eidson.
Eidson makes his regular appearance as well and returns the favor. He shares what led to Alumbaugh being Coach Bob Ladouceur's successor, why he himself didn't necessarily want the role, and the differences between coaching with Alumbaugh and with Lad.
Finally, the hosts themselves share discussion about this week's big games, and weigh in on the recent debate over the best method of creating fair and competitive playoff brackets. All of that, plus tons of predictions and analysis on this week's biggest playoff games.
The postseason has now arrived for everybody, and the show is here for it! As the Sac-Joaquin Section rolls into its quarterfinals, hosts Chace and Ben welcome Monterey Trail-Elk Grove coach TJ Ewing to talk about a Mustangs teams that's gone from an 0-5 start to a dangerous 7-seed in the Division II field. Ewing shares about how the team persevered through its grueling nonleague schedule, and what he's expecting in his team's big matchup with Granite Bay on Friday.
Chace and Ben open the show by sharing thoughts on last week's big game between St. Francis-Mountain View and Serra-San Mateo, as well as some first impressions on both the North Coast and Central Coast Section tournament pairings across several divisions.
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his weekly appearance and shares thoughts on the newest way the North Coast Section is attempting to solve its "De La Salle Problem" when it comes to the postseason and attempting to provide other strong Division I teams a path to the CIF State Bowls.
Finally, both hosts and Coach Eidson each share their picks and predictions for several of the biggest playoff matchups of the weekend.
Christmas comes early to San Mateo this week as Serra High hosts St. Francis-Mountain View in a massive game that will determine a number of things, including: NorCal's No. 1-ranked team, the top seed in the Central Coast Section Open Div. playoffs and, oh yeah, the West Catholic Athletic League championship. Serra coach Patrick Walsh joins the show this week to talk about the Padres' 8-0 season so far, what getting ready for this game has been like, and what he expects this coming Saturday.
As an added bonus, weekly guest Coach Terry Eidson makes an extra appearance this week to join in on the chat with Coach Walsh, his former player and coaching colleague. Eidson also records his own segment and discusses Inglewood High's controversial 106-0 blowout in the Southern Section last week while also making picks on a few games. (And maybe adding a horse racing tip!)
Hosts Chace and Ben chat about their games from last week and spend time discussing the opening week of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. And of course, they make several picks and predictions as well. What a week!
This week, Chace and Ben welcome Rocklin High senior receiver Nathan Kent to the show. Kent talks to the guys about the Thunder clinching the Sierra Foothill League championship last week, how the team has overcome multiple injuries, and what it will take to add more 2021 hardware to the trophy case.
The show also embraces the Halloween Spirit this week as Ben answers some spooky-themed NorCal football questions. For instance, what's the offensive line best fit for creating one's escape path in a Zombie apocalypse?
Finally, after Northern California's 30 straight hours of rain, the hosts go down memory lane with weekly guest Terry Eidson to recall the most extreme weather games they've experienced first-hand. And, per usual, all three offer up weekly game picks and predictions for a week chock full of big games.
This week's show points its focus toward the North Bay as hosts Chace and Ben welcome Windsor High coach Paul Cronin. Coach Cronin passed his own high school coach and mentor, Ed Lloyd, in career wins last week with victory No. 218. And if No. 219 comes this week, it's going to be heavily bittersweet. That's because his undefeated Jaguars team will host his old school, Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa, in a big North Bay League showdown Friday night.
Cronin sits down to discuss what his milestone win felt like, how emotionally taxing it's been just preparing for Cardinal Newman, and the things that have gone right for a Windsor team that debuted at No. 17 in SportStars' NorCal Football Rankings this week.
Chatter between Chace and Ben this week includes Chace adding his thoughts about Clayton Valley-Concord after covering its upset of San Ramon Valley-Danville. They also throw some props to Rocklin for its big win last week and discuss which program has the best chance to finish as the Sac-Joaquin Section's top team when all is said and done.
The show also welcomes weekly guest Terry Eidson back to the show. Coach Eidson shares about his experience of returning to the sideline in an official capacity for one week to help a shorthanded De La Salle staff. He also updates us on the exploits of his fantasy football team he co-manages with Pittsburg High coach Victor Galli, and delivers his usual three picks on games from this week's NorCal slate.
The De La Salle game at Folsom has come and gone. Chace and Ben discuss De La Salle's win and the fallout as it pertains to the larger NorCal landscape. The hosts actually cover a handful of big picture topics as we get closer to the end of the regular season, doing so as part of a new feature they call "Play or Punt."
Coach Terry Eidson makes his weekly appearance and shares his views on De La Salle's win before the guys pick his brain about the least appreciated third phase of a football game: special teams. After more than three decades of building a top notch special teams unit within the Spartans program, he had a few thoughts on the matter.
Finally, all three make their weekly predictions, which included picks on several big matchups in the Sac-Joaquin Section this week. Also, if you think William Shatner going to space escaped mention in this episode, you'd be sadly mistaken. Beam into this episode! Football talk awaits.
Wednesday Oct. 6, marks the 20th anniversary of what is arguably considered California's most significant high school football game of all time — and some have made a case it's the nation's most significant high school football game to date. It was the first ever meeting between the nation's top two ranked teams. This special bonus episode features four guests: Two who coached in the game, one who played in the game and one who reported on the game.
Host Long Beach Poly was ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today, despite the fact that its opponent, De La Salle-Concord, was entering with a national-record winning streak of 116 games. A few other rankings had it flipped, but still. The game reportedly sold 17,000 tickets and 121 media credentials were issued, which included such publications as Sports Illustrated and the New York Times. A combined nine future NFL players took the field that night (including the player who joined us for this show).
Regular listeners of this podcast are aware that longtime De La Salle assistant coach Terry Eidson is a weekly visitor to our show. And we couldn't let the anniversary pass without seeing if he could roundup some of his closest friends for a chat about the monumental game. He certainly came through. Hosts Chace and Ben welcome legendary Spartans head coach Bob Ladouceur, former De La Salle star QB Matt Gutierrez, one-time De La Salle beat writer for the Contra Costa Times, Joe Stiglich, and of course Coach Eidson.
This week features NorCal's biggest intersectional matchup of the season when De La Salle-Concord pays a visit to Folsom High. The game between the Spartans and Bulldogs has been circled by many fans for months, and the intrigue has only multiplied now that De La Salle's NorCal unbeaten streak was halted by St. Francis-Mountain View back in mid-September. Naturally, hosts Chace and Ben spend a lot of time talking about this game and its ramifications for both teams involved and how it fits into the season's bigger picture.
To join in their conversation, the hosts welcomed longtime Sacramento Bee Prep Sports Editor, Joe Davidson, and Cal-Hi Sports co-founder and editor, Mark Tennis. Together, the guys not only break down the big game in Folsom (complete with a few predictions), but also share thoughts on some of the themes to the first half of the season and on some of the other teams that have really stood out.
The jam-packed episode also features weekly guest, Coach Terry Eidson. He knows a thing or two about facing off against Folsom. Coach shares a few of his thoughts on the game and then compares Clayton Valley-Concord coach Tim Murphy to The Who, The Rolling Stones and KISS. It's true. Finally, weekly predictions are shared on a number of big matchups this week.
Before hosts Chace and Ben dive into an enticing week of high school football matchups, a slightly disgruntled Ben calls for a Football Festivus and an Airing of Grievances. In a get-off-my-lawn digression, Ben shares his thoughts on some recent fan behavior — both good and bad — and dissects the merits (or lack thereof) in students storming the field following a win.
Once the Festivus is concluded, there's still plenty of football talk to go around. The hosts welcome Nicholas Coronado — the prolific senior quarterback for undefeated Kimball High of Tracy — to talk about Jaguars football, playing in the tough Valley Oak League, and putting a young school and program on the map.
Coach Terry Eidson also makes his weekly stop and breaks down De La Salle's nationally-televised showdown with St. Frances Academy-Baltimore. Ben and Chace also ask him to share what national TV game weeks are like, having been part of of them for many years with the Spartans. And finally, all three weigh in with game predictions for a dynamite Week 7 schedule across NorCal.
As NorCal football begins to embark on Week 6, we've already reached the one-third marker of the season. Hosts Chace and Ben reflect on that a bit by naming which team has surprised them the most so far. Two of the more surprising teams — Monte Vista-Danville and El Cerrito — face off in a key matchup this week. That gave Ben, an El Cerrito graduate, a chance to return to his roots and visit a Gauchos practice. There he spoke with the team's outstanding defensive back duo of Robert Freeman and Warren Smith.
And with Netflix releasing its first look at its series based on Colin Kaepernick's high school days (which enters Pitman High of Turlock into the Hollywood canon), it gave the hosts a fun talking point for Coach Terry Eidson's weekly visit. Eidson shared his memories of being part of the Hollywood process during the production and release of the movie "When The Game Stands Tall."
Finally, the boys share thoughts on the teams they saw in person during Week 5, and go through their usual game picks for the upcoming week.
The show may have produced an emergency pod surrounding St. Francis-Mountain View's NorCal streak-busting win over De La Salle-Concord, but there was still PLENTY of spillover into this week's episode. First off, Chace and Ben invited St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno onto the program to talk about his big win and its aftermath.
At the same time, they invited his distant relative of the same last name (but different pronunciation), California-San Ramon coach Danny Calcagno. The hosts talked to the Grizzlies coach about his team's 3-0 start, its 70-point night at Freedom-Oakley and his son Jake who's already caught eight TD passes for Cal.
There was more St. Francis-De La Salle talk when regular guest Terry Eidson joined the show. Coach Eidson made his displeasure at being left off of the emergency pod very clear, but settled down to take his turn adding insight to the Lancers win and the end of a streak he'd been a part of over three decades. Finally, Coach Eidson and the hosts make their usual game picks for the week.
When St. Francis-Mountain View pulled off its seismic 31-28 victory over De La Salle-Concord on Friday night — becoming the first Northern California team in 30 years to beat the Spartans — hosts Chace and Ben decided an emergency podcast was in order.
The hosts welcome old friend and colleague, Damin Esper, who has spent the past three seasons as the primary color analyst on the De La Salle TV internet broadcasts. Esper shares his take on the game and what the atmosphere was like at Ron Calcagno Stadium. The three guys also share thoughts on the West Catholic Athletic League finally getting its upset, how the NorCal pecking order shakes out in the aftermath, and what's next for the North State's most famous program.
The first big rivalry game of the season — the Holy Bowl between Jesuit-Carmichael and Christian Brothers-Sacramento — gets center stage in this episode. Hosts Chace and Ben invite Jesuit coach Marlon Blanton onto the show to talk about the rivalry and share thoughts about his team's Week 3 win over Granite Bay. With the Northern California edition of the Honor Bowl taking place as well this week, the guys also discuss the 20th anniversary of 9/11. They reflect with both Coach Blanton and recurring guest, Coach Terry Eidson, on an important role high school football played in communities across the country in the immediate days following the tragedy.
The show also welcomes newest North Coast Section-record setter, Casa Grande-Petaluma senior QB Jacob Porteous. Chace and Ben ask him about his 647-yard passing performance against Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa and life as the new big man on campus.
Finally, there's talk of fantasy football drafts, Chace's lack of dedication, and plenty of game predictions. Coach Eidson is now watching film to make his picks. Find out what player he called a "rumbling ball of butcher knives." Week 4 of NorCal football has arrived, and 7 Friday Night is here for it.
After the second week of regular season football in Northern California featured several game cancellations due to wildfire smoke, hosts Chace and Ben talk about the wild cancellation/rescheduling frenzy. As part of the conversation, they welcome Clayton Valley High co-coach Nick Tisa to discuss his team's manic four-day stretch that involved multiple bus trips to Turlock. The Ugly Eagles were finally able to play their game on Monday night, so the hosts asked him about that as well as being on AQI watch again for the Friday's game scheduled at Del Oro-Loomis.
The jam-packed episode also features its first student-athlete guest as San Ramon Valley-Danville offensive lineman Jackson Brown joins the show to discuss his recent commitment to Cal. Chace and Ben also pick his brain about having the Wolves' opener smoked out and what they expect from their Top 20-showdown with visiting Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland on Friday. They might have asked him about his name resemblance to a certain musician as well.
And recurring guest Coach Terry Eidson returned to have a laugh and chat about the wacky national story of Bishop Sycamore — the Ohio-based "team" that managed to lie its way into a nationally-televised game against IMG Academy last weekend. Coach Eidson also offers his first game picks of the season, and the co-hosts follow with their usual run of predictions.
Bay Area high school football returns this week, so Ben and Chace literally take the show on the road for a visit to Pittsburg. That's the location of the biggest game of the week as SportStars Magazine's No. 3-ranked Pittsburg High hosts No. 4 Serra-San Mateo. The hosts share a conversation with head coach Victor Galli about his super-talented Pirates squad and a half-decade of battles against Serra and Padres' head coach Patrick Walsh — of whom he has close to 30 years of history as peers and De La Salle-Concord alums. Coach Terry Eidson returns to share memories about both Galli and Walsh, and to also share his love for the atmosphere of Friday nights in Pirates Stadium. It's also revealed that Coach Eidson and Galli co-manage a fantasy football team in which they rarely see eye-to-eye (shocker!). PLUS, another week of predictions and a new segment called "Fill The Gap."
It's opening week in the Sac-Joaquin Section! Ben and Chace mark the occasion by making predictions on some of the key matchups, and Coach Terry Eidson returns to face Ben in a battle of SJS trivia. The matchup was described as "scintillating," though we're not sure it reached that bar. There were laughs, though. Also, with the rest of the sections in their scrimmage week, Ben and Chace pick Coach Eidson's brain on how the De La Salle coaching staff would approach scrimmages. Finally, SportStars Magazine released its 10th Annual Football Preview special edition this week. Ben talked about what he learned while working on his Preview feature that posed the question, "What will "normal" look like during this fall season?"
Chace welcomes Ben back to high school football punditry as the two hosts recall their glory years as the stars of the briefly popular video series, "Two Geeks And A Pigskin." Ben shares of his experiences getting back into high school football reporting and the two talk about some of the themes they've come across while talking to coaches over the first week and a half of practices. Finally, they introduce the one person they hope can put a legitimate face on this project — regular guest star, recently-retired De La Salle-Concord coaching legend Terry Eidson. Terry shares about adjusting to coaching retirement and what he does and doesn't miss about the first weeks of practice. Incredibly, it all went quite smoothly for a first episode.