If the high school football season ended today, some familiar programs would bound into the playoffs on top.
Franklin, Folsom and Placer would be No. 1 seeds in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs in Divisions I, II and III, respectively.
And traditional playoff regulars, Grant and Nevada Union, would be out – licking the grass out of their wounds.
This according to projections compiled by The Bee's Nathaniel Levine, who crunches numbers and data such as wins, league position and opponent victories to forecast possibilities. They're just projections, of course, because winning streaks can change things in a hurry.
Entering the seventh week of a 10-game regular-season schedule, Elk Grove – The Bee's and the section's top-ranked team – is slotted third in D-II, behind Folsom and Downey of Modesto, which beat Central Catholic of Modesto, which beat St. Mary's of Stockton, which lost to state No. 1 De La Salle of Concord 21-13.
Levine's formula draws as much interest as to which teams are scrambling to get into the playoffs as which are jostling for top seeds.
Grant (2-4) needs a home victory over Elk Grove this Friday to maintain any hope of reaching the postseason for a section-best 22nd consecutive season under coach Mike Alberghini.
Nevada Union (3-3) also is in scramble mode in what could be the final season for coach Dave Humphers, who may retire after his son, senior linebacker Hank Humphers, finishes his prep career.
Defending D-I champion Granite Bay (3-3) is targeted for No. 15 in the 16-team playoff field, and Del Oro (2-4) is 16th in D-II.
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