Plenty of changes for 2009 prep football season

The 2009 high school football season will find a new team in the area and a handful of changes when things officially get under way on Sept. 4 with three nonleague games.

The new team is Priory, which will join Pinewood in the eight-man football Coast Athletic League this season.

Among the changes, Sacred Heart Prep has moved up to the PAL Bay Division and will compete against Menlo-Atherton, Aragon, Woodside, Terra Nova and King’s Academy (also moving up from the PAL Ocean Division).

Menlo School, meanwhile, has dropped to the PAL Ocean (from the Bay Division).

Doug Sargent takes over the Priory football team while Tony Rosso is the new head coach at Menlo-Atherton. Bob Sykes, who left M-A for undisclosed reasons after just three games last season, has surfaced at Gunn while hoping to turn the Titans’ struggling program around.

While there will be plenty of interesting matchups this season, an early noteworthy one will take place on opening weekend when Menlo-Atherton travels to face Wilcox on Sept. 4 (7:30 p.m.) in a rematch of last fall’s Central Coast Section Large School Division finale won by the Bears, 39-33.

That will be the first of three monster games for the Bears, who also will play at Los Gatos before hosting Valley Christian to open the Tony Rosso Era at Menlo-Atherton.

At Palo Alto, coach Earl Hansen has a nice problem at quarterback as he has to choose between 6-foot-4 T.J. Braff and Christop Bono (son of former 49ers’ quarterback Steve Bono) this season as the Vikings hope to return to the CCS finals yet again.

2009 PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULES

FRIDAY, AUG. 28

Scrimmage — Capuchino at Sacred Heart Prep, 1 p.m.; Menlo School at Gunn, 5 p.m.; Woodside at Palo Alto, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUG. 29

Scrimmage — Pinewood, Priory at MTAL Jamboree at Anchorpointe Christian, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 4

Nonleague — Lincoln (SF) at Gunn, 7:30 p.m.; Menlo School vs. Hamilton City at Woodside, 7 p.m.; Menlo-Atherton at Wilcox, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 5

Nonleague — Pinewood at Cornerstone Christian, 1 p.m.; Mt. Eden at Sacred Heart Prep, 2 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 11

Nonleague — Sacred Heart Prep at Riordan, 3 p.m.; Gunn at Leigh, 7 p.m.; Burlingame at Palo Alto, 7:30 p.m.; Menlo-Atherton at Los Gatos, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 12

Nonleague — Visalia Christian at Pinewood, 11 a.m.; Menlo School at Carmel, 2 p.m.

Coast Athletic League — Priory at Crystal Springs, 1 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 18

Nonleague — Valley Christian-Dublin at Sacred Heart Prep, 3:15 p.m.; Palo Alto vs. Mitty at Foothill College, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 19

Nonleague — Shandon at Pinewood, 1 p.m.; Valley Christian at Menlo-Atherton, 2 p.m.; Menlo School vs. Justin Siena at Woodside, 7 p.m.

Coast Athletic League — Priory at Cornerstone Christian, 1 p.m.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25

Nonleague — Gilroy at Palo Alto 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 26

Nonleague — Gunn at Hillsdale, 1:30 p.m.; Leigh at Menlo-Atherton, 2 p.m.; Silver Creek at Sacred Heart Prep, 2 p.m.; Pinewood at Ojai Valley School, 2 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 2

De Anza Division — Saratoga at Palo Alto, 7:30 p.m.

El Camino Division — Lynbrook at Gunn, 7:30 p.m.

PAL Ocean Division — Menlo School vs. Hillsdale at Foothill College, 7 p.m.

Nonleague — Menlo-Atherton at Seaside, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 8

Coast Athletic League — Calvary Chapel at Pinewood, 4 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 9

PAL Bay Division — Terra Nova at Sacred Heart Prep, 1:30 p.m.

PAL Ocean Division — Menlo School at South San Francisco, 7 p.m.

Nonleague — Palo Alto at Gunn, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 16

De Anza Division — Palo Alto vs. Homestead at Fremont High, 7:30 p.m.

El Camino Division — Monta Vista at Gunn, 7:30 p.m.

PAL Bay Division — Menlo-Atherton at King’s Academy, 7 p.m.; Sacred Heart Prep at Woodside, 7 p.m.

PAL Ocean Division — Half Moon Bay at Menlo School, 3:30 p.m.

Coast Athletic League — Crystal Springs at Pinewood, 3:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 17

Coast Athletic League — Priory at Anchorpointe Christian, 1 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 23

De Anza Division — Milpitas at Palo Alto, 7:30 p.m.

El Camino Division Gunn at Fremont, 7:30 p.m.

PAL Bay Division — Aragon at Menlo-Atherton, 3 p.m.; Sacred Heart Prep at King’s Academy, 7 p.m.

PAL Ocean Division — Menlo School at San Mateo, 3 p.m.

Coast Athletic League — Anchorpointe Christian at Pinewood, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 24

Coast Athletic League — Crystal Springs at Priory, 1 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 30

De Anza Division — Los Gatos at Palo Alto, 7:30 p.m.

PAL Bay Division — Sacred Heart Prep at Menlo-Atherton, 3 p.m.

PAL Ocean Division — Menlo School at Burlingame, 7 p.m.

Coast Athletic League — Priory at Pinewood, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY, OCT. 31

El Camino Division — Gunn at Los Altos, 1 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOV. 6

De Anza Division — Palo Alto at Mountain View, 2:45 p.m.

PAL Bay Division — Aragon at Sacred Heart Prep, 2:45 p.m.; Menlo-Atherton at Terra Nova, 7 p.m.

PAL Ocean Division — Carlmont at Menlo School, 2:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 7

El Camino Division — Gunn at Santa Clara, 1:30 p.m.

Coast Athletic League — Pinewood at Marina, 1 p.m.; Calvary Christian at Priory, 1 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOV. 13

De Anza Division — Palo Alto at Wilcox, 7:30 p.m.

El Camino Division — Gunn at Cupertino, 7:30 p.m.

PAL Bay Division — Menlo-Atherton at Woodside, 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOV. 14

Coast Athletic League — Priory at Marina, 1 p.m.

Nonleague — Menlo School vs. Sacred Heart Prep (Valpo Bowl) at Woodside, 7 p.m.