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The Berkeley High football team was given the No. 5 seed in the North Coast Section 4A playoffs on Sunday. The Yellowjackets will face No. 4 Hayward on Saturday at 7 p.m. In an unusual twist, Berkeley will get a home game despite being the lower seed, thanks to its status as a league champion. Hayward came in second in the HAAL this season. 

Berkeley was expected to be the sixth seed, but some unusual strategy by James Logan High head coach Neil Fromson led to the Mustangs dropping to No. 6 instead. Fromson, apparently fearing a second-round matchup with top-seeded De La Salle, emphasized his team’s two losses to the selection committee, which was impressed by Berkeley’s undefeated season. 

“The committee saw our record and gave it value,” Berkeley head coach Matt Bissell said. “We’re excited for the challenge.” 

Berkeley High could be without running backs Antoine Cokes and Aaron Boatwright on Saturday. Bissell termed both as “game-time decisions.”