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Subscribe to our NewsletterOpen Division State Championship: Recap :Grant (Sacramento) 25, Poly (Long Beach) 20
Sunday, December 21, 2008
CIF State Bowl Championships
Open Division: Grant (Sacramento) 25, Long Beach Poly 20
Grant stars:
WR Darvin McCauley 8 catches, 135 yards, 2 TDs, RB Devontae Butler 104 yards, 1 TD; LB Tony Matavale 9 tackles, Kipeli Koniseti 236 yards passing, two TDs passing, one running.
Poly stars:
WR Kaelin Clay 4 catches, 92 yards, TD, LB George Daily-Lyles 7 tackles, TD return; DT Juwuan Brown 8 tackles, blocked punt.
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By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
CARSON, Calif. - The team many thought didn't belong on California’s biggest stage pulled off Northern California’s only victory and one of the nation's biggest upsets of the season late Saturday night at the Home Depot Center.
Fittingly, it was the nation's last game of the 2008 season.
Grant, a little-known school from the toughest streets of Sacramento, took a me-against-the-world approach and stunned one of the nation’s most reknowned programs with a 25-20 victory over Long Beach Poly in the CIF State Bowl Game Open Division championship.
The Pacers (14-0) matched Poly hit-for-hit and blow-for-blow and even after squandering an early lead, came back from two fourth-quarter deficits to knock off the nation’s No. 4 team, a tough-minded squad that had pulled off four playoff games with second-half comebacks.
“We shocked the world,” players and coaches kept shouting during a raucous post-game celebration. “We shocked the world.”
Darvin McCauley, who opened the scoring with a brilliant 54-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, ended things off with a 15-yard scoring reception from Kipeli Koniseti with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining for the game-winner.
Grant’s defense, which gave up just 243 yards, allowed one first down but then forced three incompletions. On fourth-and-10 from midfield, Morgan Fennell completed a pass to Kaelin Clay that landed inches short of a first down.
The unranked Pacers, who many thought belonged in the Division I game behind six-time mythical national champion De La Salle or not in the Bowl Game series at all, kneeled on it, setting off a wild celebration.
Southern California had won the previous four Bowl games over the two-day event - and nine of the first 10 since the CIF began its version of a state championship format - but Grant saved Northern California from a clean sweep.
More so, it triumphed for a hard-knock inner city region of the state capitol.
"I've said it 1,000 times, but for a lot of these kids it's us against the world every day of their lives," Grant coach Mike Alberghini said. "Today we manned up and we conguered that big world."
Koniseti, who completed 13 of 26 for 236 yards and two scores and added a 1-yard sneak for another touchdown, was overcome with emotion minutes after the game.
"Courage baby, courage," he said. "Coaches said it was up to me to lead this team. They put the pressure on and I got down a few times. But I love this team right here. They're my family right here. I'll play to the death for these people right. Courage baby."
After Koniseti gave the Pacers a 13-0 lead with a 1-yard sneak early in the fourth quarter, Poly took the lead 14-13 on a beautiful 55-yard touchdown bomb from Fennell to Clay late in the second quarter and a blocked punt and 6-yard TD return by George Daily-Lyles with 3:16 left in the third.
Most thought Grant would fold, but instead cornerback Marvin Lamb picked off a deflected Fennell pass, returned it 30 yards to the Poly 15. Three plays later, Devontae Butler (22 carries, 104 yards) swept left end for a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Pacers a 19-14 lead with 10:36 remaining.
Back came Poly, as Melvin Richardson, bottled up all night, busted loose on a 55-yard TD run with 9:39 left. Richardson, who had just 19 yards on his other 11 carries, scored a game-winning 61-yard touchdown late last week in a 20-17 win over Tesoro.
“Everyone probably thought we were cooked then,” Alberghini said. “I never lost faith in our guys.”
After a pair of possessions, Grant went on a 68-yard march in eight plays, keyed by runs of 22 and 12 yards by Butler, and finished off on a curl route by McCauley (8 catches, 135 yards), who split top-notch defensive backs Darius Williams-Fox and Ryan Willits.
“It was a made up play,” McCauley said. “It was supposed to be a fade but they kept playing me deep. I told (Koniseti) to throw it behind me and that I'd come back and get it. That's what I did and we got into the end zone. That was the greatest feeling in the world."
Grant finished with 369 yards against a defense generally regarded as one of the best in the country. Poly, who has sent more players to the NFL than any high school in the country, came in with a 25-game win streak.
All of it came crashing down against an unlikely foe.
“Everyone always said that anyone who scored 25 points against us would win,” Daily-Lyles said. “I guess they were right. They just seemed to want it a little more than we did. We saw them on film and thought we were in pretty good shape. But they came to play and made the last big play. Give them a lot of credit.”
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com
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Grant 25, Long Beach Poly 20
Grant 7 6 0 12 - 25
Poly - 0 7 7 6 - 20
First quarter
G – McCauley 54 pass from Koniseti (Koniseti kick), 6:59
Second quarter
G – Koniseti 1 run (kick failed), 10:44
LB – Clay 65 pass from Fennell (Roniss kick), 4:52
Third quarter
LB – Daily-Lyles 6 blocked punt return (Roniss kick), 3:16
Fourth quarter
G – Butler 6 run (run failed), 10:36
LB – Richardson 55 run (pass failed), 9:39
G – McCauley 15 pass from Koniseti (pass failed), 1:11
Team Statistics
First downs: Grant 15, LB 8
Rushes-yards: Grant 39-133, LB 25-79
Passing: Grant 13-26-0-236, LB 11-28-1-164
Total yards: Grant 369, LB 243
Turnovers: Grant 2, Poly 2
Possession: Grant 26:07, Poly 21:53
Penalties: Grant 9-69, LB 6-70
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Grant, Butler 22-104, Koniseti 16-31, Team 1-(-2). Poly, Richardson 12-74, Barner 8-20, Fennell 5-(-15).
Passing
Grant, Koniseti 13-26-0-236. Poly, Fennell 11-28-1-164.
Receiving
Grant, McCauley 8-135, Warren 2-52, Fields 1-40, Amey 1-1, Jones 1-8. Poly, Clayt 4-92, Jonson 2-29, Westbrook 2-19, McKay 1-19, Smith 1-3, Barner 1-2.
Tackles
Grant, Matavale 9, Wallace 8, Warren 6; Poly, Brown 8, Daily-Lyles 7, McKay 6, Williams-Fox 6, Showe 6, M. Jones 6.
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Grant more than belongs on same field as Poly
December 21, 2008 4:01 AM
Pacers come through in the fourth quarter to beat favored Jackrabbits, 25-20, and make history for school, city and Sac-Joaquin Section to win CIF Open Division football title.
By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor CalHiSports.com
It took the California Interscholastic Federation 79 years to implement state championship bowl games in 2006 after discontinuing the state format following the 1927 season amid financial concerns.
It took Polytechnic High School of Long Beach even longer, 89 years, to return to a state football championship game. The Jackrabbits were looking to make history as the first program to win CIF state titles in the early era and the modern CIF State Championship Bowl Games, but Grant of Sacramento made history of its own as the Pacers pulled out a thrilling 25-20 victory over the Jackrabbits in front of 14,122 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
The win was not only the first for five Northern California teams that traveled South in the first year of the expanded bowl games that included the addition of a small schools and an open division, but the biggest win ever for a Sacramento area prep football team.
"We won this football game because of our character," said Grant head coach Mike Alberghini.
The Pacers were a surprise pick for the open bowl game going up against a Poly team that came in ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation in the ESPN RISE FAB 50, but they came in well-prepared and with confidence fueled by those that felt De La Salle of Concord should have played the Jackrabbits.
The Pacers proved they were more than a deserving selection and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard touchdown reception by Darvin McCauley to cap a eight-play, 65-yard drive that began with 1:11 remaining in the game.
"They shut down our run and we felt early on we had to go to the pass," Alberghini explained. "We just had the answers. We felt the one thing coming in here is everyone said they're more athletic. Well, we're athletic, too."
The game didn't start out too well for Poly (14-1) as the Pacers drew first blood. On the second offensive possession for Grant (14-0), quarterback Kipeli Koniseti caught Poly cornerback Lazari Middleton looking into the backfield and hit McCauley in stride on an out and up pattern for a 54-yard touchdown with 6:59 remaining in the first period.
The CIF Sac Joaquin Div. II champions had great field position throughout the first half as Poly played its customary game of catch up. The Jackrabbits actually dodged two major bullets as Grant had two great opportunities to put points on the board and came away with zero. Following a fumble on a kickoff return by Poly's Jordan Johnson that Grant recovered at the 20-yard line, the Pacers were facing a fourth and four from the 16-yard line and Koniseti just over shot a wide open receiver who got behind Middleton in the corner of the end zone.
With 1:30 remaining in the first quarter, Poly allowed a 40-yard reception by Ronald Fields in the middle of the field, but its defense toughened up and forced a fourth and 10 from the 15-yard line to cap a eight-play, 65-yard drive that began with 1:11 remaining in the game.
"They shut down our run and we felt early on we had to go to the pass," Alberghini explained. "We just had the answers. We felt the one thing coming in here is everyone said they're more athletic. Well we're athletic, too."
The game didn't start out to well for Poly (14-1) as the Pacers drew first blood. On the second offensive possession for Grant (14-0), quarterback Kipeli Koniseti caught Poly cornerback Lazari Middleton looking into the backfield and hit wide receiver Darvin McCauley in stride on an out and up pattern for a 54-yard touchdown with 6:59 remaining in the first period.
The CIF Sac Joaquin Div. II champions had great field position throughout the first half as Poly played its customary game catch up. The Jackrabbits actually dodged two major bullets as Grant had two great opportunities to put points on the board and came away with zero.
Following a fumble on a kickoff return by Poly's Jordan Johnson that Grant recovered at the 20-yard line, the Pacers were facing a fourth and four from the 16-yard line and Koniseti just over shot a wide open receiver who got behind Middleton in the corner of the end zone. With 1:30 remaining in the first quarter, Poly allowed a 40-yard reception by Ronald Fields in the middle of the field, but its defense toughened up and forced a fourth and ten from the 15-yard line. On fourth down, junior wide receiver Xavier Amey hauled in a pass near the left corner on the end zone but came down out of bounds.
Poly has not been known as an offensive juggernaut in recent seasons, but its offense was just plain anemic in the first half. The ground-oriented Jackrabbits gained a total of six rushing yards and picked up five first downs. It was only a matter of time before a team as talented and tough as Grant capitalized on the Jackrabbits' lethargic play.
Again the Poly defense forced a third and long (15 to be exact), but again Middleton allowed a wideout just enough space to pull down a Koniseti pass as Howard Warren hauled in a 38-yard reception down to the Poly one-yard line. On the next play, Koniseti scored on a quarterback sneak to give Gran a seemingly commanding 13-0 lead with 10:44 remaining in the second quarter.
"Everyone said I'm not a passer," remarked Koniseti, who finished with 236 yards passing on 13 of 26 pass attempts with two touchdowns. "That's all I needed was motivation by the doubters. We may have a lot of different guys on this team, but we have a lot of chemistry and we all speak the same language."
Poly eventually made a defensive adjustment by sliding safety Stan McKay over to right cornerback and placing senior Tylor Showe at McKay's safety spot. The adjustment didn't allow Grant to execute long pass plays, but it still took an extraordinary defensive effort to help Poly get on the scoreboard. With Grant driving once again towards Poly's red zone, all-state defensive end Iuta Tepa not only stripped the ball from junior back Devontae Butler, but actually ripped the ball right from his possession and began rumbling downfield the other way. Tepa actually fumbled on his return, but the ball was recovered by teammate Juwuan Brown at Poly's 35-yard line.
With the Jackrabbits not able to run against Grant's strong defensive front, quarterback Morgan Fannell went to the air. He finally converted on a 65-yard touchdown reception to a streaking Kaelin Clay after misfiring downfield on first and second down. That made the score 13-7 in favor of the Pacers, but the Jackrabbits failed to gain any rhythm offensively. Only another fumble recovery, this one by Corey Walker after Koniseti scrambled and coughed up the ball on third and nineteen play, kept Grant's off-balance and unable to put up any more points in the first half.
In the third quarter, the tables were turned and it was Poly that enjoyed the good field position. On one possession Grant took over at its own two-yard line and escaped with a punt. But on the Pacers' next possession that started at the eight-yard line, disaster struck when Grant had its punt blocked on a surge led by Brown, linebackers Kenny Tuiloma and Matthew Jones. The ball was scooped up and returned six yards for a touchdown by 'backer George Dailey-Lyles to give the two-time CIF Southern Section Pac-Five champions a 14-13 lead with 3:16 remaining in the third quarter.
"I was on the weak side and thought I might have a shot and just went for it," Jones said. "I'm glad I did. I was even happier to see George pick it up."
The Pacers got the break it needed to put itself in scoring position after Poly's special team touchdown when Fennell (11 of 28, 164 yards passing, 1 TD, 1 INT) had a pass picked off. It was returned to the Jackrabbits' 15-yard line by defensive back Marvin Lamb when Johnson, the intended receiver, slipped and the ball floated up in the air for much too long for one of Grant's speedy skill position players not to pick it off.
The Pacers capitalized and took a 19-14 lead when Butler, who finished with 114 yards rushing on 22 carries, scored on a six-yard touchdown run on fourth and inches with 10:36 remaining in the game. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
Poly, accustomed to playing from behind in this year's playoffs, finally found daylight on the ground and answered Grant's score with a 55-yard touchdown run by senior back Melvin Richardson. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound bulldozer, who entered the game with eight postseason touchdowns, accounted for most of Poly's rushing yards on his scoring gallop that gave Poly a 20-19 lead after Fannell over shot a wide open Corey Westbrook on a two-point conversion attempt.
On Poly's other 24 rushing attempts, the Jackrabbits gained 49 yards as their vaunted defense was wearing down from being on the field much too long in the second half.
Poly, the state's all-time winningest program with 684 football victories, was trying to win the school's second CIF state title so it was only fitting that its defense was on the field to perhaps secure the win.
In 1919, coach Eddie Kienholz led Poly to a 21-14 victory over Berkeley at Tournament Park in Pasadena. Similar to Keinholz's team, which allowed just 13 points in its first 11 games heading into the title game with Berkeley, head coach Raul Lara's club was spearheaded by its defense. They allowed a paltry 8.9 points per game heading into the open division bowl against the Pacers, but all that didn't matter as Grant kept it composure and exploited Poly's fatigue in trying to cover McCauley.
Defensive back Darius Williams-Fox was giving the 5-foot-11,180-pound receiver much too cushion and outside of one tackle for loss by Daily-Lyles, the interior defense was not crisp in tackling a relatively fresh Butler on the game-winning drive. Koniseti drove the Pacers down to the 15-yard line of Poly and hit McCauley on a pass where he split Williams-Fox and Showe to score the biggest touchdown in the history of Grant's program.
"I could have done this all year, but we're not a passing team so I sat back and waited for my chance," said McCauley, who finished with eight receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. "Coach A (Alberghini) gave it to me tonight and I did what I had to do."
Grant, which came into the game ranked No. 5 in the state, will move to at least the No. 2 spot with its five-point victory when the CalHiSports.com final state ratings for the 2008 football season are released next week.
Centennial of Corona, which recorded a 21-16 over previous No. 3 De La Salle in the Div. I bowl game, could be the team to take over the top spot.
After recording a win of this magnitude, Alberghini and his troops probably won't be worrying much about it after the magnitude of Saturday night's victory is felt when they return home.
"Our defense was worn out," Lara said. "Usually we move the ball in the second half and are able to rest our defense, but Grant did a great job. We were No. 1 and they beat us so I guess they're No. 1 but Centennial is very good, too. We didn't execute, we had our chances, but Grant came to prove something."
And prove they did.
Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com
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Pacers rally to beat Jackrabbits for the state open division title
McCauley's 15-yard touchdown catch wins it with 1:11 to play.
By Ben Bolch ,Los Angeles Times
December 21, 2008
After four exhilarating playoff victories, Long Beach Poly High experienced the heartache of being on the other side of a late comeback.
The Jackrabbits fell to Sacramento Grant, 25-20, Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in the inaugural CIF state football championship open division bowl game after the Pacers scored in the final two minutes to end Poly's winning streak at 26 games.
Quarterback Kipeli Koniseti connected with receiver Darvin McCauley for a 15-yard touchdown with 1 minute 11 seconds remaining to give the Pacers (14-0) a victory in their first bowl appearance.
Only minutes earlier it looked as if running back Melvin Richardson might have given the Jackrabbits (14-1) the big play they needed for a second consecutive week when he rambled 55 yards for a touchdown that gave Poly a 20-19 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Richardson's 60-yard, fourth-quarter run had helped the Jackrabbits pull out a victory over Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro the previous week in the Pac-5 Division title game.
Poly, which had used fourth-quarter scores to win its first four playoff games, stopped Grant on downs on its ensuing possession when lineman Juwuan Brown held Koniseti to a two-yard gain on fourth and five.
But the Pacers got the ball back with 4:20 left and quickly drove for the go-ahead score that allowed them to become the first Poly opponent to score more than 23 points since Anaheim Servite defeated the Jackrabbits, 28-20, in the 2005 playoffs.
Poly drove to midfield on its final drive before quarterback Morgan Fennell's fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 36 seconds to go, allowing Grant to run out the clock.
"Toward the end of the game, I thought we got tired," Poly Coach Raul Lara said. "We've gotten by on long drives that have kept our defense rested, but tonight we couldn't sustain our drives so we got tired. I don't know what the time of possession was, but I'm willing to bet they had a lot more plays than we did."
Grant had taken a 19-14 lead early in the fourth quarter after running back Devontae Butler ran for a five-yard touchdown on fourth down, raising one arm in triumph before he had reached the end zone. Butler's score broke a string of 26 consecutive games in which Poly had held its opponent to 17 points or less.
Linebacker George Daily-Lyles had given Poly a 14-13 lead late in the third quarter when he scooped up a blocked punt and sprinted six yards for a touchdown.
The Pacers rushed for more than 4,100 yards this season and Poly began the game with two 1,000-yard rushers, but the teams gained 244 of their 316 yards in the first half through the air. Grant held Richardson to 70 yards in 11 carries overall.
Grant started four first-half drives in Poly territory and took a 13-0 lead thanks to Koniseti, who threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns. He completed a 54-yard touchdown pass to McCauley in the first quarter and then plunged into the end zone early in the second.
The grumbling about the North-versus-South format that couldn't match Poly against fellow Southern California power Corona Centennial only intensified when Southern California teams won the first four bowl games.
But Grant proved to be every bit as formidable as Poly, which had won 18 Southern Section titles but had never appeared in a state bowl game before Saturday.
"They've got athletes just like us," Lara said. "The thing that surprised me most about them was their size. They were big kids."
ben.bolch@latimes.com
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Grant topples Poly, wins state title
By Quwan Spears
qspears@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008
CARSON – If there was anyone out there who wondered if the Grant High School football team could play on the big stage, who questioned the Pacers' selection to the game or doubted their ability to compete with the state's top ranked team, the answer was revealed Saturday night.
Heavy underdogs entering the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division State Football Championship Bowl Game, the Pacers upset Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and second nationally by ESPN Rise, 25-20 at the Home Depot Center.
Darvin McCauley scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard reception from Grant quarterback Kipeli Koniseti with 1:11 to play.
McCauley and Koniseti's effort not only followed a 55-yard scoring run by the Jackrabbits' Melvin Richardson with 9:39 to play, but also capped a hard-fought game that was full of emotion, crushing hits and a back-and-forth final period.
The Pacers, ranked fifth in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and 37th nationally by ESPN Rise, made history, becoming the first team from Sacramento to win a state championship in football before a statewide television audience and an estimated 10,000 fans.
"We told everybody from the get-go that we were going to get a state championship," Pacers senior linebacker Jeremiah Toma said. "We did it because we believed."
They will also remember "the Drive," an eight-play, 65-yard journey that began with 4:19 left and took Grant off Obscure Street and onto Championship Lane. McCauley, who had eight catches for an eye-popping 135 yards and two touchdowns, helped lead the way.
"I had their defensive backs beat all game," he said. "I told coach, just throw me the ball and I'm going to get it for him, and I did."
Grant largely controlled the Sac-Joaquin Section over the last 20 years with a section-leading 18 consecutive playoff berths, 15 league titles and six section titles.
It continued its dominance early thanks to a stingy defense that slowed the Jackrabbits' heralded running attack and the performance of Koniseti, the Pacers' stellar quarterback who plays with a linebacker's mentality.
Koniseti, who completed 13 of 26 passes for 236 yards, constantly showed his emotion throughout the game, especially on big plays in which he was involved.
Before an enthusiastic Grant crowd, which was on its feet shouting a choir-like "Pacers … Pacers … Pacers … " chant on seemingly every play, Koniseti threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to McCauley in the first quarter and scored from a yard out on in the second, giving the Pacers (14-0) a surprising 13-0 lead.
It further proved the Pacers had no intention of wilting under the pressure of the Poly mystique and the watchful eye of Poly alumnus and rap superstar Snoop Dogg, who attended the game wearing the Jackrabbits green and gold.
Poly, which has also produced the likes of actress Cameron Diaz, legendary tennis player Billie Jean King, baseball player Tony Gwynn, and NFL football players Willie McGinest and Gene Washington, entered the game with more tradition and a more decorated résumé. It has 18 Southern Section championships and the claim of having sent more players to the NFL (59) than any other program in the country.
The Pacers, however, didn't care. If pressure and Poly's prominence resembled a Mike Tyson uppercut, the Pacers endured the blow, and landed a few punches of their own.
Resembling the blue-collar mentality of Del Paso Heights, Grant displayed the prolific offense that helped it cruise to its sixth Sac-Joaquin Section championship and a three-game stretch during the regular season in which it outscored its opponents 205-0.
The Pacers racked up 369 yards of offense to Poly's 243. They had 15 first downs and the Jackrabbits' eight. More importantly, the Pacers limited the Jackrabbits' running game to 79 yards.
Poly (14-1) trailed only 13-7 at halftime, though, and Iuta Tepa and the passing tandem of Morgan Fennell and Jordan Johnson were key reasons. Pacers running back Devontae Booker fumbled at the Poly 30, and Tepa recovered and returned it to his own 40. Two plays later, Fennell hooked up with Johnson on a 65-yard score, cutting the Pacers lead to 13-7 with 4:52 left in the second quarter.
Later, the Jackrabbits' Juwuan Brown blocked a Grant punt, and Tyller Robinson picked it up, returned it nine yards for the score and gave the Poly its first lead at 14-13 with 3:16 to play in the third quarter.
The Pacers bounced back.
"We stood up to a very good football team," said Grant coach Mike Alberghini, who strives on the "We versus the world" slogan.
"This was a total team effort, and tonight was our night."
Division I State Championship: Recap : Centennial (Corona) 21, De La Salle(Concord) 16
Saturday, December 20, 2008
CIF State Bowl Game
Division I
Score: Centennial 21, De La Salle 16
Stars: Taylor Martinez (C) 243 yards passing, 1 TD running; Vontaze Burfict (C) 9 tackles, interception, Noah Perio (DLS) 10 tackles.
Final records: Centennial 15-0, De La Salle 12-2
Last year’s score: De La Salle 37, Centennial 21
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By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
CARSON, Calif. – Winning a CIF State Division I Bowl title was sweet to be sure.
So was going unbeaten and breaking the school mark for most victories with 15.
But what had members of Centennial (Corona) doing internal and external cartwheels on the floor of the Home Depot Center after a 21-16 victory on Friday was who the Huskies beat.
The six-time mythical national champions. The program that once owned a national-record 151-game win streak. But mainly what sweetened the deal was that they knocked off those dang De La Salle (Concord) Spartans who broke their heart with a 37-31 victory in the same game last season.
De La Salle (12-2) came in ranked 10th in the country by MaxPreps and Centennial No. 18, though the Huskies (15-0) are as high as No. 2 in some national polls.
“All the space that was filled with pain a year ago is now filled with happiness,” said UCLA-bound receiver Ricky Marvray. “We accomplished everything we wanted to do tonight and best of all we beat the team that beat us.”
A dominating, fast and physical defense, led by All-American candidates Vontaze Burfict and William Sutton, plus the all-around play of quarterback Taylor Martinez and receivers Marvray and Geshun Harris keyed the hard-fought victory.
Burfict, an absolutely menacing 6-foot-2, 235-pound senior linebacker, led a dominating defensive effort with nine tackles, three for loss, an interception and a sack. The Huskies held De La Salle to a season-low 182 yards and didn’t allow the Spartans special veer attack to get to the edge.
Centennial’s secondary was also outstanding, limiting De La Salle quarterback Blake Wayne to just 9 completions in 20 attempts for 64 yards. Wayne, a tremendous dual threat, was also held to 21 yards on 12 carries. He could never find a seam.
“Their defense was better than our offense, it’s pretty much that simple,” said De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur, whose gaudy career mark dropped to 344-22-3. He missed out on becoming the state’s all-time winning coach.
Wayne said: “I can’t tell you how good and how fast those guys were. And (Burfict)… oh my God. He’s unbelievable.”
The Nebraska-bound Martinez was pretty special too, completing 15 of 21 for 243 yards. All of his completions went to Harris (nine catches, 122 yards) and Marvray (6-121), a pair of Division I wideouts.
De La Salle’s defense was stout and remarkably improved from earlier in the year. The Spartans held Washington State-bound running back Arthur Burns to just 83 yards in 25 carries, but he scored on touchdowns of 4 and 2 yards, the latter broke a 14-14 tie with 2:25 left in the third quarter that was the game-winner.
Martinez, who scored on a 4-yard run, ran out of the end zone with eight seconds left and after the Spartans gave a very good Tennessee Titans “Music City Miracle” imitation but was stopped at the Centennial 30, the Huskies celebrated like it was 1999.
Or something like that.
“It’s just a fantastic feat to go undefeated, win 15 games and win a state championship,” Centennial coach Matt Logan said. “And to beat a program like that feels awfully good too. We didn’t play our best, but we did enough.”
Said Ladouceur: “It would have taken a complete game to beat those guys and we didn’t get that. I wasn’t please with our first half but we gave a really good effort the second half and had a chance to win. We didn’t make enough plays.”
A bad punt snap and fourth-down penalty on Centennial all but handed De La Salle a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
After the Huskies got one first down on its first possession a bad punt snap caused punter Trevor Romaine to fall on the ball at the Centennial 18.
Three plays netted eight yards and on fourth-and-2, the Spartans brought in their field goal team. But a hard count drew the Huskies offside, making it first-and-goal at the 5. After a 4-yard run by Wayne, Terron Williams-Ward punched it in for a 1-yard touchdown. With 6:57 left in the first, De La Salle led 7-0.
Centennial responded immediately with a 47-yard pass from Martinez to Marvray. A couple short passes and runs by Burns pushed the ball to the De La Salle 7 and on 4th-and-1 Burns had a sure first down to the 3, but fumbled. De La Salle’s Khyri Knowles recovered but two plays later, a tipped Wayne pass was intercepted by Burfict and return to the De La Salle 17.
After a 13-yard completion to Marvray, Burns waltzed into the end zone, tying the score at 7-7 with 2:42 left in the quarter.
“This feels so much better than last year,” Burns said. “Those guys (De La Salle) play tough for sure, but we were just a little tougher.”
Centennial took its first lead on its next possession, going 51 yards in just four plays capped with a 4-yard TD run by Martinez, who set up the score with a spectacular 33-yard completion to Harris.
Martinez was flushed from the pocket and while going to his left – he’s right handed – he fired a perfect ball that was well covered but Harris went way up to grab it just in bounds at the 7. After a short inside run to Burns, Martinez faked inside and went in untouched, making it 14-7 with 8.7 seconds left in the first quarter.
At that point the Spartans had to consider themselves fortunate down just seven. They were outgained in the first quarter 139-18.
After a scoreless second quarter, De La Salle tied it up at 14-14, taking the second-half kickoff and traveling 56 yards in 13 plays capped by a 1-yard TD sneak by Wayne. The Spartans couldn’t get more than three- and four-yard gains, but it got a big 18-yard completion from Wayne to tight end Carlton Walter.
“That was a good drive and we showed some toughness,” Ladouceur said. “But we couldn’t stop them on the very next drive.”
Indeed the Huskies went 84 yards on 16 plays, finished off with a spinning 2-yard TD run by Burns with 2:25 left. Centennial was especially good on third down, converting three times.
“I think we just wanted this so bad nothing was going to stop us,” Marvray said. “Not even De La Salle."
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com
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Centennial 21, De La Salle 16
De La Salle 7 0 7 2 - 16
Centennial 14 0 7 0 - 21
First quarter
DLS – Terron Williams-Ward 1 run (Biel kick), 2:43
C – Burns 4 run (Romaine kick), 2:42
C – Martinez 4 run (Romaine kick), 0:09
Third quarter
DLS – Wayne 1 run (Biel kick), 6:55
C – Burns 2 run (Romaine kick), 2:25
Fourth quarter
DLS – Safety, Martinez ran out of end zone, :08
Team Statistics
First downs: DLS 12, Centennial 16
Rushes-yards: DLS 41-118, Centennial 44-56
Passing 9-20-1-64, Centennial 15-21-0-243
Turnovers: DLS 1, Centennial 2
TOP: DLS 24:14, Centennial 23:46
Penalties: DLS 6-45, Centennial 6-62
Individual Statistics
Rushing
DLS, Butler 19-66, Williams-Ward 9-25, Wayne 12-21, Anderson 1-6; Centennial, Burns 25-83, Martinez 17-30, Team 2-(-57).
Passing
DLS, Wayne 9-20-1-64. Centennial 15-21-0-243.
Receiving
DLS, Butler 3-22, Williams-Ward 2-8, Perio 2-6, Walter 1-18, Bouza 1-10. Centennial, Harris 9-122, Marvray 6-121.
Tackles
DLS, Perio 10, Wynn 9, Wishom 7, Waldren 6. Centennial, Burfict 9, Sutton 8, Hollick 6, Whitlow 5, Letcher 5.
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Centennial pulls out landmark victory
December 20, 2008 3:37 AM
Burfict-led defense and Martinez-led offense lifts Huskies past De La Salle, 21-16, and earns the Corona school its first CIF state title.
By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor
There was a familiar theme in Friday night's CIF Div. I State Championship Bowl Game between De La Salle of Concord, the defending Div. I champs and California state team of the year, and Centennial of Corona, last year's Div. I runner-up.
After losing to Canyon of Canyon Country in the inaugural CIF Division I bowl game in 2006, Spartans' head coach Bob Ladouceur and his club used the stinging 27-13 defeat as motivation to defeat the Huskies in last year's contest, 37-31, and complete an undefeated 13-0 season.
This season, the tables were reversed, as Centennial head coach Matt Logan and his program used that same feeling as motivation throughout this season. That motivation, combined with a group of talented players on both sides of the ball, resulted in a 21-16 Centennial victory before 7,581 rabid fans at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
With the win, Centennial becomes the fourth team in state history to complete a 15-0 season, following Oaks Christian of Westlake Village in 2006, Bishop Amat of La Puente in 1992 and St. Margaret's earlier in the day. Tomorrow night on the same field, Poly of Long Beach will try to join the Huskies as a 15-0 championship team against unbeaten Grant of Sacramento. If the Jackrabbits were to lose, Centennial would be the logical choice to be crowned 2008 CalHiSports.com State Team of the Year.
"Maybe for a brief moment we're up there with them, but they've been like this for 20 years," said Logan if this win puts his program on an elite national level like De La Salle. "We've still got a long ways to go. This is a tremendous benchmark for our program."
The Spartans got the first break of the game when on a fourth and three from their opponents' 40-yard line, the snap on Centennial's punt sailed over the head of Trevor Romaine. He had to fall on the ball and De La Salle (12-2) took over at the 18-yard line after the 22-yard loss. It looked like Centennial was going to hold the Spartans to three points after the miscue as All-American linebacker Vontaze Burfict stuffed De La Salle quarterback Blake Wayne on third and four from the 12-yard line. Burfict ended the game with a team-high nine tackles, three for loss.
Centennial made its second critical mistake of the game when on the ensuing 27-yard field goal attempt, the Huskies were whistled for an encroachment penalty that gave the defending Div. I state champions an automatic first down. Ladouceur's charges took advantage of the gift as junior Terron Williams-Ward carried off left tackle and punched it in from one-yard to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter.
Centennial looked to answer with a score of its own as senior quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Arthur Burns helped the Huskies move downfield into scoring position with quick darts up the middle and pin-point passes. On fourth and inches from the seven-yard line, Burns easily got the yardage on the outside but he coughed up the ball and De La Salle's Khyri Knowles recovered at the three-yard line. The fumble was Centennial's third big blunder, but the Spartans returned the favor when Wayne dropped back to pass and had a tipped pass picked off by Burfict at De La Salle's 17-yard line. Two plays later, Burns scampered in from four yards out to tie the contest with 2:42 left in the first quarter.
De La Salle, which came into the Div. I bowl game ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 19 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50, was out-gained in total yardage in the first quarter, 139-19, and the Huskies were clearly winning the field position battle so it was just a matter of time before they took advantage.
Martinez's arm and feet helped the two-time CIF Southern Section Inland take the lead near the end of the first quarter. He avoided De La Salle's rush by gaining yards to the outside on broken runs and displayed an accurate ball downfield, not to mention the ability to punt.
Running to his left, Martinez hit wide receiver Geshun Harris on a 33-yard pass reception by out-leaping and out-muscling the De La Salle defensive back for the ball before falling out of bounds at the seven-yard line. After a three-yard rush by Burns, Martinez waltzed into the end zone untouched from four yards out to give the Huskies a 14-7 lead.
"I guess we were just a step ahead of them today," said Martinez, who finished with 290 total yards, including 243 passing on 15 of 21 attempts. "All our hard work and training this summer paid off but we still had to play great for all four quarters to beat these guys."
Although Wayne struggled in the first half and Burfict was dominating the game by blowing up ball carriers and screen plays, Centennial couldn't muster any points in the second quarter and went into halftime holding a precarious 14-7 lead. This despite the fact that the Spartans, usually known for their precise execution on offense, committed five unforced penalties for 41 yards.
Championship-level teams are known for making a statement on the first offensive possession of the second half and that's exactly what the Spartans did. They methodically drove down the field, punctuating a 13-play, 59-yard drive on a one-yard quarterback keeper by Wayne. De La Salle wasn't able to find any creases in the first half, but did find some soft spots in the Huskies' defense on the game-tying drive, the key play a 13-yard reception by junior tight end Carlton Walter that gave Ladouceur's club a first down at Centennial's 17-yard line.
As the game wore on, it was clearly evident Centennial, which came in ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 9 in the FAB 50, had the more talented team, but the Huskies let the Spartans hang around.
On Centennial's offensive possession following Wayne's touchdown, it looked like De La Salle caught the break it needed with 4:51 remaining in the third quarter. Martinez hit wide receiver Ricky Marvray on a deep slant pass and it appeared the UCLA commit fumbled the ball forward in Centennial territory. De La Salle's Michael Dosen fell on the ball, but after a quick conference the referees ruled Martinez's pass incomplete.
The Huskies took advantage of the momentum De La Salle had sucked out of it and later kept the drive alive on fourth and two with a Martinez run around end.
In last year's Div. I game, a furious Centennial comeback fell just short but this time around the Huskies wouldn't be denied as Burns (25 carries, 85 yards, 2 TDs) scored the game-winning touchdown on a two-yard run with 2:25 remaining in the third quarter.
Although there were no touchdowns in the final period, there certainly was excitement as the Huskies had a chance to open the game up against a struggling Spartans' offense. It didn't happen as De La Salle displayed its championship moxie.
The key play that kept the Spartans' hopes alive was a blocked field goal by special teams demon Noah Perio on a 37-yard Trevor Romaine attempt with 3:18 remaining in the game. De La Salle was 70 yards out from a potential game-tying touchdown, but the drive bogged down in Centennial territory. On fourth and five from the 43-yard line, Wayne's pass to Perio was behind the intended target and just out of reach, as the ball fell to the ground and the Centennial sideline erupted.
Wayne struggled with his passing accuracy but gave his usual game effort, finishing with 64 yards on nine of 20 passing while adding 25 rushing yards on 12 carries.
"Offensively we were pretty inept, especially in the first half," remarked Ladouceur, whose club was out gained in total yardage, 299-182. "But defensively we hung in there. We just didn't play a complete game."
The final points came with 5.8 seconds left when Martinez ran out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Even the free kick had high drama, as De La Salle lateralled backwards twice and appeared to have a wall created near the Centennial sideline before it collapsed and the ball-carrier was brought down in Centennial territory to end the game.
With the five-point loss, Ladouceur fell to 1-2 in CIF state bowl games while Centennial secured its highest final state rating. De La Salle's loss also prevented Ladouceur from joining Harry Welch as the only two-time CIF state bowl game winner and also prevented the veteran coach from becoming the state's all-time winningest coach. He finishes the 2008 season with an overall record of 344 wins, 22 losses and three ties.
"I thought they were worthy of all their high rankings and probably deserved to be in the open (division game)," Ladouceur said. "We almost got it at the end. We had it set up and the kids made a good effort."
Most All-Time Career Coaching Victories
344 -- Marijon Ancich, Santa Fe Springs St. Paul, 1961-1981, 1993-2005 & Tustin, 1984-1992 (127 losses, 10 ties)
344 -- Bob Ladouceur, Concord De La Salle, 1979-2008 (current) (22 losses, 3 ties)
338 -- Herb Meyer, Oceanside, 1959-1975 & Oceanside El Camino, 1976-2003 (150 losses, 15 ties)
292 -- Dick Bruich, Fontana, 1977-1998 & Fontana Kaiser, 2000-2008 (85 losses, 4 ties)
290 -- Leo Robinson, Woodlake, 1962-2002 (127 losses, 11 ties)
Note: Dick Bruich just completed his last season at Kaiser. Updated records courtesy of CalHiSports.com State Record Book and Almanac.
Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com
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Centennial holds off De La Salle
By Chace Bryson
Staff writer,Contra Costa Times
Article Last Updated: 12/20/2008
CARSON With its offense getting minimal success against one of the top defenses in the state, the De La Salle High football team had to rely on its defense and special teams.
And the two units nearly did the job. A desperate kick return attempt on the game's final play ended 34-yards shy of the end zone and Centennial-Corona defeated the Spartans 21-16 in the California Interscholastic Federation Division I state championship bowl game Friday at the Home Depot Center in Carson.
"(Centennial) is a great football team," De La Salle defensive coordinator Terry Eidson said. "We played to the last play of the game. I'm very proud of our kids."
With the score 21-14, Centennial gave up a safety as it attempted to run out the game's final second. As a result, the Huskies had to attempt a free kick with 7.8 seconds to go. De La Salle attempted a return play that involved three laterals. The second lateral managed to get Terron Williams-Ward open down the left sideline. He picked up close to 35 yards before he was forced to pitch it to Ryan McVay, who was brought down at the 34-yard line.
"We've been working (on that play) for about a month," said Eidson, who also coaches the special teams. "We had blockers. But with the speed of (Centennial) it's hard to pull off."
The game was a rematch of the 2007 CIF Division I championship game which De La Salle won 37-31.
De La Salle (12-2) dominated the first half in the teams' first meeting, but that was not the case on Friday. Centennial (15-0) outgained the Spartans 192-82 in total yards in the first half.
"Our game plan was solid," De La Salle quarterback Blake Wayne said. "Just in the first half we didn't execute as well as we wanted to and we only got 16 points on the board, and that's not going to win a championship."
The Huskies were billed as one of the best defenses in the state, and they proved it. After retaking the lead on a 2-yard run by Arthur Burns with 2:25 left in the third quarter, Centennial forced De La Salle to turn the ball over on down in each of its last two offensive possessions.
The Spatans' best drive moved the ball inside the Centennail 38, but Wayne's pass on fourth-and-five went in and out of Noah Perio's hands and Centennial took the ball over with 1:13 to go in the game.
"They were just real fast," De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur said. "Their defense was better than our offense. That was just a fact. I thought our defense, though, made enough stops for us to win, but we just didn't follow through offensively."
The teams traded scores in the third quarter with De La Salle tying the game on 1-yard run by Wayne, and Centennial regaining the lead 21-14 with a 2-yard run by running back Arthur Burns.
Both teams capitalized on mistakes for their first scores. De La Salle took a 7-0 lead with 6:57 left in the first quarter by going 18 yards on five plays, a drive which followed a bad snap on the Huskies first punt attempt. Williams-Ward scored the touchdown on a 1-yard dive.
Centennial tied the game with a two-play drive just four minutes later after Vontaze Burfict intercepted Wayne at the De La Salle 17-yard line. Burns scored on a 4-yard run.
The Huskies took a 14-7 lead with eight seconds left in the quarter, driving 51 yards in four plays and scoring on a 4-yard run by Taylor Martinez.
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De La Salle goes down in D-I State Championship Bowl Game
The Sacramento Bee
CARSON---Consider Centennial High School of Corona's account with De La Salle of Concord officially balanced. There are no more deficits or overdrafts. Things are now even between these two teams.
The Huskies administered the big pay back, knocking off the Spartans 21-16 in the California Interscholastic Federation Division I State Football Championship Bowl Game before a live statewide television audience and 7,581 at the Home Depot Center Friday.
The Huskies (15-0), ranked No. 2 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and No. 8 nationally by ESPN Rise, withstood the Spartans' fourth-quarter rally and avenged a 37-31 loss to De La Salle last season.
"I thought our players played their hearts out," Huskies coach Matt Logan said. "We were really resilient on a night when we didn't play our best game. But we did what we had to do win the game."
The Spartans (12-2), ranked No. 3 in the state (Cal-Hi) and No. 16 nationally (ESPN Rise) got a chance to tie it late in the fourth quarter. Free safety Noah Perio blocked a 37-yard field-goal attempt by the Huskies Trevor Romaine and gained possession on their own 30 with 3:18 remaining.
But the Spartans couldn't push the ball down the field. Their dreams of a second straight title D-I state title vanished when Perio couldn't get his hands on a pass from quarterback Blake Wayne on fourth-and-5 from the Huskies 43 with 1:13 to go.
As a result, the Huskies (15-0) finished the season undefeated, while Spartans coach Bob Ladouceur didn't make history.
The orchestrater of De La Salle's stellar dynasty the last 30 seasons, Ladouceur, 54, needed one victory to become the all-time winningest coach in state history, according to Cal-Hi Sports.com record book.
He remains at 344 career victories (22 losses, 3 ties) in his illustrious career, one that includes a national record 151-game winning streak from 1992 to 2003, 24 North Coast Section titles and sixth mythical national championships (5 USA Today, 1 ESPN).
"I thought our defense did a great job," Ladouceur said. "But we couldn't generate any offense. I thought their defense was too strong for us."
The Spartans managed just 182 yards of total offense to the Huskies 299.
Centennial, which produced former Sacramento State offensive lineman and New England Patriots heralded long snapper Lonnie Paxton, led 14-7 at halftime.
It was a huge feat considering the Huskies lost two fumbles and Martinez threw an interception. The Spartans, however, could not take advantage. They committed six penalties for 40 yards and produced just 81 yards of offense in the first 24 minutes.
In just his second varsity season, senior quarterback Taylor Martinez displayed a nice throwing touch and smarts to prove why he was one of the top quarterbacks in the state. He completed 58 percent of his passes, for 2,751 yards and 28 touchdowns entering the game and led the Huskies to a victory over Mater Dei of Santa Anna to the Southern Section Inland Division championship.
The Nebraska-bound signal-caller on Friday completed 15 of 21 passes for 243 yards. Ricky Marvray had six catches for 121 yards and Geshun Harris grabbed nine balls for 122 more. But Arthur Burns did the most damage. He had 85 yards in 25 carries and scored twice, including the game-winner from two-yards out with 4:30 to play. Huskies senior linebacker Vontaze Burfict had nine tackles, one interception, and one sack. He's verbally committed to USC.
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Corona Centennial holds off Concord De La Salle
Huskies make a case for unofficial state title with 21-16 victory over Northern California power.
By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times
December 20, 2008
Corona Centennial High's no-huddle, hurry-up offense took its sweet time in the final minute Friday night.
The Huskies lingered in the backfield after plays. They milled about in the huddle prior to the snap. They savored every moment.
Things then turned bizarre when Centennial quarterback Taylor Martinez sprinted into his own end zone to take a safety with 7.8 seconds remaining.
Concord De La Salle tried a series of laterals on the ensuing kickoff and reached Centennial territory before getting tackled to secure the Huskies' 21-16 victory in the CIF state Division I championship bowl game at the Home Depot Center.
By avenging last year's bowl loss to the Spartans, Centennial (15-0) can make a case to be considered the unofficial California champion, though the winner of tonight's open-division bowl game between Long Beach Poly and Sacramento Grant would surely disagree.
"I kind of look at it like there's really four teams competing for that state crown, because it could come out of any of those teams," Centennial Coach Matt Logan said this week.
The Huskies took a 21-14 lead when running back Arthur Burns spun into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, capping a drive in which Centennial appeared to catch a big break when an apparent fumble by receiver Ricky Marvray was ruled an incomplete pass.
De La Salle remained within striking distance when Noah Perio blocked a 37-yard field-goal attempt by Trevor Romaine, giving the Spartans (12-2) the ball at their own 30-yard line with 3:18 remaining in the game.
De La Salle eventually reached the Centennial 42 before quarterback Blake Wayne's fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
Wayne had pulled the Spartans into a 14-14 tie in the third quarter on a one-yard plunge.
Centennial, which never led and trailed by as many as 24 points during last year's 37-31 loss to De La Salle, had to play catch-up again in the early going Friday.
The Huskies helped the Spartans score first thanks to a pair of mistakes. After a bad punt snap gave De La Salle the ball on the Centennial 18-yard line, it appeared the Huskies had held the Spartans and would force a field-goal attempt.
But De La Salle drew Centennial offsides on fourth down, giving the Spartans a first down at the five-yard line. Two plays later, Terron Ward scored on a one-yard run to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead.
Things further deteriorated for the Huskies when Burns fumbled inside De La Salle's five-yard line, but Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict intercepted a pass by Wayne shortly thereafter at the Spartans' 17-yard line. Burns then scored on a four-yard run to tie the score.
Martinez nudged Centennial ahead, 14-7, on his four-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. The Huskies' 50-yard drive was keyed by an acrobatic catch by Geshun Harris that went for a 33-yard gain.
Martinez completed 15 of 21 passes for 243 yards and Harris caught nine passes for 127 yards.
De La Salle Coach Bob Ladouceur fell short in his bid to become the all-time winningest coach in California. He remains tied with former longtime Santa Fe Springs St. Paul coach Marijon Ancich, who retired with 344 victories.
ben.bolch@latimes.com
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Corona Centennial holds off Concord De La Salle
Huskies make a case for unofficial state title with 21-16 victory over Northern California power.
By Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times
December 20, 2008
Corona Centennial High's no-huddle, hurry-up offense took its sweet time in the final minute Friday night.
The Huskies lingered in the backfield after plays. They milled about in the huddle prior to the snap. They savored every moment.
Things then turned bizarre when Centennial quarterback Taylor Martinez sprinted into his own end zone to take a safety with 7.8 seconds remaining.
Concord De La Salle tried a series of laterals on the ensuing kickoff and reached Centennial territory before getting tackled to secure the Huskies' 21-16 victory in the CIF state Division I championship bowl game at the Home Depot Center.
By avenging last year's bowl loss to the Spartans, Centennial (15-0) can make a case to be considered the unofficial California champion, though the winner of tonight's open-division bowl game between Long Beach Poly and Sacramento Grant would surely disagree.
"I kind of look at it like there's really four teams competing for that state crown, because it could come out of any of those teams," Centennial Coach Matt Logan said this week.
The Huskies took a 21-14 lead when running back Arthur Burns spun into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, capping a drive in which Centennial appeared to catch a big break when an apparent fumble by receiver Ricky Marvray was ruled an incomplete pass.
De La Salle remained within striking distance when Noah Perio blocked a 37-yard field-goal attempt by Trevor Romaine, giving the Spartans (12-2) the ball at their own 30-yard line with 3:18 remaining in the game.
De La Salle eventually reached the Centennial 42 before quarterback Blake Wayne's fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
Wayne had pulled the Spartans into a 14-14 tie in the third quarter on a one-yard plunge.
Centennial, which never led and trailed by as many as 24 points during last year's 37-31 loss to De La Salle, had to play catch-up again in the early going Friday.
The Huskies helped the Spartans score first thanks to a pair of mistakes. After a bad punt snap gave De La Salle the ball on the Centennial 18-yard line, it appeared the Huskies had held the Spartans and would force a field-goal attempt.
But De La Salle drew Centennial offsides on fourth down, giving the Spartans a first down at the five-yard line. Two plays later, Terron Ward scored on a one-yard run to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead.
Things further deteriorated for the Huskies when Burns fumbled inside De La Salle's five-yard line, but Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict intercepted a pass by Wayne shortly thereafter at the Spartans' 17-yard line. Burns then scored on a four-yard run to tie the score.
Martinez nudged Centennial ahead, 14-7, on his four-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. The Huskies' 50-yard drive was keyed by an acrobatic catch by Geshun Harris that went for a 33-yard gain.
Martinez completed 15 of 21 passes for 243 yards and Harris caught nine passes for 127 yards.
De La Salle Coach Bob Ladouceur fell short in his bid to become the all-time winningest coach in California. He remains tied with former longtime Santa Fe Springs St. Paul coach Marijon Ancich, who retired with 344 victories.
ben.bolch@latimes.com
Division II State Championship Recap:Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)37, St. Mary's (Stockton)34
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Bowl Championships
Division II: Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 37, St. Mary’s (Stockton) 34
CC stars: Tyler Gaffney 329 yards rushing, 5 TDs; QB Parker Hipp 9 of 11, 191 yards
SM stars: Cody Vaz 31 of 46, 336 yards, 4 TDs; WR Louie Lechich 15 catches, 157 yards, 2 TDs
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By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
CARSON, Calif. – The TV, radio and newspaper crews swarmed Cathedral Catholic senior running back Tyler Gaffney and asked him to sum up his feelings.
“It was amazing…it was perfect… there was nothing more I could ask,” he said.
He was, of course, describing his own state championship game that could be only drummed up in a fictional novel.
But he could have also easily been describing the game itself, Cathedral Catholic’s 37-34 thriller of St. Mary’s in the CIF State Bowl Division II championship Saturday at the Home Depot Center.
The game featured 1,051 yards and four lead changes in a 4 minute, 53-second span of the fourth quarter, the last time on a 51-yard touchdown gallop by Gaffney with 4:45 remaining.
It was a fitting the game-winning score came from the 6-foot, 215-pound senior, who rushed 33 times for 329 yards and five touchdowns.
Gaffney also threw a halfback option pass that set up a late touchdown. He blocked an extra point that was key. And then he cinched the win with a third-down 17-yard reception that ran out the clock.
The five touchdowns gives him 56 in 2008, which, according to the Cal-Hi Sports record book, ties him for fourth all-time in state history.
Gaffney, whose college finalist are USC, Stanford and Notre Dame, also scored on runs of 36, 1, 18 and 1 yard and he finished the season with 2,872 yards rushing. His team finished 15-0 and won his school’s second state title in two weeks (The girls volleyball team won a state title on Dec. 7).
St. Mary’s (12-3) piled up 26 first downs and 461 yards but they couldn’t contain Gaffney, a shifty, strong and relentless runner.
“There’s nothing more that I can say about the young man,” Cathedral Catholic coach Sean Doyle said. “That’s what he’s been doing his whole career. But to do it on this stage, in this game for a state champion. …Amazing.”
There were many superlatives to go around.
St. Mary’s senior quarterback Cody Vaz couldn’t have done any more. He was poised in the pocket and razor sharp and completed 31 of 46 for 335 yards and four touchdowns.
His favorite target Louie Lechrich, who caught everything within reach, hauling in 15 balls for 157 yards and two scores of 5 and 8 yards. Teammate Alex Michaels added five catches for 74 yards and TDs of 28 and 9 yards.
“I couldn’t ask any more of my team or of a state championship football game,” St. Mary’s coach Tony Franks said.
Said Doyle: “I think the fans got their money’s worth.”
The best sequence occurred after Vaz completed his second touchdown pass to Michaels with 9:38 remaining to give the Rams a 27-23 lead.
The Dons, who finished with 590 yards, took the ensuing kickoff and after a 31-yard completion from senior quarterback Parker Hipp to Brad Harrington, the drive stalled. On 4th-and-9 from the St. Mary’s 33, Hipp called for a halfback option and the play worked to perfection.
Gaffney swept right and fired across back field to Hipp, who last year was the team’s leading receiver. Hipp was all alone, caught the pass and motored all the way to the 1. On the next play, Gaffney scored his fourth TD, making it 30-27 with 6:10 remaining.
“Coach wanted to run the play earlier, but I thought there might be a bigger situation,” Hipp said. “That was it. Tyler gave me a perfect pass. It was a great play.”
The Cathedral lead lasted 16 seconds.
St. Mary’s junior Chad West took the ensuing kickoff and thought he was one-yard deep in the end zone, which would have been an automatic touchback. West delayed a full second, then realized he caught it at the 4. He zoomed left, cut up the sideline and outraced everyone for a 96-yard touchdown, giving the Rams the lead back, 34-30 with 5:54 remaining.
“What a play,” Vaz said. “(West) hasn’t brought one back all year but we knew he would at some point. What a time.”
West was a hero, but not for long. It took just three plays for the Dons to get the lead back for good 37-34 as Gaffney broke loose off the left side for a 51-yard touchdown with 4:45 remaining.
He followed blocks of massive offensive linemen Everett Benyard (6-7, 325), headed to Oregon, and junior Alex Crosthwaite (6-5, 290) to the end zone.
“We love blocking for Tyler,” Benyard said. “He’s just magic man. When he touches the ball, great things happen.”
Look for much more on this game later tonight.
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Cathedral Catholic 37, St. Mary’s 34
St. Mary’s 14 0 6 14 - 34
Cathedral Catholic 14 6 3 14 - 37
First quarter
C – Gaffney 36 run (Ferreira kick), 10:25
SM – Michaels 28 pass from Vaz (Villareal kick), 6:58
C – Gaffney 1 run (Ferreira kick), 4:53
SM – Lechich 5 pass from Vaz (Villareal kick), 0:36
Second quarter
C – Gaffney 18 run (kick failed), 6:45
Third quarter
C – FG, Ferreira 37, 5:19
SM – Lechich 8 pass from Vaz (kick failed), 2:44
Fourth quarter
SM – Michaels 9 pass from Vaz (Villareal kick), 9:38
C – Gaffney 1 run (Ferreira kick), 6:10
SM – West 96 kickoff return (Villareal kick), 5:54
C – Gaffney 51 run (Ferreira kick), 4:45
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Cathedral Catholic survives scorefest
December 21, 2008 2:02 AM
San Diego school tops St. Mary's of Stockton, 37-34, behind five more touchdowns from Tyler Gaffney and overcomes record-breaking night from Rams' QB Cody Vaz.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Two Catholic schools with long-standing athletic traditions and high-powered offenses, both making their initial appearances in a state football title contest, clashed in the Division II Bowl game and the offenses certainly lived up to their acclaim.
In the end, it was too much Tyler Gaffney as the record-breaking running back led Cathedral Catholic of San Diego to its first CIF state football title with a 37-34 triumph over St. Mary's of Stockton.
Cathedral Catholic (formerly University High) came into the contest with the No. 5 rusher and No. 1 scorer in the state according to Maxpreps.com, Tyler Gaffney, and his 2,543 yards rushing and 51 total touchdowns.
St. Mary's countered with Oregon State-bound quarterback Cody Vaz, who started the game with 3,512 yards passing and 28 touchdowns.
The result was a track meet that turned into an all-out barnburner with both teams going over the state bowl record 456 total yards of offense set by Lutheran (Orange) in 2006.
Back and forth they went with long runs by Gaffney and crucial fourth down conversions by Vaz, both setting high water marks for rushing and passing respectively in the state bowl games.
The game's outcome was in doubt until a 4th-and-4 pass from Vaz to Louie Lechich fell incomplete with 2:03 remaining and the Rams were out of miracles.
Cathedral Catholic (14-0) struck first on its opening drive to start the game, and it was faster than the blink-of-an-eye, and of course it was Gaffney who did the damage.
Four plays and 60 yards in less than two minutes with Gaffney blowing past defenders 36 yards to paydirt made it 7-0 Dons.
St. Mary's came right back driving 79 yards in 11 plays culminating in a 28-yard pass from Vaz to Alex Michaels. On the play, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller threaded the needle to Michaels, who tippy-toed down the sidelines for the equalizer.
It would be the first of several times in the game Vaz acted like a diamond cutter with his precision passing.
But as was the case all night the Rams couldn't stop Gaffney, only this time he got some help from quarterback Parker Hipp.
The second Dons' scoring drive wasn't quite as quick as the first but it still only took five plays and covered 76 yards with a mere 2:05 elapsed time off the clock.
After a 48-yard pass from Hipp to Chance Early got the ball to the 1-yard-line, Gaffney went in on a 1-yard plunge for a 14-7 lead.
It would be the second of five runs to paydirt by Gaffney, who with his performance, etched his name into the CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac.
"The coaches put me out there to make plays and as an athlete that's what I try to do, said Gaffney, who finished with 329 yards on 33 carries and five touchdowns to give him 56 total touchdowns on the season and move him into a tie with Chad Kackert (Grace Brethren, Simi Valley, 2004 season) for No. 4 on the all-time list for most touchdowns in a season.
Tyler Ebell of Ventura holds the record with 64 touchdowns in 2004. DeShaun Foster of Tustin is second with 59 in 1997, and Jermaine Marshall of Camp Kilpatrick of Malibu is third with 57 accomplished in 1999.
Gaffney also moves into the No. 2 spot for this year's state rushing leaders. His 2,872 yards only trails Deontae Cooper of Citrus Hills (Perris), who finished with 2,948.
Once again, the Rams came right back after Gaffney's second TD to tie it up just before the end of the first quarter.
This time they marched 80 yards in 13 plays with Vaz once again throwing a perfect 5-yard strike to Lechich, releasing the ball before the receiver even turned around in the end zone.
Not to be outdone, Cathedral Catholic made it three straight scoring drives to open the contest when Gaffney went for his third score on an 18-yard run.
The kick by Roman Ferriera went wide right, however, which ended a state record 115 straight extra points for the senior placekicker and left the score at 20-14 to end the first half
The second half was as much back-and-forth as the first two quarters only with more offense, more exciting plays, and more scoring.
With Gaffney slowed for a few plays after taking a hard hit, a Dons' drive stalled and Ferriera atoned for the missed extra point by booting a 27-yard field goal that gave Cathedral Catholic a 23-14 lead.
Vaz, however, wasn't finished. He took the Rams 60 yards in eight plays and when he found Lechich in the right corner of the end zone from 8-yards out the lead was cut to 23-20 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.
The Dons looked to be moving on the ensuing series, moving from their own 20 to the Rams 15-yard line when Gaffney committed the game's only turnover with a fumble after an 18-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
"That [the fumble] was my bad and I knew I had to pick up my team, said Gaffney. "I felt like crap because it was a bad time in the football game to do that.
St. Mary's (12-3) took immediate advantage of the miscue, going 85 yards in eight plays. When Vaz placed another perfectly thrown pass to Michaels between two defenders from 10 yards out, St. Mary's had its first lead at 27-23 with 9:38 remaining in the game.
From there it became a mad scramble to the finish.
With the Dons facing 4th-and-10 from their own 33-yard-line, Coach Sean Doyle went to his bag of tricks and the Rams bit.
Hipp handed off to Gaffney, then slipped into the left flat where Gaffney threw him a perfect pass and the quarterback turned wide receiver raced toward the post before being pushed out of bounds at the 2-yard line.
A facemask penalty on the run moved it to the 1-yard-line where Gaffney took it in for his fourth score and a 30-27 Cathedral Catholic lead with 6:10 left.
"We've been working on that all year, said Gaffney about the pass play to Hipp. "We used it and it worked.
Just as amazing as the fourth-down flea-flicker by the Dons was what happened next.
Thinking he was a yard deep in the end zone and waiting for the officials' whistle, St. Mary's Chad West hesitated, then realized he better run it back.
When he stopped running he was in the end zone 96 yards away and after the extra point the Rams had retaken the lead at 34-30 with 5:54 remaining in the contest.
Just like they had done all game, the Dons wasted little time striking back.
After a 3-yard run by Gaffney and an 11-yard run by Hipp, Gaffney, who is being pursued by Southern California, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA and San Diego State, made the run of the game that gave the bowl championship plaque to the Mission City school.
His 51-yard touchdown run with 4:45 left in which he broke three tackles and outraced several defenders to paydirt was more than St. Mary's could overcome.
"Gaffney was just terrific. He lived up to all the hype, said Rams' head coach Tony Franks. "I knew it was going to be two real good offensive teams on the field out there and that we had to get a few defensive stops. Our kids are still absolute champions.
Vaz ended his career with an outstanding game and season, finishing with 336 yards passing on 31 of 46 attempts with four touchdowns in the game and 3,848 yards and 32 TDs on the overall campaign. He ends up as the No. 4 leading passer in the state this year.
"Winning league, CIF and a state title in the same year? asked Gaffney rhetorically. "I couldn't ask for anything more in my senior year.
With the game concluded, Doyle reflected on the outcome as the Long Beach Poly and Grant players took the field to warm up prior to the Open contest.
"Wow. What a track meet, said Doyle. "I thought these guys [Grant, Long Beach Poly] were going to be the track meet.'
Most Touchdowns (Season)
64 - Tyler Ebell, Ventura, 2000 (14)
59 - DeShaun Foster, Tustin, 1997 (14)
57 - Jermaine Marshall, Malibu Camp Kilpatrick, 1999 (14)
56 - Chad Kackert, Simi Valley Grace Bretheren, 2004 (12)
56 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic, 2008 (14)
54 - Kenny James, Dos Palos, 2000 (13) Jr.
Courtesy of CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac
Note: Gaffney came into bowl game with 51 touchdowns
Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com
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Rams second to one
Shootout not decided until final minute in a classic in Carson
By Stephen Roberson
Record Staff Writer
Stockton Record Newspaper
December 21, 2008
CARSON - St. Mary's quarterback Cody Vaz and receiver Louie Lechich both had record-setting performances during Saturday's CIF State Division II Championship Bowl Game.
It just wasn't enough.
Cathedral Catholic, the San Diego Section's Division III champion, set a number of records as well in a 37-34 victory at The Home Depot Center, giving the Dons their first state championship.
Cathedral running back Tyler Gaffney - who has narrowed his collegiate choices to USC, Notre Dame and Stanford - rushed for a bowl-game record 329 yards on 33 carries with five touchdowns, also a record.
Vaz completed 31 of 46 passes for 336 yards with four touchdowns, setting the bowl game record for both completions and yards while tying the mark for touchdown passes.
Lechich finished with a bowl-game record 15 catches for 157 yards with two touchdowns. Alex Michaels also caught two Vaz touchdown passes.
"We just wanted to come out and prove we belonged here, and I think we did that," Vaz said. "We played our tails off. We played a great game. It's just unfortunate we came up a little short."
Cathedral finished with 590 yards of total offense, another bowl-game record. With the 451 yards the Rams put up, the teams combined for 1,041 yards of total offense.
Gaffney, who missed one play with an injury during the third quarter, gave the Dons (14-0) the lead for good, 37-34, with a 51-yard touchdown run with 4:45 remaining.
"He's a great running back," St. Mary's Jon Sanguinetti said. "Everything they say about him is real. It's not hype. He's good, he's fast, he's big. We made a couple mistakes where we lined up wrong. We played hard; we just came up short."
Gaffney didn't limit his production to running. After St. Mary's took its first lead of the game, 27-23, on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Vaz to Alex Michaels with 9:38 remaining, Gaffney went to the air.
On the ensuing drive, he completed a 30-yard pass to quarterback Parker Hipp on fourth-and-9 from the St. Mary's 32 on a flea-flicker play called "58 Parker". A facemask penalty moved the ball from the 2 to the 1, and Gaffney punched it in on the next play to give the Dons the lead again, 30-27.
Cathedral coach Sean Doyle considered calling the play earlier in the game, but Hipp convinced him to save it.
"I didn't think it was the proper moment," Hipp said. "But on fourth-and-(9) ... I finally said, 'Coach, this is the time.' "
St. Mary's countered right away on what was initially a gaffe.
Rams return man Chad West caught the kickoff at the 4-yard line and looked down at the 5 and thought it was the goal line. He stopped, realized he wasn't in the end zone - which in high school football is an automatic touchback - and started running.
He didn't stop until he reached the end zone 96 yards later with a touchdown that put St. Mary's in front, 34-30.
Gaffney's 51-yard touchdown run gave the Dons the lead once again and set the stage, potentially, for a game-winning St. Mary's drive.
With nearly 5 minutes to play at the start of the drive, Vaz drove the Rams into Cathedral territory. Then on fourth down, he threw a fade to Lechich near the left sideline that fell incomplete.
Both Franks and Lechich said Lechich was interfered with, but both the junior receiver and the coach took the no-call in stride.
"I thought the (defender) had our receiver's arm, but it didn't happen that way," Franks said. "We didn't get (the flag)."
Said Lechich: "I think we called the right play. We were beating them inside all day, and we wanted to go with a fade right there. I couldn't get my arm up there to grab it, but the (officials) aren't going to decide the game. It just didn't work out."
The resiliency from St. Mary's wasn't lost on Gaffney.
"You have to give them credit," he said. "Third-and-long, fourth-and-1, they kept getting the first downs. ... It definitely made the game fun. As much fun as it is to beat up on a team, it's even more fun to win a game 37-34."
Contact reporter Stephen Roberson at (209) 546-8272 or sroberson@recordnet.com.
Division III State Championship Recap:St. Bonaventure(Ventura) 28, Cardinal Newman(Santa Rosa) 6
Seraphs holds potent Cardinal Newman team without a touchdown in CIF Bowl Game Division III championship.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Division III: St. Bonaventure 28, Cardinal Newman 6
SB Stars: DB Joe Luna (10 tackles), Devon Blackledge (89 yards rushing, 1 TD), QB Logan Meyer 140 yards passing, 1 TD.
Storyline: St. Bonaventure wins second straight title…Seraphs don’t allow touchdown against team that averaged 42 ppg. … Junior QB Meyer poise is key.
By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
CARSON, Calif. – It was mid-September and St. Bonaventure assistant Andy Gibson was driving head coach Todd Therrien a little bonkers.
“We’re better than last year,” Gipson kept singing at practice. “We’re better than last year.”
Said Therrien: “I wanted to kick him in the shins. Can you just let us play it out?”
With a thorough 28-6 victory over a very good and previously unbeaten Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) squad, the Seraphs played it out all right, to their second straight CIF State Bowl Division III crown at the Home Depot Center on Saturday afternoon.
A fast and physical defense kept a team that averaged six touchdowns a game out of the end zone while getting four different players to score.
This was truly a team effort.
USC-bound Patrick Hall (53-yard run), Marcus Langkilde (2-yard run), Devon Blackledge (25-yard run) and Drew Gibson (14-yard pass from quarterback Logan Meyer) all tallied touchdowns for the Seraphs (14-1) who made a serious claim that they are one of the top 20 teams in the country.
Their only defeat was 12-7 to Long Beach Poly, a unanimous top 5 team nationally.
Afterward, Therrien was ready to finally harmonize with coach Gibson.
“I have to give it to (Gibson), he knew it all the way,” Therrien said.
Therrien had a hunch too, largely based on a terrific defense that allowed just 28 points its final four games.
Newman (13-1), making its second state bowl appearance in three years, had a plethora of weapons, came in averaging more than 400 yards per game but mustered just 254, mainly on what Therrien called “dinks and dunks.”
The Cardinals moved the chains, especially in the second quarter when Randy Wright, also the team’s standout quarterback, drilled field goals of 22 and 36 yards.
But the Seraphs secondary of J.B. Dock (five tackles, forced fumble), Troy Hill (five tackles), Tim Bennett (seven tackles) and Joe Luna (game-high 10 tackles) gave up next to nothing after each catch.
Wright, who came in with 2,557 yards passing, 30 touchdowns and a gaudy 15.7 yards per completions, completed 19 of 31 but for only 127 yards. That’s 6.7 yards per reception.
“You can only go so far doing that,” Therrien said. “But once you get into the red zone you can’t dink and dunk any more.”
Newman coach Paul Cronin, a truly innovative offensive coach, knew a truly fast team would give his team troubles. And after watching a week’s worth of film on the Seraphs Cronin cracked, “You wish you drew someone else, someone a little slower. Speed exposes some errors pretty quickly.
“Runs (against teams Newman normally faces) that go for 20 or 30 yards go for 5 or 6 against St. Bonaventure. Completions that normally we get five yards plus five more yards after the catch you just get five yards against St. Bonaventure.”
It just took one breakaway run by Hall to give St. Bonaventure all the points it would needed.
The talented back, who didn’t start on either side of the ball - he’s being recruited as a defensive back – broke through a large hole off the right side, then burst past the Newman secondary for a 52-yard TD run with 2:56 left in the first quarter.
Hall, who started for St. Bonaventure as a freshman, didn’t take his benching to heart.
“I just wanted to help my team win,” Hall said. “(On the TD) It was all blocking.”
A short punt led to a shore field, just 20 yards and the Seraphs needed just three plays to get back to the end zone to take a 14-0 lead. Blackledge ran twice for 18 yards and Langkilde power it home from the 2, giving St. Bonaventure a two-touchdown edge with 21 seconds left in the first quarter.
“We just didn’t play very well in the first quarter,” Cronin said. “That’s going to happen in a game like this. “We played hard and battled back.”
But they couldn’t finish. They went 76 yards to start the second quarter, but like they did all week, the Seraphs tightened up and Wright settled for a 22-yard field goal.
“We don’t like to ever be in that position but once teams get in the red zone, we don’t bend,” St. Bonny senior linebacker Xavier Ramos said.
The Seraphs took control on 25-yard yard touchdown around left end by Blackledge with 4:18 left in the third quarter.
After St. Bonaventure held on downs, the cemented with a 67 yard drive in eight plays capped by a beautifully designed 15-yard inside screen to Gibson for a touchdown with 10:15 remaining.
It was the second touchdown in two years for Gibson, who scored on a key 70-yard touchdown catch in last year’s 35-21 title-game win over Central Catholic (Modesto).
“I had to get in the end zone again,” Gibson said. “This was my last game in high school. To win two state titles is amazing. I couldn’t be prouder of my team and coaches.”
Meyer, an impressive 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior, was particularly sharp hitting 10 of 15 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback spot was wide open but Meyer, the JV starter last year, emerged last spring and was named the starter just before the first game.
Last year Meyer suited up for the state championship game last year, but never imagined playing such an integral part in the 2008 game.
“I just wanted to earn the starting job (in 2008),” Meyer said. “It was a big responsibility and I took it serious. But it was a game-by-game thing. I never even thought about doing this. I’m just glad I could contribute.”
Said Therrien: “Logan’s developed all year long. He doesn’t whine, he doesn’t pout, he just responds and has been a great quarterback all year. I think he has a chance to earn a scholarship.”
As good as Meyer and the offense were, Therrien is clear what the 2008 team will be remembered for.
“Our defense was lights out,” he said. “The secondary is one of the best in school history. The linebacking core is outstanding and the under-rated group is the linemen. From the front to back it’s a great unit. They play hard and together. They’ve been a lot of fun to coach.”
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
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St. Bonaventure 28, Cardinal Newman 6
Cardinal Newman 0 6 0 0 - 6
St. Bonaventure 14 0 7 7 - 28
First quarter
SB – Hall 53 run (Kirk kick), 2:56
SB – Langkilde 2 run (Kirk kick), :21
Second quarter
CN – FG, Wright 22, 7:19
CN – FG, Wright 36, 0:00
Third quarter
SB – Blackledge 25 run (Kirk kick), 4:18
Fourth quarter
SB – Gibson 14 pass from Lo. Meyer (Kirk kick), 10:15
Team Statistics
First downs: CN 19, SB 17
Rushes-yards: CN 40-127, SB 26-196
Passing: 19-31-0-127, SB 11-16-1-147
Total yards: CN 254, SB 343
TO: CN 0, SB 3
Penalties: CN 2-10, SB 5-40
Time possession: CN 30:06, SB 17:54
Individual Statistics
Rushing
CN, Badger 16-79, Ferguson 13-57, Wright 11-(-9). SB, Blackledge 10-89, Hall 7-78, Scholder 3-21, Langkilde 3-9, Rodart 2-1, Team 1-(-2).
Passing
CN, Wright 19-31-0-127. SB, L. Meyer 10-15-1-140, Kirk 1-1-0-7.
Receiving
CN, Amaral 10-69, Miller 3-32, North 2-19, Badger 2-9, Ferguson 2-(-2). SB Rodarte 4-58, Gibson 3-51, Z. Meyer 1-19, Langkilde 1-7, Ledesma 1-9, Hall 1-3.
Tackles
CN, James 7, Stout 5, Steele 4. SB, Luna 10, Gremaud 9, Bennett 7, Frazier 7, Davis 7.
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St. Bonnie Makes It 2-For-2
December 20, 2008 6:42 PM
Seraphs defeat Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, 28-6, to win second straight CIF Division III state bowl game.
By Mark Tennis, CalHiSports.com Executive Editor
The way that Ventura County powerhouses St. Bonaventure of Ventura and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village have been going -- and with no end in sight -- maybe they ought to call the CIF Division III State Championship Bowl Game the St. Bonnie-Oaks Division.
After Oaks Christian won in the first year of the bowl games, St. Bonaventure has now won two straight after a 28-6 victory over previously unbeaten Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa on Saturday afternoon at The Home Depot Center.
Head coach Todd Therrian's team has been led by two-way star Patrick Hall and while Hall did have another strong outing, the Seraphs were well-balanced with the play of quarterback Logan Meyer, running back Devon Blackledge and receivers Drew Gibson and Nolan Rodarte.
"CIF (Southern Section title) feels good, but back-to-back state titles is indescribable," Hall said.
"Our mantra has been, whenever we need a big play, go to Patrick," said Therrian, whose 14-1 team lost its only game, 12-7, to Long Beach Poly. "More than anything, however, this team showed it's more than just one guy. Our defense has been playing light outs all season."
Hall made his presence felt immediately. The three-year standout headed to USC first batted away a pass on defense when Cardinal Newman (13-1) tried to convert a fourth down on its first series. Then with 2:56 left in the first quarter, he broke free on his second carry for a 53-yard touchdown. Hall finished with seven carries for 78 yards.
St. Bonaventure took advantage of a five-yard punt to score again later in the first quarter. After Blackledge ran the ball twice down to the 3-yard line, Marcus Langkilde punched it into the end zone and it was 14-0.
Cardinal Newman put together an impressive scoring drive on its third series to prevent an early blowout. The Cardinals didn't get a touchdown, but kept the ball for 15 plays before Randy Wright, also the team's quarterback, booted a 22-yard field goal for their first points of the game with 7:19 left in the second quarter.
The Seraphs then suffered turnovers on their next two possessions, including one that was the type you'd see on NFL follies when a pass ricocheted off the back foot of Gibson and picked off by Teyo Green of Cardinal Newman.
The Cardinals only had 43 seconds left before halftime after getting that turnover, but did push themselves again into field goal range. Wright lined up for a 36-yarder and sliced it through with no time left, keeping his team within striking distance.
In the third quarter, though, instead of Cardinal Newman coming closer or tying the score on its first series of the half, it was the Seraphs who gained more breathing room. They drove 76 yards on eight plays, with Meyer going 4-for-4 and fellow junior Blackledge scoring on a 25-yard run. Blackledge ended with 10 carries for 89 yards.
Meyer then put the game out of reach with 10:15 remaining when he zipped a slant pass to Gibson, who sprinted through the middle of the field and smashed his way into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. Meyer hit on two earlier passes to Rodarte in that drive for 32 yards. He ended with 10 completions in 15 attempts for 140 yards.
"We knew we would need to use all three downs and have a lot of third and threes but we ended up getting into more long distance situations than we wanted to," said Cardinal Newman head coach Paul Cronin."Plus, we made too many mistakes, especially in the first half."
Those long distance situations also enabled the St. Bonnie defense to tee off on Wright as he was sacked five times. Senior James Emma and sophomore Cody Kurz both were in on Wright multiple times.
Added Cardinal Newman's Jeff Badger, who rushed for 81 yards on 16 carries and had the hit of the game on defense: "I'm really proud of our team. We were focused all week and we gave it our all. They were just the better team."
Another Newman player who shined was wideout Wade Amaral, who caught 10 passes for 69 yards.
Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com
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St. Bonaventure's Patrick Hall goes out on top
The defensive back helps the Seraphs defeat Santa Rosa Cardinal Newman for their second straight CIF Division III state bowl championship. He's heading to USC in the fall.
By Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times
December 21, 2008
Walking off the field after his final high school game, St. Bonaventure defensive back Patrick Hall couldn't help but smile as he gazed at the sea of supporters cheering in the stands. After all, how many football players get to be a part of two state championship teams knowing that they'll be heading to USC the next year?
"It feels great to go out like this," said Hall, his taped-on USC grease marks under his eyes. "To get to this point is unbelievable."
Thanks to Hall and his teammates, Ventura St. Bonaventure won its second consecutive CIF Division III state bowl championship Saturday, defeating Santa Rosa Cardinal Newman, 28-6, at the Home Depot Center.
The Seraphs (14-1) capitalized on another trademark defensive effort to keep Cardinal Newman (13-1) out of the end zone, stonewalling three Cardinals drives inside the St. Bonaventure 20. The Seraphs also limited the Cardinals to only one fourth-down conversion in four tries.
St. Bonaventure's stingy defense allowed its offense to build on Hall's 53-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Logan Meyer completed 10 of 15 passes for 140 yards and junior running back Devon Blackledge finished with a game-high 89 yards and a touchdown.
"It's been a lot of fun coaching a team this good," said St. Bonaventure Coach Todd Therrien, who at 29 has won two Division III state bowl championships in his first two years as a prep football coach. "The linebacking corps has been outstanding and the secondary was phenomenal."
Cardinal Newman Coach Paul Cronin was also impressed by the Seraphs' defense, even though it meant his team would leave a bowl game empty-handed for the second time in three years.
"Any time we got into a third-and-nine or fourth-and-long, we knew it would be tough because of their athleticism," Cronin said. "They're a great team and they showed it."
Cardinal Newman quarterback Randy Wright kicked field goals of 22 and 36 yards in the first half to salvage something from drives that sputtered out in St. Bonaventure territory. Wright also completed 19 of 31 passes for 127 yards, but it wasn't enough.
In becoming the first team to win two CIF division bowl titles, the Seraphs gave up an average of just over eight points a game in the postseason and outscored opponents 165-42. And the one Seraph who played a significant role in both of those statistics was Hall.
Last year, Hall lived in the shadow of Darrell Scott, who took over the starting running back job that appeared to be Hall's before Scott's transfer from Moorpark in the winter of 2007. But everybody knew Hall was a top-level talent, and those suspicions were confirmed when he committed to USC this year.
In the Division II championship game, Tyler Gaffney rushed for 329 yards and five touchdowns -- both state bowl records -- to lead San Diego Cathedral Catholic (14-0) to a 37-34 victory over Stockton St. Mary's. Gaffney had 56 touchdowns (48 of them rushing), tied for fourth all-time on the state single-season list.
Cody Vaz passed for 336 yards and four touchdowns for St. Mary's (12-3).
Correspondent Steve Galluzzo contributed to this report.
austin.knoblauch
@latimes.com
Small School State Championship, St. Margaret's 59, Hamilton 7
Friday, December 19, 2008
CIF State Bowl Game
Small Schools: St. Margaret's 59, Hamilton Union 7
Star: QB David Mothander 231 yards passing, 1 TD pass, 2 TD runs, 1 FG, 8 XPs
Streak: St. Margaret's wins 43rd consecutive game, second state crown for coach Harry Welch.
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By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
CARSON, Calif. – St. Margaret’s football coach Harry Welch was legitimately concerned this week.
Could his Tartans from San Juan Capistrano match the intensity of his opponents in Friday’s initial CIF State Bowl Smalls Schools Division championship game with the Hamilton Union (Hamilton City) Braves?
“You can see they are extremely focused and tough farm boys from rural Northern California,” he said. “They play as harder or harder than any team we’ve faced.”
But it took less than 10 minutes for Welch’s worries to be scrubbed clean as the Tartans raced to a 24-0 lead en route to a downright hard-to-watch 59-7 victory Friday night before about 5,000 fans at the Home Depot Center.
It was the 43rd consecutive win for the Tartans (15-0), which finished with 406 yards to 177 for Hamilton (10-3).
The Braves, who hadn’t played in almost a month because the Northern Section ends play early, looked rusty and absolutely overmatched as it committed five turnovers in the first half leading to a 52-0 deficit.
Welch became the first coach in the three-year history of the Bowl Game series to win two Bowl games and interestingly, he did it with two different teams.
He won the Division I (large school) Division in 2006 leading Canyon Country defeated De La Salle (Concord) 27-13.
“I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Welch said. “Winning a first one is a dream for any one. To win two in three years is beyond what anyone should expect. I’m excited and proud.”
Johnny Murayama, a 5-foot-3, 135-pound senior personified the small-school championship, with a huge first half when he rushed 13 times for 72 yards and four touchdowns. He scored on runs of 3, 2, 3 and 2 yards.
Wide receiver Alex Brolick scored on a 29-yard reverse play and Travis Anderson hauled in a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David Mothander, who ran for a touchdown and kicked seven extra points and a 38-yard field goal.
“Our goal was the put four quarters together and that’s just what we did,” said Murayama, a junior.
Said Welch: “We played with a great deal of intensity and we got some breaks. We capitalized on them. It was a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. When the opportunities presented themselves we were prepared to capitalize.”
Still, a 52-point margin? It was 59-0 early in the third quarter before Welch called off the troops.
“The kids just came to play,” Welch said. “But no, no, no, I never would have expected this.”
Hamilton, which got on the board with 5:06 left in the game on a 9-yard pass from Brad Lohse to Kyle St. Louis, couldn’t overcome six turnovers. Coach Mark Cooley wouldn’t offer the long layoff as an excuse or the 509-mile haul from near Chico.
St. Margaret’s is a 40-minute bus ride south from Carson.
“We might have had some rust, but that had little to do with what happened,” Cooley said. “We lost to a very, very good football team and unfortunately we didn’t play very well.”
Mothander was pin-point sharp, completing 12 of 19 for 231 yards, all in the first half. He didn’t throw a pass the second half and added a four-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Murayama finished with 21 carries for 97 yards and four scores.
As good as the offense was, Mothander pointed to his defense.
“They won the game for us,” he said. “They gave us one chance after another.”
Alex Brolick, Conner Edgecomb and Alfredo Valencia had interceptions for the winners and Adam Miyawaki, Michael Schmall and David Edwards added fumble recoveries.
“I thought our defense was nails all night,” Welch said.
Asked how it felt to win each championship, Welch was philosophical.
“Let’s put it this way, I have two children and I love both dearly,” he said. “I love that 2006 team and this team as well. I’ll take my last breathe loving them both.”
St. Margaret’s 59, Hamilton Union 7
Hamilton Union 0 0 0 7 - 7
St. Margaret’s 24 28 7 0 0 59
First quarter
SM – Marayama 3 run (Mothander kick), 7:30
SM – Brolick 29 run (Mothander kick), 5:59
SM – FG, Mothander 28, 2:35
SM – Mothander 1 run (Mothander kick), 2:22
Second quarter
SM – Anderson 43 pass from Mothander (Mothander kick), 11:41
SM – Murayama 2 run (Mothander kick), 7:47
SM – Murayama 3 run (Mothander kick), 3:06
SM – Murayama 1 run (Mothander kick), 1:45
Third quarter
SM – Mothander 5 run (Mothander kick), 3:11
Fourth quarter
H – St. Louis 9 pass from Lohse (Pineda kick), 5:06
Team Statistics
First down, HU 9, SM 22
Rushes-yards HU 23-81, SM 4-175
Passing HU 15-26-3-96, SM 12-19-0-231
Total yards: HU 177, SM 406
Turnovers: HU 6, SM 2
Individual Statistics
Rushing, HU – Lohse 7-49, Diaz 10-17, Knight 3-7, Smith 1-3, McCorxie 1-2, Schmike 1-3. SM – Murayama 21-97, Mothander 14-34, Duwnes 8-18, Smith 2-0, Brouick 1-29, Team 1-(-3).
Passing, HU – Lohse 15-35-3-96, Schimke 0-1-0-0. SM – Mothander 12-19-0-231.
Receiving, HU – Diaz 5-12, Knight 3-15, Smith 2-32, Thomas 1-14, St. Louis 1-9, Knight 1-6, Van Houtte 1-6, Watson 1-2. SM – Carpeter 4-77, Anderson 3-110, Brolick 3-29, Murayama 2-15.
Tackles, HU – Schimke 13, Diaz 8, Thomas 4, Jacobo 4, Ligas 4, Laglaire 4. SM – Miyawak 9, Brolick 7, Adams 6.
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St. Margaret's rolls to Small Schools title
Tartans complete 15-0 season with a 59-7 romp, giving Coach Harry Welch two bowl victories in three years with two schools.
By Austin Knoblauch,Los Angeles Times
December 20, 2008
It didn't take long for Harry Welch to further solidify his place in Southern California high school football lore.
Welch became the first coach to win two CIF state divisional bowl titles Friday, guiding San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret's to a dominating 59-7 victory over Hamilton City Hamilton in the Small Schools Division Bowl at the Home Depot Center.
The Tartans (15-0) took a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, taking advantage of five Hamilton turnovers to set a bowl record for most points in a game (45) in just over 21 minutes. St. Margaret's running back John Murayama scored a bowl-record five touchdowns en route to a game-high 97 yards rushing in 21 carries.
However, despite his team's outstanding effort, Welch was the center of attention once the teams cleared the field. The victory marks his ninth championship at the division and bowl level and capped his fifth perfect season as a coach. In addition, it illustrated Welch's ability to guide both big and small football programs to the top of state competition. Welch won the CIF Division I Bowl with Canyon Country Canyon in 2006.
"To win two [bowls] in three years is more than anyone should expect," Welch said. "This surpassed anything I ever dream of happening."
Of course, in true Welch fashion, the veteran coach didn't make any apologies for allowing his team to run up a 52-0 halftime lead. St. Margaret's continued to throw the ball throughout the second quarter even though the game was out of reach for Hamilton (10-3). Welch even called a pass with one second left before halftime.
"I'm not going to apologize for throwing a pass in the first half," Welch said. "People groaned, I understand that, but I don't look into the stands before I call a play."
Hamilton Coach Mark Cooley didn't have a problem with Welch's tactics.
"I was completely fine with what they did," Cooley said. "He's here to win the game and that's how he called it. Harry showed everyone out there why he's a legend."
Welch's bold nature has played a pivotal role in his success. He won seven division titles during an 18-year split tenure with Canyon before sending shock waves through the Southern California prep football scene with his decision to coach at St. Margaret's six months after guiding the Cowboys to a bowl victory.
Since joining St. Margaret's, he has guided the Tartans to 29 consecutive victories and has helped the program build an Orange County-record 43-game winning streak.
"I feel so proud of what this team has accomplished," Welch said. "I feel so privileged to be a part of these young men's lives."
austin.knoblauch@latimes.com
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Another State Title for Coach Welch
December 19, 2008 11:02 PM
St. Margaret's makes quick work of Hamilton in CIF small schools state bowl game in 59-7 win.
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Carson, Calif. -- For head coach Harry Welch of the St. Margaret's High football team of Rancho Santa Margarita, it was a bit tougher to win the first CIF state bowl game title of his career than the second.
Welch's team dominated in all phases of the CIF Small Schools Division State Football Championship Bowl Game in posting a 59-7 triumph over out-classed Hamilton of the Northern Section at The Home Depot Center.
Scott Kurtz
Harry Welch compared his two state title-winning teams at St. Margaret's and Canyon to loving two sons equally the same.
As a head coach, Welch became the first to earn two state crowns since the CIF began its bowl games two years ago. His earlier title came when the team he previously coached, Canyon of Canyon Country, upset nationally-ranked De La Salle of Concord in the Division I game, 27-13.
"We prepared for what we saw on film and we executed well," Welch said. "We hustle and play hard and we got some breaks early.
The Tartans (15-0) also improved their winning streak to 43 games, giving them a chance next year to pass Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, which had a 48-game win streak that ended last year, for No. 1 all-time in the CIF Southern Section and No. 2 on the all-time state list.
St. Margaret's first game next year will be against fellow small school power Francis Parker of San Diego, a team that was 12-1 this year and returns a major talent in quarterback Deon Randall.
St. Margaret's was a big favorite entering the state bowl game and it only took a few minutes for the Tartans to assume control. They scored on their second possession on a three-yard run by junior John Murayama. Then less than two minutes later following a fumble recovery by David Edwards, it was Murayama taking an inside reverse down the sidelines for a 30-yard touchdown.
Murayama added two more rushing touchdowns and ended with 22 carries for 99 yards. Senior quarterback David Mohinder also led the way with 11 completions in 19 attempts for 228 yards and one score.
"We prepare every week the same," Murayama said. "We thought we were ready to play and we came on strong."
Hamilton (10-3-1) committed six turnovers in the first half, which contributed to St. Margaret's assuming a 52-0 lead. The biggest of those was an interception by Alex Brolick that he returned to the one-yard line just before the end of the first quarter. On the next play, Mohinder snuck into the end zone and any resemblance of a game was effectively over with St. Margaret's ahead by 24-0.
Another factor in Hamilton's poor showing likely was the team's nearly-month-long hiatus after it won the Northern Section Div. III title. The Braves' lone touchdown came with 5:06 left on a 10-yard pass from Brad Lohse to junior Cody Watson.
"The layoff was a little bit of a factor but we did what we could to stay game ready," said Hamilton head coach Mark Cooley. "If we had a little playoff action going like St. Margaret's we might have been a little sharper, but it just wasn't there tonight and we didn't play anywhere near our best football against a real good team."
Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com
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St. Margaret's 59, Hamilton Union 7
Posted by Quwan Spears
The Sacramento Bee
In the CIF Smalls Schools Division game, the Tartans caused the Braves to make six first-half turnovers and parlayed them in to a 52-0 halftime lead.
Running back John Murayama rushed for 97 yards in 21 carries and scored four touchdowns. Quarterback David Mothander completed 12 of 19 passes for 231 yards. Receiver Travis Anderson caught three passes for 110 yards, including a 43-yard scoring reception from Mothander.
The Tartans racked up 406 yards of total offense and held the Braves to 177. The Tartans finished the season at 15-0, while the Braves 10-3.
