Players from De La Salle of Concord were happier than usual after winning a CIF North Coast Section championship on Friday since they were seen as more vulnerable to lose in that game for many years. Photo: Mark Tennis.
There was a lot of history made on Friday night as No. 1 Mater Dei posted the first shutout of No. 3 Los Alamitos since 1987 (snapping a state/national record at 444 games), No. 2 St. John Bosco rolled over No. 5 Mission Viejo (but did not shut out the Diablos) and No. 10 De La Salle won its 30th consecutive section title (an ongoing state record). There also was big wins by No. 4 San Mateo Serra on Saturday and No. 13 Lincoln in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division final.
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(After games of Saturday, Nov. 19)
(Thanks to correspondent Daniel Poulter for contributing writeups and scores this season.)
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 12-0
Defeated No. 3 Los Alamitos, 52-0, in CIF Southern Section D1 semifinals. It’s hard to say what was more insanely impressive — offense or defense — for the Monarchs in what also was the final game at Santa Ana Stadium for outgoing head coach Bruce Rollinson. As state record book compilers, we vote for the defense since Los Al had not been shut out since 1987. It’s a streak of 444 straight games and is easily the state record plus believed to be a national record. MD won its 29th straight game and had a big game from junior RB Jordon Davison (10 carries, 124 yds, 1 TD).
2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 11-1
Defeated No. 5 Mission Viejo, 41-6, in CIF Southern Section D1 semifinals. Doing their part to set up next Friday’s title game clash against Mater Dei at the Rose Bowl, the Braves scored on their first two offensive plays. The first was a 73-yard run by Cameron Jones. The second was a 70-yard pass from Pierce Clarkson to Israel Polk. Next week’s game (assuming the winner will roll in the CIF Open Division state final) also will be for the mythical national title since Bosco can avenge its only loss (17-7 to MD) and we don’t see too many doing national rankings to not just make the simple switch.
3. Los Alamitos 9-3
LOST to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 52-0, in CIFSS D1 semifinals. Making matters worse for the Griffins was that 5-star QB Malachi Nelson went out with an injury after a second-quarter sack and was not able to return. RB Damian Henderson was held to just 34 yards on 13 carries.
4. Serra (San Mateo) 12-0
Defeated Salinas, 57-21, in Central Coast Section D1 semifinals. Maealiuaki Smith threw for four TDs in the first half as the Padres scored 50 points and were in a running clock against a team that was 10-1. Serra now plays Archbishop Mitty of San Jose in the CCS final, a surprising winner in the other semifinal on Friday against state No. 22 St. Francis of Mountain View, 42-41, in overtime.
5. Mission Viejo 10-2
LOST to No. 2 St John Bosco (Bellflower), 41-6, in CIFSS D1 semifinals. The only consolation for the Diablos is that the two field goals by Michael Salgado-Medina avoided them being shut out. They will thus carry a streak of 335 games in which that hasn’t happened into next season and that streak also will now be the best one in the state since Los Al’s streak has ended at 444.
Mater Dei’s coin flip captains headed out to the middle of the field before they played Los Alamitos on Friday accompanied by Major Billy C. Hall, retired US Marines, who is believed to be the oldest surviving veteran who has been in combat in WWII, the Korean War and VIetnam. Photo: @MDFootball / Twitter.com.
6. Folsom 11-1
Defeated No. 23 Central Catholic of Modesto, 62-27, in Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 semis. The Bulldogs advanced to their section title game after blowing past the Raiders. It was close for one quarter, as Folsom held a 14-13 advantage, but the Bulldogs would outpace the Raiders 48-14 the rest of the way in the blowout victory. Folsom will take on fellow Sierra Foothill League side Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) in the finals to be held at Sacramento City College. Game will be Friday at 7 p.m.
7. Centennial (Corona) 9-2*
Season complete. Head coach Matt Logan’s squad fell short in a CIFSS D1 quarterfinal game last week, 31-28, to No. 5 Mission Viejo. The team’s other loss was to No. 1 Mater Dei.
8. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 10-1*
Season complete. Things are looking up for the Jackrabbits, who had a regular season win over Mission Viejo but lost last week in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals, 52-42, to No. 3 Los Alamitos. The huge season also saw Poly become the winningest team in state history.
9. Inglewood 13-0
Defeated No. 20 Chaminade (West Hills), 41-38, in OT in CIFSS D2 semifinals. The Sentinels had to regroup after their game was tied on a two-point conversion with 30 seconds left in regulation. After Chaminade could only get a field goal on its OT possession, Inglewood scored on a short plunge from Jamari Johnson to win the game. Johnson ended with two TD runs and two TD catches. The team will now play No. 15 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) in next week’s title game on Friday.
10. De La Salle (Concord) 8-3
Defeated No. 11 Pittsburg, 30-23, in CIF North Coast Section Open Division championship. The Spartans scored on the second play of the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Charles Greer to cap an 80-yard drive that came at just the right time and held on to beat the Pirates, who were trailing 23-16 at the time. DLS also needed to recover an onside kick with 1:23 left and could take knees since Pitt only had one time out left. It marked the 30th straight CIF section title for the Spartans, which is an ongoing state record. The team will now advance directly to the CIF NorCal regional games and almost for sure will play the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 winner (unless there are upsets involving higher ranked Serra of San Mateo or Folsom).
11. Pittsburg 10-1
LOST to No. 10 De La Salle (Concord), 30-23, in NCS Open final. Poor starts to the game and in the third quarter doomed the Pirates as they fell behind 13-0 in the second quarter before having some success against the Spartans with a no-huddle offense. Pitt also gave up an interception in the third quarter that led to a 23-7 deficit. Jaden Rashada scored the first TD on a 7-yard run and hit on a 8-yard pass to Kai Taylor for the final score. The Pirates still go on in the NCS split bracket format and will play Clayton Valley of Concord next week for the NCS D1 championship and automatic bid to a NorCal bowl game.
12. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 6-6*
Season complete. The Lions lost to No. 1 Mater Dei, 54-14, last week in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals. They played the week before and avenged one of their losses with a 27-20 win against Santa Margarita in the first round of the playoffs. Head coach Scott McKnight and the school parted ways earlier this week.
13. Lincoln (San Diego) 11-1
Defeated No. 14 Carlsbad, 28-24, in CIF San Diego Section Open Division title. K.J. Chatham gave a lesson in QB confidence and never thinking about the previous play in leading the Hornets to their first-ever Open Division section title. After Chatham threw a 56-yard pick six TD and Lincoln fell behind 21-6 early in the fourth quarter, he came back for three TD passes and a come-from-behind win. The game-winner was on a fourth-down play in the final minutes on a 65-yard pass to Corey Thompson-Miller. The Hornets will now have a week off before they find out which team they will play in the SoCal bowl finals, but it’s going to be the winner of the CIFSS D2 title (either Sierra Canyon or Inglewood).
Two of Lincoln’s finest in CIF San Diego Section Open Division title game win were Rodrick Robinson and Corey Thompson-Miller. Photo: Twitter.com.
14. Carlsbad 10-2
LOST to Lincoln (San Diego), 28-24, in CIF SD Open championship. It’s actually the fourth straight loss for the Lancers in a SD Open final. With the pass game of Julian Sayin shut down by the Hornets’ defense, Mason Walsh picked up the slack and had 15 rushes for 202 yards and two scores. Justin Johnson also had a 65-yard interception return TD early in the fourth quarter.
15. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 9-4
This team avenged an earlier season defeat to No. 21 Bishop Amat, as the Trailblazers held on for a 29-23 victory over the Lancers to advance to the Southern Section Division 2 title game next Friday against No. 9 Inglewood. Leading the way for Sierra Canyon was running back Dane Dunn, as he had 166 yards and two key touchdowns in the victory. Two late interceptions in the final three minutes also helped seal the win.
16. Lutheran (Orange) 7-5*
Season complete. Head coach Rod Sherman’s second season at the helm ended with a 49-14 loss last week to No. 2 St. John Bosco in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals. Similar to JSerra, the Lancers also avenged an earlier loss in the first-round of the playoffs with a win against Edison of Huntington Beach.
17. Edison (Huntington Beach) 9-2*
Season complete. The next two teams in the rankings both made the super-loaded CIFSS D1 playoffs and lost in the first round of the 10-team bracket. Edison’s loss was 38-37 to an Orange Lutheran team it defeated in the regular season. Edison’s other loss was to No. 3 Los Alamitos.
18. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 5-5*
Season complete. The Eagles had a regular season victory over JSerra, but lost to the Lions 27-20 in the first-round of the CIFSS D1 playoffs.
19. Serra (Gardena) 8-4**
Season complete. Head coach Scott Altenberg’s squad had a bad loss to No. 15 Sierra Canyon (42-16) one week ago in the CIFSS D2 quarterfinals, but its other loss to the Trailblazers was much closer. The team also was ranked in front of CIFSS D2 semifinalists Chaminade and Bishop Amat since it beat both in the regular season.
20. Chaminade (West Hills) 10-3
LOST to No. 9 Inglewood, 41-38 in OT, in the CIFSS D2 semifinals. The Eagles tied the score with 30 seconds left in regulation on a 19-yard TD run by QB Javance Tuipoata-Johnson. That was followed by a 2-point conversion run by Logan Carpenter.
21. Bishop Amat (La Puente) 9-4
After roaring back from a 14-0 hole earlier in the year to upend No. 15 Sierra Canyon, the Lancers couldn’t manage the same feat on Friday evening, as Sierra Canyon ended Bishop Amat’s season with a 29-23 victory. Bishop Amat jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, but the Trailblazers took control of the game with 19 points before the halftime break.
22. St. Francis (Mountain View) 8-4
The season surprisingly came to a close Friday evening for the Lancers, as Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) stormed back to force overtime and the Monarchs pulled out a 42-41 stunner in Mountain View. St. Francis had defeated Archbishop Mitty 35-13 to finish out the regular season and it appeared that the Lancers would follow a similar path after taking a 21-6 halftime lead. Archbishop Mitty scored 29 second half points, however, to force overtime. The Monarchs scored first and St. Francis countered with a Kingston Keanaaina 10-yard touchdown run, but heartbreak followed with a botched hold that would end the season for the Lancers.
23. Central Catholic (Modesto) 8-5
The season came to a close for the Raiders, as Central Catholic fell to No. 6 Folsom 62-27 in the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 playoffs. Tyler Jacklich scored on the opening drive for the Raiders on a 79-yard touchdown burst and had the lead for most of the first quarter against the top seed in the SJS. Folsom took the lead for good on a Rico Flores Jr pitch from 1-yard out just at the end of the first quarter and the Bulldogs raced to the blowout.
24. Liberty (Bakersfield) 10-2
The Lions picked up revenge for one of its two losses, as the Patriots held off No. 28 Buchanan (Clovis) 28-20 to advance to the Central Section Division 1 title game against San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno). Mother nature wouldn’t stop the Patriots this time, as the Liberty defense slowly took over the contest after Cole O’Brien connected with Xander Chisolm on a 11-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. The Patriots didn’t let up after taking the 14-13 advantage.
25. Clovis West (Fresno) 10-2
The Tri-River Athletic Conference champion and top seed in the Central Section Division 1 playoffs is heading home early, as No. 33 San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno) scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to stun Clovis West 30-20. The Golden Eagles fell behind for good with seven minutes remaining, as San Joaquin Memorial pinned Clovis West on its own four-yard line. The Panthers’ defense swarmed for a safety.
TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE
Buchanan (Clovis) 9-3
There will be no Tri-River Athletic Conference teams in the Central Section Division 1 championship game. No. 24 Liberty (Bakersfield) survived an early punch by Buchanan in a 28-20 victory to end the Bears’ season. Buchanan returned an interception 22 yards for a pick-six, but the Patriots’ defense held the Bears in check in the second half.
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 6-6
LOST to Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista), 14-9, in CIF San Diego Section D1 semifinals. This also was a matchup of teams that both won CIF state titles last season (MD Catholic in D2-AA and the Dons in D1-AA.
Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) 9-4
The season came to a close for Corona del Mar, as the Sea Kings couldn’t contain 13-0 Yorba Linda in a surprising 51-20 blowout on Friday evening. David Rasor finished his final high school game with 337 passing yards and three touchdowns for Corona del Mar.
Del Oro (Loomis) 9-3
The Golden Eagles fell behind early to Granite Bay and never were able to fully recover in a 21-16 defeat at the hands of the Grizzlies in the SJS D2 semifinals. The Golden Eagles had the ball down five in the final two minutes, but a costly fumble near midfield that was recovered by Granite Bay ended the season for Del Oro.
Madison (San Diego) 9-2*
Season complete. The Warhawks were in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division semifinals and lost last week, 23-0, to Lincoln of San Diego. They were No. 1 in the section by many in the media in San Diego before losing to Lincoln in their final regular season game.
Manteca 10-1
**Forfeit win not included. Defeated Rocklin, 34-28, in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D2 semifinals. The Buffaloes will now take on Granite Bay in next week’s title game on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Sacramento City College.
Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista) 8-4
Defeated Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 14-9, in CIF San Diego Section Open Division semifinals. Isaac Houchin intercepted a pass in the end zone on the last play of the game to clinch the win.
McClymonds (Oakland) 9-1*
No surprise that McClymonds will be playing for the Silver Bowl next week after routing Fremont (Oakland) 60-0 on Friday evening. What is surprising will be the opponent, as Castlemont (Oakland) defeated Oakland Tech (Oakland) 20-8 to advance to the Silver Bowl for the first time since 2017.
Oak Hills (Hesperia) 11-1*
Season complete. A loss to No. 21 Bishop Amat in the CIFSS D2 quarterfinals ended the season for the Bulldogs.
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 10-2
No upset this week for Turlock, as Oak Ridge dominated the Bulldogs 24-0 to set up an all Sierra Foothill League Division 1 final against No. 6 Folsom. Oak Ridge opened the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Keegan Bailey to Kaleb Edwards.
Rancho Cucamonga 9-3*
Season complete. Lost to No. Inglewood, 13-7, in CIFSS D2 quarterfinals after posting 14-10 in first round over Oaks Christian.
San Clemente 7-4*
Season complete. The Tritons lost in the CIFSS D2 playoffs (first round) by one point to Chaminade. They had a regular season win over Corona del Mar with two of other losses to Mission Viejo and Huntington Beach Edison.
San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno) 10-2
SJM used its best fourth quarter of the season to upset No. 25 Clovis West 30-20 in the semifinals of the Central Section Division 1 playoffs. The Panthers used 23 fourth quarter points to put away the top seed in D1, as Fresno State-bound Brandon Ramirez scored two touchdowns and put San Joaquin Memorial up for good with a five-yard score with 1:37 remaining to take a 22-14 lead. Jayden Enriquez had the exclamation point with a pick-six on the following last try for the Golden Eagles. San Joaquin Memorial will take on No. 24 Liberty (Bakersfield) in the final.
St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 7-4*
Season complete. Team lost in CIFSS D2 playoffs (first round) to Oak Hills (Hesperia) after winning Marmonte League title over Oaks Christian and Bishop Diego (Santa Barbara).
St. Mary’s (Stockton) 10-1*
Season complete. Team was upset 51-50 by Turlock in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 playoffs. It had regular season wins over both Central Catholic (Modesto) and De La Salle.
Turlock 8-5
One of the wildest seasons in Turlock history came to a close with a 24-0 defeat at the hands of Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills). The Bulldogs’ offense was stuck in first gear all evening in the loss.
Yorba Linda 13-0
The perfect season continued for Yorba Linda, as the Mustangs rolled past Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) 51-20. A three man rush for Yorba Linda was able to stifle and blanket a steady Sea King offense and Will Saucedo had 127 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The last time that the Mustangs were in a CIF championship game was back in 2016 in Division 8. They will play Upland in the D3 championship on Friday at 7 p.m.
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