The final stretch of football season is upon us, and the six section champions out of the Central Coast Section will now move on for the chance to compete for a state title.
With 15 state championship games scheduled for the second weekend of December at three venues in Orange County, the CCS’ six teams will first have to get through NorCal regional games against tough opponents before making their way south. Three teams in the West Catholic Athletic League are still alive, and a trio of public schools will also look to punch their tickets to championship weekend.
There is no shortage of exciting action throughout the Bay Area and beyond on Friday night and Saturday for fans to take in.
3-AA: Monte Vista-Danville at St. Ignatius, 7 p.m. Friday
The CCS and NCS Division II champs meet in San Francisco for a trip to the CIF Division 3-AA title game. The Wildcats (7-6) took the hard path to this point and were sitting on just two wins as of late October before winning five straight. SI rolled through Alisal and Menlo in the playoffs, then edged arch-rival Sacred Heart Cathedral on a field goal at the buzzer to claim its second straight sectional crown.
A big reason for the Wildcats’ resurgence has been the return of senior quarterback Caedon Afsharipour, who missed five games in the middle of the regular season. Afsharipour has thrown 12 touchdown passes against just two interceptions in eight games, and he can lean on the backfield duo of Luke Tribolet and Steve Malone. Defensively, linebackers Charlie Ball and Jack Reidy are excellent run-stoppers and can slow down opposing quarterbacks as well.
The Mustangs (8-5) are a perennial East Bay powerhouse, overcoming back-to-back losses to end the regular season by winning all three of their playoff games by two scores against Amador Valley, California and Clayton Valley. Ian Ondricek is Monte Vista’s outstanding senior quarterback, with a 66 percent completion rate, more than 2,000 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and just five picks. Torin Dunphy and Henry Lasker form a two-headed monster at running back, with Dunphy doubling as one of the Mustangs’ top pass-catchers alongside Caden Boscia.
2-AA: Serra at St. Mary’s-Stockton, 7:30 p.m. Friday
The Padres’ reward for winning the CCS Division I title is a trip to the Central Valley to face the Rams, winners of eight straight games and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship. Serra (8-5) rebounded from its second loss to Riordan by coming from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Los Gatos last week behind Malakai Taufoou’s stellar two-way performance.
Taufoou gives the Padres’ running game another dimension, mostly in the double-wing “Raider” formation, along with Iziah Singleton, Andrew Takapautolo and Jeovanni Henley. Serra uses both William Orr and Caleb Bandel at quarterback, but this team is built around the rushing attack and the defense.
Both those units will be tested against St. Mary’s (11-2), which won a 64-55 shootout in its first playoff game, then a 19-14 defensive battle the following week. The Rams have both a 2,500-yard passer (Jaden Galvan) and a 1,000-yard rusher (Diego Hernandez), with receiver Ivan Huerta three yards short of joining the comma club. The teams’ lone common opponent, De La Salle, beat both Serra and St. Mary’s decisively in September.
6-AA: Gridley at Lincoln, 7:30 p.m. Friday
The second-oldest public school in San José won its first-ever section title this year after forgoing the playoffs for most of its history to play a rivalry game on Thanksgiving. The Lions (10-3) put up 49 points in both the CCS Division IV semifinal and championship games, led by a combined 487 rushing yards and nine touchdowns from Kyan Phillips. That earned Lincoln an additional home game as the undefeated Bulldogs make the long trip from Butte County.
Gridley (13-0) edged Orland 18-15 for the Northern Section Division III title, the Bulldogs’ second three-point win over the Trojans this year. A read option team at heart, Gridley is led by dual-threat quarterback Eli Punzo and his 1,253 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Punzo has done an outstanding job taking care of the football, with just one interception in 58 pass attempts.
1-AA: Riordan at Folsom, 7:30 p.m. Friday
After De La Salle, the Crusaders and Bulldogs are the clear two best teams in Northern California, and they meet Friday night in the Central Valley. Riordan (12-0) is coming off a bye week following its CCS Open Division title, and Stanford commit Michael Mitchell Jr. will be itching to take the field for this one.
Mitchell has completed more than two-thirds of his passes, and they aren’t bubble screens and dump-offs. He has amassed 3,471 yards this season, throwing for 46 touchdowns against just four interceptions even without a full complement of healthy receivers. The Crusaders can also lean on powerful running back Adonyae Brown, who had 30 carries in the Open Division championship game against Serra for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Folsom (12-1) beat Sierra Foothill League rival Oak Ridge for the second time last week to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title, and the Bulldogs also have a shootout win at Serra early in the season. Ryder Lyons, a BYU commit, has nearly matched Mitchell’s numbers — the reigning California Gatorade Player of the Year completes his passes at a 76 percent clip with 3,270 yards and 34 touchdowns. Jameson Powell and Rob Larson are each over 1,000 receiving yards with 29 combined scores.
7-A: Piedmont Hills at Balboa-SF, 12:30 p.m. Saturday
They may have been placed in the lowest classification, but the Pirates and Buccaneers are thrilled for the opportunity to keep playing football in December. Piedmont Hills (10-3) won the CCS Division V title by stopping Sobrato’s two-point conversion attempt in overtime, extending its winning streak to eight. John Palomo orchestrates the Pirates’ offense behind center, with Alijah Torres carrying the load at running back and Diego Arias spearheading a strong group of receivers.
Balboa (10-2) rolled to the San Francisco Section title, winning a shootout against Washington in the Turkey Day Game at Kezar Stadium. Mekai Smith has put up eye-popping numbers for the Buccaneers — the senior has rushed for 2,146 yards on just 118 carries with 37 touchdowns. Slowing him down is the obvious key to victory for Piedmont Hills.
4-A: El Cerrito at Menlo-Atherton, 6 p.m. Saturday
The Bears (7-6) lost their first four games against a very difficult non-league schedule but have put it all together in November, winning the CCS Division III championship over San Mateo behind four total touchdowns from senior quarterback Teddy Dacey. Menlo-Atherton slowed down the Bearcats’ triple-option offense by clogging up the middle of the field, and extended drives with one conversion after another on third and fourth down.
M-A will return to Coach Parks Field for a NorCal matchup against the Gauchos (11-2), winners of 10 straight games and the NCS Division III title. El Cerrito won its last five regular-season games by a combined 233-20, including three straight shutouts, then survived three more difficult tests in the playoffs. It’s an incredible turnaround for a program that is usually very strong but forfeited several games last season and for using ineligible players.
