Neck and neck in overall records, the sixth-seeded South San Francisco Warriors (7-3, 5-0 PAL-Ocean) and the third-seeded Wilcox Chargers (7-3, 5-2 SCVAL-DA) will face off in the first round of the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division II Playoffs at 7 p.m. this Friday at Wilcox.
“To be in the playoffs is a dream come true,” Wilcox senior running back Roland Luke said. “My teammates and I have been waiting for these upcoming moments all season.”
This game determines whether South City or Wilcox will advance to the semifinal round of the CCS Division II Playoffs. The winning team will square off against either seventh-seeded Pioneer (4-6, 3-4 BVAL-MH) or second-seeded Los Gatos (6-4, 5-2 SCVAL-DA).
Coming off of huge wins last week, both sides are entering the game with the goal of knocking their opponent out to continue their winning streaks. Last week, the Warriors completely stifled El Camino, holding the Colts without a touchdown in a 27-3 victory. The Chargers also easily took down their opponent, defeating Mountain View (3-7, 1-6 SCVAL-DA) 55-28.
“The team’s win against Mountain View last week felt great,” Wilcox head coach Dan Brown said. “We knew we qualified for the playoffs. The athletes stuck together and kept fighting through adversity.”
In 2010, the Chargers had their best regular season, going into the playoffs with an overall record of 7-3. However, during the CCS Division II semifinals, Wilcox ended its season with a 49-34 loss to Willow Glen. In the 2011 CCS Division I quarterfinals, Wilcox hoped to make it further into the playoffs, but lost 38-6 to a Serra team that went on to win the championship.
In the 2011 CCS Division II quarterfinals, South City was off to a strong start, defeating Willow Glen 31-23, but the Warriors' CCS journey came to an end in the semifinals when they lost to Pioneer 28-7.
“The team who makes the fewest mistakes will win the game,” Brown said. “To win the the first round of the playoffs, we will execute on offense and tackle and get to the ball on defense.”
The Wilcox offense is led by junior quarterback Kenny Dipko, who averages 45.3 passing yards per game with 449 yards passing, five touchdown passes and one interception. Leading rushers include junior running back Delshawn Mitchell (133 carries, 1,341 yards) and Luke (124 carries, 1,067 yards rushing). Senior tight end Sione Finefeuiaki (8 receptions, 179 yards receiving, 2 TDs) and Mitchell (8 receptions, 84 yards receiving, 2 TDs) are the team’s primary receivers on the rare occasions Wilcox looks to pass.
“Our strategies on offense are ball control and no turnovers,” Brown said. “On defense, we will focus on assignment and alignment.”
The Wilcox defense is led by senior linebacker Corbin Jackson (10.9 tackles per game) and linebacker Finefeuiaki (10.3 tackles per game).
The Chargers offense is led by senior Anthony Shkuratov, who was one of the toughest runners in the PAL league last season, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal. Early in the season, Shkuratov moved from quarterback to running back and has carried most of the offensive load.
He is accompanied by two solid and reliable senior wide receivers, Jerick Anicete and Robert Johnson. Rushers include senior running back Keven Cunha, junior quarterback Maligi Maluia - who essentially traded places with Shkuratov - and senior running back MJ Lauigan.
According to the San Mateo Daily Journal, the 2011 South City team had one of the league’s best and fastest defenses and the Warriors exhibited many of those same qualities this season. Charger players to look out for on defense include senior strong safety Johnson, linebacker Cunha, linebacker Maluia, senior linebacker Arthur Georgiyev and junior linebacker Jawad Oweis.
For this week’s showdown, Luke is mostly excited about the chance to take the field again.
“I realize this is a big game, but there’s nothing more exciting than playing the sport you love,” he said.
