In the final round of the CCS Division III playoffs, the third-seed Valley Christian Warriors (6-6) will battle against the fifth-seed Aptos Mariners (10-2) Saturday afternoon (3 pm) at Independence High School for the CCS title. This is the first CCS final that the Mariners have qualified for since 2003.
“Being only the third time in Aptos High history to make the final game is a huge accomplishment,” Aptos head coach Randy Blankenship said. “The boys, staff, and parents have worked toward this goal since early in the year. I am so proud of our team's effort and poise over this past season.”
The road to the final round has been arduous for Aptos, which notched its 10th straight win last week against top-seed Monterey in the Division III semifinals. Both postseason games for the Mariners were extremely close. They maintained a lead over Saratoga in the quarterfinals to win 28-24, and a fourth-quarter comeback led to a 34-31 victory over Monterey.
At last week’s suspenseful semifinals game, senior running back Elijah Marta rushed 141 yards and had two touchdowns on 18 carries. Junior quarterback Alex Joh completed 9-of-12 passes for 157 yards, while senior RB Aaron McAnerney rushed for 173 yards, caught five passes, and scored three TDs.
In contrast to Aptos, Valley Christian is very familiar with the sensation of playing in the CCS finals.
“Since 1997, we’ve made the CCS finals 10 times, so we’re used to getting there,” Warriors coach Mike Machado said. “It’s an honor to get to the finals. Now it’s just of matter of finishing. Aptos is a good team, so it will be a battle to get things done.”
Valley Christian leads the WCAL in offense, averaging 60.6 passing yards, 285.8 rushing yards and 41.4 points per game. The Warriors were able to knock Sobrato out of the playoffs with a 52-42 victory in the Division III semifinals game.
Junior QB Jay MacIntyre, who passes an average of 76 yards per game, completed three passes for 103 yards last week. Sophomore RB Kirk Johnson rushed for 241 yards and four TDs against Sobrato, and senior RB Ryan Severson, who averages 158.5 rushing yards per game and 18.5 points per game, had 183 rushing yards and scored three TDs on 20 carries.
The dynamic Johnson-Severson pair have accumulated an exceptional number of rushing yards and TDs throughout the season. Johnson has rushed 1,288 yards and scored 19 TDs, while Severson is coming close to 2,000 yards to go along with 33 TDs.
“In offense, we run well and throw well,” Machado said. “We’re not as strong on defense, but we managed to get a few stops in the playoffs.”
Last season, the Warriors were just one point away from making the CCS Division III finals, but lost to St. Ignatius, 43-42. Two years ago, Valley Christian was close to winning the CCS Open Division title, but Palo Alto swooped in with the 21-14 win.
In order to ensure the victory for Valley Christian this year, the team will utilize its offense and continue developing a stronger defense.
“In practice, we are doing what we usually do, but we are also preparing for [Aptos] and trying to be solid defensively,” Machado said.
Blankenship acknowledges Valley Christian’s strong players and coaching staff.
“Their QB and two halfbacks are the best we have seen all year and can score from anywhere on the field,” Blankenship said. “Our defense must play with great effort and pursuit in order for us to think of slowing these three down. We do feel we have a team that can overcome and we will be up to the challenge.”
Blankenship believes that one of the biggest reasons Aptos is in the finals is the team is selflessness.
“You don't know who will be the big time player each and every week and the rest of the boys are OK with this,” he said. “We've had some great turnarounds this year from some of our players that now play hard for each other instead of the individual glory.”
The Aptos senior leadership has been a positive force throughout the year and has inspired the team to keep the faith, according to Blankenship.
“We have many weapons on offense and great effort on defense,” he said.
