California CIF State Bowl Championships

[Cal 14]

CIF State Bowl Championship games

Games featured at Saddleback College:

Open Division

San Mateo Serra vs Santa Ana Mater Dei

Serra got revenge on league rival St. Francis for a loss at the end of the regular season to win the CCS D-1 championship.  The athletic Padres tend to use the spread option, like most teams these days, but can also utilize a double-wing set in short-yardage situations.  QB Dominick Lampkin has some state championship experience, having come in late in the 2019 D-1A title game against Corona del Mar.  This will be Serra’s 4^th appearance in a state bowl game, going 1-2 in previous games.  There was some initial controversy as to whether they were the right selection for the Open Division game over De La Salle, but that was put to rest after the Spartans dropped their NorCal D-1AA regional game against Folsom.

What hasn’t already been said about national #1 Mater Dei?  They have a tenacious defense and an offense that can both run and pass with equal efficiency.  The fact that starting QB Elijah Brown is only a sophomore does not loom well for the rest of the state for the next two years.  Recently USC-committed RB Raleek Brown has over 1000 yards and 12 TDs on the ground, despite spending a lot of time on the sidelines during blowout wins.  One of Mater Dei’s defeated foes this year, Duncanville, is still in contention for a state title in football-crazy Texas.  This will be the Monarchs' third state bowl game, having won titles in 2017 and 2018.

D-1AA

Folsom vs San Diego Cathedral Catholic

Folsom tends to get a lot of flack for their schedules, but it may have actually worked to its favor for 2021. Two games each against physical teams Jesuit, De La Salle, and Rocklin may have them better prepared than in most years for their opponent this weekend.  An injury to QB Tyler Tremain in the middle of the season help contribute to losses to Granite Bay and Rocklin, but the air raid offense has looked more like itself since his return, culminating in an SJS D-1 title and a landmark victory over De La Salle in the NorCal D-1AA regional game.  Last week's win definitely gave the SJS bragging rights over the NCS this year, as the Bulldogs defeated both of that sections Open and D-1 champions.

Cathedral Catholic set up a challenging schedule for themselves, but unfortunately wasn’t especially successful in those losses to Corona Centennial and De La Salle.  However, much like with their opponent this weekend, they may have learned a great deal from those games, catapulting themselves into the D-1AA state bowl game.  The Dons will likely have to be concerned with giving up a whopping 62 points in their win over Orange Lutheran last week in the SoCal regional bowl game and facing another passing team.  To counter, they will have a terrific RB in Lucky Sutton, who just set a new rushing record for state bowl games.  They may also be hoping that this game ends up like their first state bowl appearance where, while they had great difficulty stopping a Stockton St. Mary’s passing attack, their nearly unstoppable rushing game was able to lead them to the win.

D-1A

Bakersfield Liberty vs Gardena Serra

Entering the CS playoffs, all of the talk was about the potential rematch between Clovis Buchanan and Fresno Central in the title game.  What actually transpired was this Patriot team crashed the party by eliminating both of the section favorites and in dominating fashion against Central for the title (42-14).  They followed that up by blowing out Pittsburg in the NorCal D-1A regional bowl game, 35-7.  Offensively, Liberty is led by senior QB Carson Woods and junior RB Jalen Hankins, who has 19 rushing TDs this year.

While injuries for other teams may have led to significant bumps in the road, one may have actually landed Serra in the D-1A state bowl game.  QB Maalik Murphy was injured early in a tough matchup against Downey Warren, which contributed to a 14-0 loss.  That result played a role in lowering the Cavalier’s calpreps rating enough to place them in the SS D-3 bracket instead of D-2.  They had to survive in an overtime semifinal game against #2 seed Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda and a revenge-minded Long Beach Poly in the SoCal D-1A regional bowl game, but those experiences should only help as Serra seeks another state divisional championship win.

D-2AA

Modesto Central Catholic vs Chula Vista Mater Dei Catholic

Central Catholic’s climb to an SJS D-2 title has been a story of growth over the last 15 or so years.  The small-enrollment private school began by dominating lower-levels D-4 and D-3 before finally being moved up to D-2, winning several CIF state bowl championships along the way.  Many of these games will feature a strong contrast in styles and this will be no different.  The Raiders will be utilizing an I-formation on offense and one might think that this has helped them control the clock, but they have been involved in a number of high-scoring contests, including a 44-41 victory over Fresno Bullard in the NorCal regional bowl game.  That said, the overall level of competition has actually been a bit stronger than that of their opponent this weekend.

Mater Dei (odd quirk with two Serras and two Mater Deis playing this weekend for titles), may have greatly benefited from the fact that the SDS is only one of four CIF sections that have playoff systems still originally rooted in enrollment distinctions.  The SDS has an ‘Open” division, but those participants are only chosen from those pre-determined to be D-1.  Despite the fact that many in the area regarded the Crusaders as being one of the top four teams in the section, being pre-determined to be in D-3 prevented them from forced to compete against the other top teams from the section.  As mentioned above, regarding contrasting styles, Mater Dei will use a wide-open passing attack out of the spread on offense.  Whether this team really is worthy of a top-4 SDS distinction may be confirmed this weekend, as none of their opponents this season were really of any high-regard until they final faced La Mesa Helix in the SoCal regional bowl game, where they advanced with a 24-21 win.

D-2A

Santa Clara Wilcox vs San Diego Scripps Ranch

Continuing a theme that has existed for a number of teams this season, Wilcox took their lumps against early good competition, but have rebounded with 9 straight wins after a 1-4 start.  Once again, this game will feature a strong contrast in offensive styles with the Chargers using a quick-hitting veer offense, one that has been good for over 4000 yards this year.  Defensively, they faced a very good passing attack in the CCS D-2 title game against Atherton Menlo, which should help a little against this weekend’s opponent.  There was some initial talk that perhaps Wilcox was placed a little too high for these state bowl divisions, but they didn’t have a great deal of trouble in their NorCal regional bowl game against Manteca, winning 35-21.

Scripps Ranch overcame the absence of their leading scorer last week in a win over Valencia in the SoCal regional bowl game.  The Falcons feature an excellent passing attack out of the spread formation, with a lot of speed at WR.  The SDS D-2 champions, however, are a bit undersized on defense and really struggled against a Valencia rushing attack that hadn’t been especially overwhelming in the regular season.  Still, Scripps Ranch is very well-coached and prides itself in a collective GPA north of 3.5 as an entire team.  They have also only been held to less than 30 points three times all season this year and their lone loss was in overtime to San Diego Mira Mesa.  Junior QB Jax Leatherwood (a football name, if your author has ever heard one) has an impressive 41:2 TD:Int ratio to go along with his 2923 yards through the air.

Remaining games to be played in northern California:

D-3AA

Fairfield Vanden vs San Bernadino Aquinas… Vanden has been averaging a whopping 58.2 ppg over the last 6 games.  Aquinas is led offensively by freshman RB Jojo Solis and his 1445 yards rush and 22 TDs on the ground (23 overall).

D-3A

Oakland McClymonds vs Lake Balboa Birmingham… In addition to 2742 straight Oakland Section wins (tongue-in-cheek), McClymonds has a win over NorCal D-4AA NorCal champ, Marin Catholic, this year.  Birmingham opened the season with 5 straight losses to SS teams, but have reeled off 9 straight wins since.

D-4AA

Kentfield Marin Catholic vs Visalia Central Valley Christian… Marin Catholic has registered 6 shutouts this year.  Central Valley Christian’s Jaeden Moore has 12.5 sacks this year.

D-4A

San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral vs Covina Northview… Sacred Heart Cathedral has only allowed 24 points in 4 playoff games.  Northview is led on offense by senior RB Cheo Medina with 1876 rushing yards and 18 TDs on the ground.

D-5AA

Novato San Marin vs Bakersfield Independence… San Marin’s junior RB Justin Guin has 2240 yards and 34 TDs on the ground.  Independence started the season with a very shaky 0-6 start, but have since tallied 9 straight wins.

D-5A

Atherton Sacred Heart Prep vs Santa Maria Righetti… Sacred Heart Prep opened up the season with a win over NorCal D-4A team, Sacred Heart Cathedral.  Righetti made use of the wide-open playoffs of the CS, despite controversy due to their 2-8 regular season record.

D-6AA

Jackson Argonaut vs Quartz Hill… Argonaut is averaging 36 ppg in the postseason this year.  Quartz Hill defeated Compton, a member of the Moore League, by a similar score for the SS D-12 title as did Long Beach Poly (43-8 vs 42-0).

D-6A

Richmond Salesian vs Riverside Arlington… Salesian held San Mateo Aragon to 3 yards rushing in the second half of their NorCal regional bowl game.  Arlington has won 7 of their last 8 games after starting out 0-7.

D-7AA

McArthur Fall River vs Morro Bay... Fall River has posted 6 shutouts, 21 points being the most they've given up all season.  Morro Bay overcame a 4-6 regular season record to advance to this title game.

D-7A

San Francisco Balboa vs Woodland Hills Taft… Balboa got revenge on San Francisco Lincoln in the SFS championship game, 21-0, after losing to them in the regular season 7-0.  7-7 Taft is 7-2 in non-league games this year, including playoffs.

[On2whls]

52 minutes ago, Cal 14 said:

CIF State Bowl Championship games

Games featured at Saddleback College:

Open Division

San Mateo Serra vs Santa Ana Mater Dei

Serra got revenge on league rival St. Francis for a loss at the end of the regular season to win the CCS D-1 championship.  The athletic Padres tend to use the spread option, like most teams these days, but can also utilize a double-wing set in short-yardage situations.  QB Dominick Lampkin has some state championship experience, having come in late in the 2019 D-1A title game against Corona del Mar.  This will be Serra’s 4^th appearance in a state bowl game, going 1-2 in previous games.  There was some initial controversy as to whether they were the right selection for the Open Division game over De La Salle, but that was put to rest after the Spartans dropped their NorCal D-1AA regional game against Folsom.

What hasn’t already been said about national #1 Mater Dei?  They have a tenacious defense and an offense that can both run and pass with equal efficiency.  The fact that starting QB Elijah Brown is only a sophomore does not loom well for the rest of the state for the next two years.  Recently USC-committed RB Raleek Brown has over 1000 yards and 12 TDs on the ground, despite spending a lot of time on the sidelines during blowout wins.  One of Mater Dei’s defeated foes this year, Duncanville, is still in contention for a state title in football-crazy Texas.  This will be the Monarchs' third state bowl game, having won titles in 2017 and 2018.

D-1AA

Folsom vs San Diego Cathedral Catholic

Folsom tends to get a lot of flack for their schedules, but it may have actually worked to its favor for 2021. Two games each against physical teams Jesuit, De La Salle, and Rocklin may have them better prepared than in most years for their opponent this weekend.  An injury to QB Tyler Tremain in the middle of the season help contribute to losses to Granite Bay and Rocklin, but the air raid offense has looked more like itself since his return, culminating in an SJS D-1 title and a landmark victory over De La Salle in the NorCal D-1AA regional game.  Last week's win definitely gave the SJS bragging rights over the NCS this year, as the Bulldogs defeated both of that sections Open and D-1 champions.

Cathedral Catholic set up a challenging schedule for themselves, but unfortunately wasn’t especially successful in those losses to Corona Centennial and De La Salle.  However, much like with their opponent this weekend, they may have learned a great deal from those games, catapulting themselves into the D-1AA state bowl game.  The Dons will likely have to be concerned with giving up a whopping 62 points in their win over Orange Lutheran last week in the SoCal regional bowl game and facing another passing team.  To counter, they will have a terrific RB in Lucky Sutton, who just set a new rushing record for state bowl games.  They may also be hoping that this game ends up like their first state bowl appearance where, while they had great difficulty stopping a Stockton St. Mary’s passing attack, their nearly unstoppable rushing game was able to lead them to the win.

D-1A

Bakersfield Liberty vs Gardena Serra

Entering the CS playoffs, all of the talk was about the potential rematch between Clovis Buchanan and Fresno Central in the title game.  What actually transpired was this Patriot team crashed the party by eliminating both of the section favorites and in dominating fashion against Central for the title (42-14).  They followed that up by blowing out Pittsburg in the NorCal D-1A regional bowl game, 35-7.  Offensively, Liberty is led by senior QB Carson Woods and junior RB Jalen Hankins, who has 19 rushing TDs this year.

While injuries for other teams may have led to significant bumps in the road, one may have actually landed Serra in the D-1A state bowl game.  QB Maalik Murphy was injured early in a tough matchup against Downey Warren, which contributed to a 14-0 loss.  That result played a role in lowering the Cavalier’s calpreps rating enough to place them in the SS D-3 bracket instead of D-2.  They had to survive in an overtime semifinal game against #2 seed Rancho Cucamonga Etiwanda and a revenge-minded Long Beach Poly in the SoCal D-1A regional bowl game, but those experiences should only help as Serra seeks another state divisional championship win.

D-2AA

Modesto Central Catholic vs Chula Vista Mater Dei Catholic

Central Catholic’s climb to an SJS D-2 title has been a story of growth over the last 15 or so years.  The small-enrollment private school began by dominating lower-levels D-4 and D-3 before finally being moved up to D-2, winning several CIF state bowl championships along the way.  Many of these games will feature a strong contrast in styles and this will be no different.  The Raiders will be utilizing an I-formation on offense and one might think that this has helped them control the clock, but they have been involved in a number of high-scoring contests, including a 44-41 victory over Fresno Bullard in the NorCal regional bowl game.  That said, the overall level of competition has actually been a bit stronger than that of their opponent this weekend.

Mater Dei (odd quirk with two Serras and two Mater Deis playing this weekend for titles), may have greatly benefited from the fact that the SDS is only one of four CIF sections that have playoff systems still originally rooted in enrollment distinctions.  The SDS has an ‘Open” division, but those participants are only chosen from those pre-determined to be D-1.  Despite the fact that many in the area regarded the Crusaders as being one of the top four teams in the section, being pre-determined to be in D-3 prevented them from forced to compete against the other top teams from the section.  As mentioned above, regarding contrasting styles, Mater Dei will use a wide-open passing attack out of the spread on offense.  Whether this team really is worthy of a top-4 SDS distinction may be confirmed this weekend, as none of their opponents this season were really of any high-regard until they final faced La Mesa Helix in the SoCal regional bowl game, where they advanced with a 24-21 win.

D-2A

Santa Clara Wilcox vs San Diego Scripps Ranch

Continuing a theme that has existed for a number of teams this season, Wilcox took their lumps against early good competition, but have rebounded with 9 straight wins after a 1-4 start.  Once again, this game will feature a strong contrast in offensive styles with the Chargers using a quick-hitting veer offense, one that has been good for over 4000 yards this year.  Defensively, they faced a very good passing attack in the CCS D-2 title game against Atherton Menlo, which should help a little against this weekend’s opponent.  There was some initial talk that perhaps Wilcox was placed a little too high for these state bowl divisions, but they didn’t have a great deal of trouble in their NorCal regional bowl game against Manteca, winning 35-21.

Scripps Ranch overcame the absence of their leading scorer last week in a win over Valencia in the SoCal regional bowl game.  The Falcons feature an excellent passing attack out of the spread formation, with a lot of speed at WR.  The SDS D-2 champions, however, are a bit undersized on defense and really struggled against a Valencia rushing attack that hadn’t been especially overwhelming in the regular season.  Still, Scripps Ranch is very well-coached and prides itself in a collective GPA north of 3.5 as an entire team.  They have also only been held to less than 30 points three times all season this year and their lone loss was in overtime to San Diego Mira Mesa.  Junior QB Jax Leatherwood (a football name, if your author has ever heard one) has an impressive 41:2 TD:Int ratio to go along with his 2923 yards through the air.

Remaining games to be played in northern California:

D-3AA

Fairfield Vanden vs San Bernadino Aquinas… Vanden has been averaging a whopping 58.2 ppg over the last 6 games.  Aquinas is led offensively by freshman RB Jojo Solis and his 1445 yards rush and 22 TDs on the ground (23 overall).

D-3A

Oakland McClymonds vs Lake Balboa Birmingham… In addition to 2742 straight Oakland Section wins (tongue-in-cheek), McClymonds has a win over NorCal D-4AA NorCal champ, Marin Catholic, this year.  Birmingham opened the season with 5 straight losses to SS teams, but have reeled off 9 straight wins since.

D-4AA

Kentfield Marin Catholic vs Visalia Central Valley Christian… Marin Catholic has registered 6 shutouts this year.  Central Valley Christian’s Jaeden Moore has 12.5 sacks this year.

D-4A

San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral vs Covina Northview… Sacred Heart Cathedral has only allowed 24 points in 4 playoff games.  Northview is led on offense by senior RB Cheo Medina with 1876 rushing yards and 18 TDs on the ground.

D-5AA

Novato San Marin vs Bakersfield Independence… San Marin’s junior RB Justin Guin has 2240 yards and 34 TDs on the ground.  Independence started the season with a very shaky 0-6 start, but have since tallied 9 straight wins.

D-5A

Atherton Sacred Heart Prep vs Santa Maria Righetti… Sacred Heart Prep opened up the season with a win over NorCal D-4A team, Sacred Heart Cathedral.  Righetti made use of the wide-open playoffs of the CS, despite controversy due to their 2-8 regular season record.

D-6AA

Jackson Argonaut vs Quartz Hill… Argonaut is averaging 36 ppg in the postseason this year.  Quartz Hill defeated Compton, a member of the Moore League, by a similar score for the SS D-12 title as did Long Beach Poly (43-8 vs 42-0).

D-6A

Richmond Salesian vs Riverside Arlington… Salesian held San Mateo Aragon to 3 yards rushing in the second half of their NorCal regional bowl game.  Arlington has won 7 of their last 8 games after starting out 0-7.

D-7AA

San Francisco Balboa vs Woodland Hills Taft… Balboa got revenge on San Francisco Lincoln in the SFS championship game, 21-0, after losing to them in the regular season 7-0.  7-7 Taft is 7-2 in non-league games this year, including playoffs.

Nice write up.

To me, Cathedral vs Folsom will be the most compelling game.  It’s gonna come down to matchups.  Cathedral will offer a steady dose of Sutton and he seems to never tire.  You might stop him 5 straight times, but all he needs is a little gap and he can bring it to the house from anywhere on the field.  He’s fast, has some shake, but can also punish tacklers. At times he shows good patience as he follows blockers looking almost like slow motion, then boom, gone. He’s also very dangerous going in motion and catching a pass in stride in the flat.  Your corner better be very physical or he’s gonna get hurt.  
However, Cathedrals QB Charlie Mirer (son of Steve Mirer) can be opportunistic.  He reminds me of Former Norco QB Shane Illingsworth. He’s tall 6’6”, sees the field well, and has a very fluid throwing motion.  With time, he will pick average secondaries apart, but under pressure wilts like cheap roses on Valentine’s Day.  In this respect, I think he’s worse than average.  
If Folsom can manage Sutton to 125-150 yards, but give CCSD nothing else, then it could be an easy win.  But if they allow Cathedral to pass much at all, then I’m thinking moderately scoring (high 30’s) dogfight.

[On2whls]

3 minutes ago, On2whls said:

son of Steve Mirer) can be opportunistic.

Oops, meant Rick Mirer.

[Cal 14]

20 hours ago, On2whls said:

Nice write up.

To me, Cathedral vs Folsom will be the most compelling game.  It’s gonna come down to matchups.  Cathedral will offer a steady dose of Sutton and he seems to never tire.  You might stop him 5 straight times, but all he needs is a little gap and he can bring it to the house from anywhere on the field.  He’s fast, has some shake, but can also punish tacklers. At times he shows good patience as he follows blockers looking almost like slow motion, then boom, gone. He’s also very dangerous going in motion and catching a pass in stride in the flat.  Your corner better be very physical or he’s gonna get hurt.  
However, Cathedrals QB Charlie Mirer (son of Steve Mirer) can be opportunistic.  He reminds me of Former Norco QB Shane Illingsworth. He’s tall 6’6”, sees the field well, and has a very fluid throwing motion.  With time, he will pick average secondaries apart, but under pressure wilts like cheap roses on Valentine’s Day.  In this respect, I think he’s worse than average.  
If Folsom can manage Sutton to 125-150 yards, but give CCSD nothing else, then it could be an easy win.  But if they allow Cathedral to pass much at all, then I’m thinking moderately scoring (high 30’s) dogfight.

Yes, that does seem to be the game to which most are pointing.  I'm hoping that now that they've slayed the dragon, Folsom will seek to expand its non-league schedule for at least on bigger opponent.

Being a CCS guy, I'm also really interested in the Wilcox-Scripps Ranch game.  I know that people here don't talk CCS/SDS football, but I have some personal interest in this one.  A league runner-up from my home league beat Wilcox early this season, so it's a little bit of a benchmark to those local programs.  If you watch those guys, they really do resemble De La Salle from the late 90s before they expanded their formations to include the spread, although they rely more on the dive than did those Spartan teams.

I'm not 100% sure what to make of the Liberty-G Serra game, though.

Look for a handful of trick plays from SM Serra.  My gut has been telling me that they might score first and last... but, still lose about 42-14.

 

[On2whls]

2 hours ago, Cal 14 said:

Being a CCS guy, I'm also really interested in the Wilcox-Scripps Ranch game. 

I watched the game vs Valencia on TV.  Scripps Ranch not a lot of wow factor, but they were disciplined, looked fundamentally sound, and seem well coached.  

[old_e]

Nice matchups.  New teams in the horizon. 

[Ararar]

CalHi picks for SBG

https://www.calhisports.com/2021/12/08/cif-state-fb-previews-picks/

[Cal 14]

1 hour ago, On2whls said:

I watched the game vs Valencia on TV.  Scripps Ranch not a lot of wow factor, but they were disciplined, looked fundamentally sound, and seem well coached.  

I think they kind of have to be because of their lack of size on D.  Valencia pushed them around at times.  I sort of expect Wilcox to do the same.

[Cal 14]

31 minutes ago, Ararar said:

CalHi picks for SBG

https://www.calhisports.com/2021/12/08/cif-state-fb-previews-picks/

Tennis is predicting pretty much a bloodbath in NorCal.

I think what we may be seeing is an exposure that there are just too many divisions and too many playoff teams in SoCal and the Central Section.  People were complaining about Sacred Heart Cathedral and Sacred Heart Prep not having good records, but they play in high-classification leagues in the CCS and most of their playoff competition was at least at similar levels.  In the SS and CS, mid-level teams dropped way down and beat up on teams from the truly weakest leagues.  Now, they’ll be facing teams whose playoff brackets were largely more exclusive, and thus the teams coming out of them may be better.

[MD87]

@HurricaneNick, how are the boys looking?  More importantly, what's their mindset?  Needless to say, Serra is fired up and flyin in style on that chartered plane.  (Gee, wonder who funded that?)  Two of the three major Bay Area sportswriters are picking the Padres, so they must think they can win, and I'm sure at least some of their kids do, too.  I would hope MD wouldn't need any motivation, but if they come out flat like they did against Norco, this could be a much tougher draw than everyone's anticipating.

[Extremely Humble]

3 hours ago, MD87 said:

@HurricaneNick, how are the boys looking?  More importantly, what's their mindset?  Needless to say, Serra is fired up and flyin in style on that chartered plane.  (Gee, wonder who funded that?)  Two of the three major Bay Area sportswriters are picking the Padres, so they must think they can win, and I'm sure at least some of their kids do, too.  I would hope MD wouldn't need any motivation, but if they come out flat like they did against Norco, this could be a much tougher draw than everyone's anticipating.

I think Serra shows a lot of heart and grit but I would be shocked if they can keep it within 3 scores. There's a good chance Serra isn't even the best team from Norcal. Serra's best player (explosive wr) won't be playing and MD is unbelievably loaded. I really hope they can keep it close but expect a blowout. 

[Ararar]

3 hours ago, MD87 said:

Two of the three major Bay Area sportswriters are picking the Padres, so they must think they can win,

So two of them haven’t seen MD play this year 😂

[Sammyswordsman]

1 minute ago, Ararar said:

So two of them haven’t seen MD play this year 😂

My observation is that there is a select group of Nor Cal casual observers who pipe in on HS football, but have no real appreciation for the # of Tiers in between the Top 10  Nor Cal Teams and Top 10 So Cal. 

Finally, Calhi sports is getting it.

[Cal 14]

11 minutes ago, Ararar said:

So two of them haven’t seen MD play this year 😂

Trying to sell copies of local newspapers.

[Cal 14]

If anyone is headed to Saddleback today and wants to compare notes, I’ll be in attendance on the NorCal side.

[MD87]

14 minutes ago, Extremely Humble said:

I think Serra shows a lot of heart and grit but I would be shocked if they can keep it within 3 scores. There's a good chance Serra isn't even the best team from Norcal. Serra's best player (explosive wr) won't be playing and MD is unbelievably loaded. I really hope they can keep it close but expect a blowout. 

You're probably right, but stranger things have happened.  

[Cal 14]

18 minutes ago, Extremely Humble said:

I think Serra shows a lot of heart and grit but I would be shocked if they can keep it within 3 scores. There's a good chance Serra isn't even the best team from Norcal. Serra's best player (explosive wr) won't be playing and MD is unbelievably loaded. I really hope they can keep it close but expect a blowout. 

I’ll never say never.  Yes, we have seen some big wins recently from the big 2 in SoCal lately, but have also seen some surprisingly close games and even unexpected NorCal victories.

It should be obvious that MD is clearly a favorite, but I am interested to see what wrinkles Walsh might have in store.  I’m guessing there will be at least 3 trick plays.

[HurricaneNick]

4 hours ago, MD87 said:

@HurricaneNick, how are the boys looking?  More importantly, what's their mindset?  Needless to say, Serra is fired up and flyin in style on that chartered plane.  (Gee, wonder who funded that?)  Two of the three major Bay Area sportswriters are picking the Padres, so they must think they can win, and I'm sure at least some of their kids do, too.  I would hope MD wouldn't need any motivation, but if they come out flat like they did against Norco, this could be a much tougher draw than everyone's anticipating.

Boys are locked in. Was at practice Wednesday and it wasn’t phenomenal but it was good. Service offense is doing a good job of getting the D ready, Serra runs a few different looks. I have not seen Serra play this year but Rollo said they have a couple of guys that go both ways. State championship mindset is present amongst the boys. I don’t think motivation will be a problem, still the state final against Nor Cals best. Strange it’s not DLS since it’s basically been a guarantee for decades that you have to finish against De La Salle. The offense is going to score, if the D plays their assignment every down I don’t see them scoring more than 10 points. 

[Cal 14]

2 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

Boys are locked in. Was at practice Wednesday and it wasn’t phenomenal but it was good. Service offense is doing a good job of getting the D ready, Serra runs a few different looks. I have not seen Serra play this year but Rollo said they have a couple of guys that go both ways. State championship mindset is present amongst the boys. I don’t think motivation will be a problem, still the state final against Nor Cals best. Strange it’s not DLS since it’s basically been a guarantee for decades that you have to finish against De La Salle. The offense is going to score, if the D plays their assignment every down I don’t see them scoring more than 10 points. 

Serra can be very unconventional.  If you’ve watched Clayton Valley Charter, Bellarmine, and Servite, imagine mixing those offensive sets into one scheme.

[Sammyswordsman]

1 hour ago, Cal 14 said:

Serra can be very unconventional.  If you’ve watched Clayton Valley Charter, Bellarmine, and Servite, imagine mixing those offensive sets into one scheme.

But Serra prolly runs those schemes about 25% as effectively as the schools named above.

The Stache will get out to a big lead 35-7 and half and then start subbing and end up 52-14 or 52-21

[Bodysurf]

With all due respect to Serra, regardless of the Xs and Os, Mater Dei has the Jimmies and Joes. Even if MD is unfocused and plays poorly, which could happen, the talent disparity is just too much for Serra to overcome.

[MD87]

1 hour ago, Sammyswordsman said:

But Serra prolly runs those schemes about 25% as effectively as the schools named above.

The Stache will get out to a big lead 35-7 and half and then start subbing and end up 52-14 or 52-21

From your lips to God's ears.

[Cal 14]

1 hour ago, Sammyswordsman said:

But Serra prolly runs those schemes about 25% as effectively as the schools named above.

Be that as it may, Serra is here and those teams are not.

[CaliNorth]

3 hours ago, Extremely Humble said:

I think Serra shows a lot of heart and grit but I would be shocked if they can keep it within 3 scores. There's a good chance Serra isn't even the best team from Norcal. Serra's best player (explosive wr) won't be playing and MD is unbelievably loaded. I really hope they can keep it close but expect a blowout. 

I would be shocked as well if Serra can get within 3 td's . Their offense is pretty blase . They have size on line , but they are slow . MD is tier 1 speed, which Serra hasn't experienced anything like what  they will tomorrow . The matchup that I personally wanted to watch in norcal was Folsom vs Serra . That is a long over due matchup between both sections best teams . After Folsom beating DLS, I wouldn't know how to pick between the two, but if I had too, I probably would pick Folsom

[Sammyswordsman]

18 minutes ago, Cal 14 said:

Be that as it may, Serra is here and those teams are not.

Weak sections do have their benefits......until the SBG