Herrera outscores Banning in Cards' state championship
Junior wide receiver totals 14 points in historic 23-13 victory
Woodland Christian High School junior wide receiver Devin Herrera isn't a dude, he's the dude, just check his Instagram handle.
Herrera saved his best performance of the 2023 season for when it mattered most, in the CIF State Football Division 5-A Championship game this past weekend in Southern California. The devoted junior scored 14 points on Saturday against Banning to lead the Cardinals to a 23-13 victory at Murdock Stadium in Torrance.
“I feel like crying right now. To be honest, it's just crazy,” Herrera told The Daily Democrat after the game. “They were stopping some of our stuff but we held through. They scored first but we still kept our heads up and kept driving.”
With the win,
Woodland Christian brought home the City of Trees' first state title in any sport.
“After the game, I was just thanking God,” Herrera recalled Saturday. “All glory to God!”
Herrera tallied 78 all-purpose yards against the Pilots, his fourth-most in a game this year. He added two rushing touchdowns for his first multiscore game of the season. The 6-foot-2 junior had 6 carries for 43 yards on the ground, averaging 7.2 yards per play. He added 7 receptions for 35 yards.
“Devin played well,” said sophomore running back Noah Hinkle. “He stayed clean on his routes and he filled in for people who went out (injured) like me.”
Fifteen seconds into the second quarter, Herrera got the Cardinals on the scoreboard with a 1-yard run up the gut following a direct snap. With less than 6 minutes to play in the third quarter, he capped off what was 23 unanswered points by Woodland Christian. Herrera rushed left into the end zone from 3 yards out and followed it up with a successful 2-point conversion on the exact same play.
“Devin Herrera came up big tonight,” recalled coach Michael Paschke. “We just put him right into Noah's spot.”
Through the first 13 games of the 2023 campaign, Herrera totaled 11 carries for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. During the final two games of the year, he racked up 13 rushes for 65 yards and 3 scores. The talented junior had 28 catches for 437 yards and 6 touchdowns during the first 13 contests. In the Northern California and state finals, he recorded 13 receptions for 131 yards, in addition to his contributions in the rushing attack.
“Devin played really well,” said senior quarterback Gabriel Sanchez. “He made some great catches and had some great runs in different positions.”
Herrera is 1-of-4 prominent Cardinals returning for next season with a goal of defending their section and state championships.
“Devin played his heart out,” proclaimed senior lineman Noah Rico.
The other three include Hinkle, sophomore quarterback Isaiah Hunt and junior lineman Zander Gimenez.
“Honestly, I think it's really difficult to get here. Some of the boys said, `Let's run it back!' I said, `Guys, a lot of things have to go right to get here. You guys have to stay out of trouble and keep your grades up.' It's so hard to get here! If it was easy, there would be a lot more here,” Paschke explained. “Of course we have a lot of talent coming back but we don't have the big linemen. Without them, that's what separates the big boys from the little boys. Hopefully everyone puts on 20-25 pounds like they did last year. That's the main thing is to keep getting bigger, stronger and faster.”
The core four will need to step up next season with the departure of eight seniors in the Class of 2024.
“They were very influential and good with their words,” Herrera said about the seniors. “They encourage us every day to strive for greatness.”