Menlo-Atherton northbound to play for title
Menlo-Atherton football coach Adhir Ravipati has tried to stay Zen about it all.
His Bears (11-2) earned a spot in a Central Coast Section Open Division 1 championship with Friday’s 33-28 win against top-seed and previously unbeaten Wilcox-Santa Clara, fighting back from a 21-0 deficit.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Ravipati said Monday. “To shut that team out the second half while we finally found our gear offensively says a lot about our kids.”
So, naturally, there’s a payoff for that win, right? Not quite. The Bears will spend most of Friday traveling — more than 300 miles north — to play Eureka (12-0) for the Northern California 3-AA championship. Meanwhile, Wilcox hosts Capital Christian-Sacramento in the 3-A title game.
The CIF explained that it doesn’t pick home sites by higher seeds, but tries to spread the wealth among the sections.
Ravipati had no problem with that, but Wilcox getting a home game seemed odd. It turns out, that was largely because Sac-Joaquin Section Commissioner Mike Garrison punished Capital Christian for an ejection of one of its players in an SJS title game after a season full of boorish behavior throughout his region.
That sent Capital Christian packing and Wilcox hosting.
“I just told the kids that so many players throughout the state would love to play one more game and now you’re in that position. Let’s be grateful,” Ravipati said. “Our focus should 100 percent be on preparing to face a fantastic, undefeated team. We have to shut out all the outside noise.”
Ravipati did lobby to get the site changed, because he had been told by Las Lomas-Walnut Creek coach Doug Longero that Eureka’s field was a muddy mess. Eureka beat Las Lomas 21-0 in a North Coast Section D3 semifinal.
On Tuesday, the CIF agreed and moved the game to McKinleyville High School, 13 miles farther north. Ravipati just had to laugh.
“Hopefully, it stays (at McKinleyville). Otherwise, we’ll have to get passports to play in Canada,” Ravipati said.
Eureka is led by quarterback Cruz Montana who has thrown for more than 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns. Seven receivers have caught at least 10 passes, but none more than 30. Similarly, the Loggers rush for almost 200 yards per game, but no one has rushed for more than 550. On defense, linebacker Tyce Mullins averages 10.3 tackles per game.
Menlo-Atheron is led by lineman Noa Ngalu, the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division MVP and a Washington commit, and wide receiver/ defensive back Troy Franklin, the state’s top-rated sophomore at any position, according to 247Sports.
Honors: Besides Ngalu, M-A’s Daniel Heimuli was picked as Defensive Player of the Year and Ravipati co-Coach of the Year along with Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton’s Mark Greib. Terra Nova-Pacifica senior Jared Julian was the Offensive POY. Capuchino-San Bruno senior Brandon Mailangi and Jefferson-South San Francisco senior Paul Matavao Poialii were the PAL Lake co-MVPs, and Burlingame senior Noah Lavulo was the PAL Ocean MVP.
Anderson’s run: Redwood-Larkspur senior Liam Anderson, who is headed to Stanford, won Saturday’s Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore., covering the 3.1 miles at Glendoveer Golf Course in a course-record 14:57.6.
Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com, called Anderson “perhaps the most intelligent racer I’ve ever come across among California crosscountry runners.”