If not for virus rules, area championship would be intriguing
If only there were no county border coronavirus rules. And two more weeks to play.
An unofficial Bay Area football championship definitely would be intriguing.
Clearly the top three teams to emerge from the shortened spring football season are De La SalleConcord, Serra and Pittsburg, a combined 100 while outscoring opponents 469147.
The season ends April 17 for Bay Area squads, except for a BellarmineSt. Francis makeup April 24. That exception was made by the Central Coast Section, so an extension seems arbitrary.
If the season could be extended to May 1, then perhaps Serra and Pittsburg could meet April 24 and the winner face De La Salle the following week.
Then comes the second roadblock. Currently CIF rules, following California Department of Public Health guidelines, allow teams only from touching counties to play. Then again, Bellarmine opened the season at Central CatholicModesto, a round trip of more than 150 miles. The distance between San Mateo and Pittsburg is 40 miles less round trip.
No matter. Here's what that threeteam playoff would look like:
De La Salle obviously has earned the No. 1 spot becauseit hasn’t been beaten by a Northern California foe since 1991, a ridiculous span of 314 games (31202). The Spartans are also really good, led statistically by the runningback tandem of Nico Torrez (35 carries, 438 yards, nine touchdowns) and Mekhi Norfleet (40, 391, three).
This might be their best team since 2015, the last year they won the CIF State Open bowl championship.
The comparison between secondranked Serra and No. 3 Pittsburg is razorthin and was amplified by big wins last week against ranked opponents, right down to opening trick plays.
Pittsburg QB Eli Bricklander threw a backward pass to wide receiver Matt Quesada, who fired a 67yard touchdown pass to Quatama Massaquoi on the first play. Pittsburg rolled 557 at home over thenNo. 18 LibertyBrentwood (21). Since 2018, the teams had played three times, with Pittsburg winning two times by a total of 13 points.
With two Division I prospects at quarterback, Bricklander, a senior, and sophomore Jaden Rashada and gamebreaking back Daytuawn Pearson, this might be the Pirates’ best team since the 2017 squad that lost in the state Division 1A title game to NarbonneHarbor City.
Serra, which has outscored opponents 14937, opened its 497 win over thenNo. 8 St. Francis on Saturday with quarterback Dominique Lampkin firing a backward pass to Isaiah Crump, who let fly with a 73yard TD pass to Kai Lim. Lampkin finished 10for10 for 162 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran for a 5yard score.
Running back Hassan Mahasin had four catches for 33 yards and three touchdowns and added seven carries for 48 yards and another score.
Mahasin, a 5foot10, 185pound junior running back, is nicknamed “The Missile” for his speed and strength. He has gotten limited touches because of lopsided scores, but has nine TDs.
“Sheer talent plus hard work plus karma equals ‘The Missile,’ ” Serra coach Patrick Walsh said. “He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached . ... He’s the whole package.”
Mahasin has nine college offers, including Arizona State, Colorado and Florida Atlantic. He’d have many more, Walsh said, if football had been played in the fall.
“He’s the quintessential leadbyexample leader,” Walsh said. “In practice, the weight room, the classroom, he never says anything. He just gets it done.”
Serra and Pittsburg have met four times, all since 2016. Pittsburg won the first three meetings, 4825, 3528 and 4535. Serra won 5821 in 2019, before reaching the state Division IA championship game, losing 3527 to Corona del Mar.