San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
QB leads unbeaten Mustangs to title
The first CIF State championship football title game ever hosted in San Francisco wasn’t too big a moment for Lincoln’s Jovon Baker.
The senior quarterback scored three touchdowns and the Mustangs’ defense did the rest, leading Lincoln to a 24-13 victory over Orange Glen-Escondido (San Diego County) in the CIF 6-A Bowl championship Saturday at City College of San Francisco.
Baker, the Academic Athletic Association’s Player of the Year, had 20 carries for 167 yards and the three scores, the final one coming on a 52-yard scamper on the first play of the fourth quarter.
With Baker leading the offense and Lincoln’s defense limiting the Patriots (10-4) to 112 total yards, the Mustangs (13-0) secured the second straight 6-A state title for the San Francisco Section following Galileo’s championship last year.
“I don’t know about the history of the league, but I knew from the beginning of the season that this team was special,” Baker said. “We’re more like brothers than just teammates. The bond we built off the field can never be replaced.”
This Lincoln team was more dominant than last year’s Galileo squad, having finished with a 449-128 point differential, including 53-0 over Mission in the San Francisco Section title game.
Lincoln this year earned its seventh section crown in 17 seasons under head coach Phil Ferrigno, who led the Mustangs to an unprecedented four straight crowns starting in 2005. But this is the program’s first 13-0 team, and perhaps the first in section history.
Though the Mustangs did not trail, Orange Glen stayed within range throughout. Moray Steward’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half made it clear the Patriots would not give up.
Still, Lincoln maintained control, finishing with a 303-112 edge in yards and getting interceptions from DeSean Crawford and Jalen Williams.
Are the Mustangs the best AAA team ever?
“Maybe in recent history,” Ferrigno said. “Maybe history, but who knows? Look, the proof is in the pudding. We beat everyone in front of us. We won a state championship in the first state title game played in San Francisco. We shut down a great team. It’s just unreal.”
The Mustangs set the tone right away, with Baker completing a 31-yard pass down the left sideline to Ajani Adewusi on the game’s first play.
That keyed an 11-play, 63-yard drive that was capped by the first of two 1-yard TD sneaks by Baker, making it 7-0.
Orange Glen, which was 1-9 in 2017, tried to stay patient behind the running of junior Cael Patterson, who entered with 360 carries for 2,321 yards and 28 TDs, including 103 carries in his previous three games.
But the Mustangs, led by the front three of Sikoti Manumua, Albert Moore and Leonardo Gallegos, along with linebackers Julian Aguirre and Jack Gaughan, controlled the line of scrimmage.
Patterson had no yards on his first five carries and finished with 25 carries for 66 yards.
“We played with great energy from the get-go,” Ferrigno said. “To hold that team to (112) yards? They’d been running wild on everyone. We played strong and physical.”
A 24-yard field goal by Isaac Kolberg gave Lincoln a 10-0 lead, then Steward made a game of it with his kickoff return to start the third quarter.
But Baker took the game into his hands, carrying seven times on the next drive for 57 yards. He capped the march with a 1-yard plunge, making it 17-7 with 7:36 left in the third.
“I knew once they returned that kickoff for a touchdown it was time to go,” Baker said. “We put in all that time in the offseason and we couldn’t end with a loss. I felt calm and didn’t want to overreact. I just felt like it was time to go and make plays.”
“You put the ball in Jovon’s hands and good things always happen,” Ferrigno said. “Jovon played great. They all did.”
In its only sustained drive of the game, Orange Glen went 69 yards on its next possession, keyed by a 29-yard reception by Patterson, who finished it off with a 9-yard TD run, making it 17-13 with 4:12 left in the third.
When the San Diego Section champs recovered a perfectly executed onside kick, Lincoln appeared to be on its heels. But three runs went nowhere, and the Mustangs got the ball back on their own 25.
Following five short runs, Baker put this one way, with a keen inside handoff fake, and a sprint around the left side 52 yards for a score to start the fourth quarter. He added an apparent 69-yard scoring scamper midway through the fourth, but it was wiped out by a motion penalty.
By then, Lincoln was in celebration mode.
“The kids did everything we asked in the offseason and during the season,” Ferrigno said. “It all paid off. These guys set the bar for all other Lincoln teams to aspire.”
MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.
dive for a 12-6 lead. After forcing a punt, the Warriors tacked on another quick score when Julien broke free for a 75-yard run.
“I ran through the hole, I saw the two defenders overpursuing, so I cut it back,” the senior running back said. “It was an instinctive move.”
Peters wasn’t surprised by the run or Julien’s night as a whole.
“He’s just a grown man. That’s all I can tell you,” the coach said. “He runs hard. I’m still shocked that a lot of schools haven’t come and offered him a scholarship, but they will.”
Julien tacked on a two-point run for a 20-6 lead after three quarters.
The Warriors got a 26-yard touchdown pass from Paul to DaVeonne Sanders and a second touchdown run (20 yards) from Anderson to close out the scoring.
Paul finished with 142 yards on 10-of-17 passing. Montrell Smith had an interception and a fumble recovery for the Warriors’ defense.
“All of us wanted this,” Julien said. “All of us wanted that three-peat. We all had the drive to win this game. All of that heart together and we came out as a strong team.”
Chace Bryson is a freelance writer.
third touchdown on a 3-yard run to cap an eight-play, 88yard drive to start the second half, Wilcox led 27-13. Herrera made it 34-13 with his fourth TD, a 60-yard scamper straight up the middle one play after Wilcox held on downs. Kaiser (14-2) wouldn’t go away as Tribble completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Mandujano, making it 34-20 with 1:58 left in the third.
Kaiser recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Tribble went back to work. He connected on a 10-yard TD pass to Gabriel Ortiz, making it 34-27 with 10:08 left. But Wilcox put it away with a 75-yard drive that was capped by Paul M. Rosa’s 2-yard TD with 4:30 left.
MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.