Serra relishing shot at state title
There’s no holding back any longer, Serra football coach Patrick Walsh said Sunday.
Not after his team earned its eighth Central Coast Section title by beating Mitty 41-14 on Friday to extend its winning streak to 13.
Not heading into a test against national power St. John BoscoBellflower in the Dec. 10 state Open Division championship game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo (Orange County).
Serra was one of 13 Metro teams chosen Sunday by the CIF to advance. As the top-rated team in Northern California for the second straight year, the Padres get to skip a NorCal game and go straight to the state title matchup.
They have two weeks to prepare for a squad with a staggering 43 players who have either Division I scholarship offers or a national 3-star rating or higher.
Even though Serra’s list in that category pales — around a dozen including just two seniors — the Padres’ domination this season puts it among the best all-time CCS squads. With preseason road wins over Folsom and De La Salle-Concord and no close calls in the WCAL (average margin of victory: 28 points), the resume is full.
“To me this is the gold standard — a team for the ages,” Walsh said Sunday. “I’ve held back saying it earlier because I worried about their egos. But going into a game like this you have to believe in every fiber of your being that you can play with these guys. Plus this team really deserves all the love and praise it’s been getting.”
The Padres faced a similar challenge last season, losing in the state final to national champion Mater Dei-Santa Ana, 44-7. Bosco broke Mater Dei’s 29-game win streak Friday at the Rose Bowl 24-22 for the Southern Section Division I title.
“To most it seems like an insurmountable task (to defeat Bosco), and on paper it is,” Walsh said. “But I know our guys want to be there.”
So will the rest of the Metro teams, which will play Friday or Saturday. The winners advance to play the SoCal champs Dec. 910 for state crowns.
Because of an odd number of section champions, Lincoln, coming off a resounding 44-7 win over Balboa in Thursday’s Turkey Day Game, received a bye and will host a state championship Dec. 10 against the winner of Whittier Christian and Crenshaw-Los Angeles. Lincoln (9-3) won state titles in 2018 and 2019.
“We’re fine with the bye,” Lincoln coach Phil Ferrigno said. “It would be nice to play our game at Kezar Stadium or (CCSF). We’ll of course play wherever, but our kids deserve to play in the best setting possible with nice fields.”
• De La Salle (9-3) gets a shot at a double dose of redemption when it travels to Folsom (12-1) for a Division 1-AA game. Folsom ended the Spartans’ 2021 season in the same game, 28-27, and beat the Spartans 24-20 on Sept. 23. Both games were at De La Salle. “Second chances are rare, so our guys are definitely looking forward to it,” coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “Kids have worked hard and have a chance to rewrite the narrative of their season.”
• Pinole Valley (9-4), which won its first NCS title since 1979 with a 7-0 win over Justin-SienaNapa, will play for the state 7-AA championship on Friday when it travels to Central Section Division 6 champion Mendota (Fresno County).
• Bellarmine (7-6), which lost four straight WCAL games, has caught fire at the right time, including a 21-14 win over St. Ignatius on Saturday night. The Bells play defending state 3-AA champion Vanden-Fairfield in the 3-A NorCal final Saturday at SJCC.
• Marin Catholic-Kentfield, the defending state 4-AA champion, moved up two divisions to 2-A and will visit San Ramon Valley-Danville (11-2), which beat Campolindo-Moraga 35-21 for the NCS Division 2 title on Friday.
• Pittsburg (11-2) will host Manteca (11-1) Saturday for the 1-A NorCal crown. Manteca features state Player of the Year favorite Blake Nichelson, a Florida State commit, who accounted for more than 300 yards and five touchdowns in a 51-48 Sac Joaquin Section Division-2 title win over Granite Bay.
• Defending state 5-A champion San Marin-Novato (11-2) hosts Menlo School-Atherton (8-5) in a 4-A title game Saturday. The host Mustangs had five interceptions against UCLA-bound quarterback Luke Duncan, including three by Wesley Garton (two pick-sixes), in a 42-28 win over Miramonte-Orinda.