Salesian wins second straight 6-A state title
RICHMOND >> Arlington-Riverside looked like a Goliath of a football team in the warmups before the California Interscholastic Federation 6-A state championship game.
So it was all the more impressive that Salesian senior Noah Del Sol keyed the Pride’s 42-21 victory for its second straight 6-A state title Saturday.
Del Sol, a 5-foot-3, 145-pound running back, rushed for a career-high 178 yards and four touchdowns. He entered the game late in the first quarter after a shoulder injury to Devin Quinn.
Salesian also won the 6-A state title in 2019. There were no football state championships in 2020.
“I’m just excited, happy to back-to-back,” said Del Sol, who was the scout team running back in practice before the 2019 state title game and did not play in that game. “Now as a senior I had a huge part in this game and I’m just very happy and excited for my team.
Salesian dominated the line of scrimmage. Its offensive line of left tackle Delon Craft Jr., left guard Julian Gutierrez, center Giancarlo Thurmond, right guard Aaron Bradford and right tackle Samuel Torres paved the way for 439 rushing yards.
Defensively, Salesian (112) had 10 sacks, three fumbles recovered and an interception. Gutierrez led the way with three sacks, and Bradford and Thurmond added two apiece, as did Mian Shah. Andre Prince had two fumble recoveries, and Bradford added one. Christian Montuya ended Arlington’s final drive by intercepting a pass with two minutes, 34 seconds left, as Salesian shut out Arlington in the second half.
It was an emotional scene after the game at Salesian.
“I couldn’t hold back the tears,” said Salesian quarterback Nick Fontanilla. “As soon as that final whistle blew, I just kind of let it all out. Man, all this work paid off.”