Sacramento, CA – When Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth 5-10, 195-pound senior running back Bobby Cole blasted up the middle untouched 80-yards for a touchdown on the games’ second play from scrimmage, it set the stage for a third-straight wild-and-wacky affair in this year’s CIF State Bowl Game line-up at Sacramento State University. This Saturday afternoon affair featured four lead changes and a tie.
In the end Cole rushed for 220 yards on 30 carries with four touchdowns and Sierra Canyon held on for a 42-40 win over a game and no-quit Serra-San Mateo in the CIF 2-A Bowl Game championship.
“There’s no doubt we knew it would be a close game and we’d have to fight through it like a lot of close games we’ve been in,” Sierra Canyon Coach Jon Ellinghouse remarked. “We had to finish and focus, that’s or motto, and we did it today. We trust these kids will come up with the big plays.”
On Friday at Hornets Stadium both the 2-AA Bowl Game victory by Madison-San Diego over Valley Christian (21-17) and the 38-35 win by Cathedral Catholic over St. Mary’s in the 1-AA Bowl game were both games the Northern Region had a shot to win, but both times fell short just like the Padres, whose loss makes the West Catholic Athletic League 0-6 and the CIF Central Coast Section 1-9 overall in CIF Bowl Games since 2006.
In this affair Sierra Canyon (16-0) went out to a 14-0 first quarter lead when they took advantage of an interception of Serra quarterback Leki Nunn and drove 65-yards in eight plays culminating in the second TD run by Cole when he took it in from 6-yards out.
Serra (10-5) answered on a 14-yard run by Nunn that was set up by a 46-yard scamper by Isiah Kendrick, but the point after was blocked, and in some ways after all was said and done missed extra points were huge factors
Serra scored again on a 37-yard pass from Nunn to Kendrick (142 yards receiving and two TDs, 80 yards rushing), and on a trick play the Padres got even at 14-14 when kicker Damon Lewis took a direct snap and completed the 2-point conversion on a pass to Charles Quinn.
Serra would take a 20-14 lead on a 35-yard pass from Nunn to Chris Park, but once again the kick failed and take your choice if it was that PAT or the first one the was the difference.
On the ensuing kickoff Sierra canyon struck again with the big play when JJ Hernandez got past everyone and scored on a 95-yard kickoff return to make it 21-20 Trailblazers.
Just before halftime Serra had a chance to tie or take the lead but a penalty for a lineman down field wiped out a Nunn 15-yard TD pass and the half ended with Serra unable to score.
The Padres did retake the lead at 27-21 early in the third quarter on a 2-yard run by Nunn but Sierra Canyon answered right back with an 8-play, 58-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 17-yard pass from Niko Harris (12-for-22 for 201 yards and one TD) to Dylan Tate to give the Trailblazers a 28-27 lead they would not relinquish.
A 14-play, 81-yard Sierra Canyon drive made it 35-27 when Cole scored from 11-yards out, however Serra, and Nunn in particular would just not go away. The 5-10, 175-pound senior orchestrated an 11-play, 67-yard scoring drive in which he either passed or ran the ball on each play. His 17-yard TD pass to Kendrick made it 35-33 but a pass for a 2-point conversion was caught by Park but officials ruled him just out of the back of the end zone.
Ellinghouse then went to Cole and he had five carries on a 6-play, 65-yard drive, and when he blasted in for his fourth TD on an 8-yard run the Trailblazers were up 42-33 with 3:05 left.
Nunn would drive the Padres 70-yards and scored his fourth rushing TD with 2:06 to play, but Sierra Canyon recovered the onside kick and closed it out to win a first Bowl Game championship in school history.
Both Cole and Nunn drew high praise not only from their own coaches but also from several college scouts and media analysts in the press box.
“What a finish to a career,” said Ellinghouse about Cole. He’s one of those that come along once in a generation.”
Cole finished the season with 2,375 yards and 33 touchdowns this season and 4,843 yards and 63 TDs in a 2-year varsity career.
Nunn was as spectacular as Cole. He finished 18-for-34 for 331 yards passing and three TDs and rushed for 109 yards and three more scores.
“He’s no D.J. Williams (former De La Salle and NFL star) but I’ll put him up there with any of the greatest players I’ve ever coached,” was Walsh’s final assessment of Nunn.
The final numbers this season for Nunn are 1,974 yards passing and 19 TDs and 1,055 yards rushing and 18 more scores. For his career Nunn has passed for 3,740 and 40 TDs and 2,124 and 29 TDs rushing in his 2-year varsity career.
Walsh wanted to go out on a high note for Nunn but the pain of a very tough loss showed on his face.
“We made a few more mistakes today than when we ran off 10-in-a-row and they exploited them,” Serra Coach Patrick Walsh said. “We never quit though and kept coming back but unfortunately we have less points than they do and it hurts.”
