Much of the discussion surrounding Friday’s Northern California 3-AA Championship between Menlo-Atherton and Eureka is focused on the logistics, and rightfully so.
Not only are the CCS Open Division I Champion Bears being sent on the road, they’re traveling more than five hours to face a Eureka team that advanced to this stage via coin flip. However, the CIF does state that neither seeding nor ranking is considered when determining host sites for the regional round, so on the road goes Menlo-Atherton. The undefeated Loggers and Cardinal Newman decided their NCS Division III tiebreaker via a coin flip, rather than play for a section title and miss out on a potential state championship, at the request of the Cardinal Newman which ultimately lost the flip.
Cardinal Newman called tails, and it landed on heads, giving Eureka the regional berth. Though the Loggers are 12-0, they haven’t faced anywhere near the schedule that M-A has. The Bears have walloped top PAL Bay opponents, including Sacred Heart Prep, and knocked Wilcox from the unbeaten ranks last week after overcoming a 21-0 deficit to win the section title.
One of Menlo-Atherton’s two losses came on a lengthy trip, a 27-0 defeat to eventual Colorado state champion Valor Christian. With their résumé, it was shocking to see the Bears get sent on the road, and they’ll be taking one of the longest possible trips of any regional playoff matchup.
For all of the attention given to the location of the game — which will be played another 15 minutes north of Eureka on better field conditions at McKinleyville — there hasn’t been much discussion about what will actually happen on the field.
If there’s one thing that can be assured, it’s that both teams have depth, and lots of it. Last year’s heroes for Menlo-Atherton were freshman quarterback Matt McLeod, thrust on to the scene when Jack Alexander reaggravated injuries, and freshman cornerback Jalen Moss, whose interception was the last of seven turnovers forced by the Bear defense.
Put on a blindfold and point at any name on the M-A roster, and you’re likely to find next-level talent. There are so many top players at every position that it’s hard to guess who will be the top contributor each week. Troy Franklin is one of the best sophomores in the entire country, yet his go-ahead touchdown last week was just one of the tremendous highlight plays. In the secondary, it can be any mix of him, Malik Johnson, fellow sophomore Skyler Thomas or someone else entirely, whether that’s Justin Anderson, Treavon Norton or a JV callup like Moss. The three-headed rushing attack spreads the ball between Jaeden Barker, Deston Hawkins and De’Marshaun Payton, though at any given time, one of them can shoulder the load singlehandedly. In a CCS semifinal win over Palo Alto, it was an entire 75-yard drive of carries by Hawkins that put the game away.
The same sort of depth applies to the Menlo-Atherton receivers, with Franklin, Anderson, Joey Olshausen, Jake Wang and countless others playing a part. It’s the same with the pass rush, as teams have to prepare for far more than just Daniel Heimuli and Noa Ngalu. Players like Uate Uhila, David Tafuna and Sasongi Eke combine to make this team one of the deepest around.
Eureka also knows a thing or two about depth. Though everything seems to center around quarterback Cruz Montana, who has passed for over 2,500 yards, there’s tons of depth at the skill positions. No receiver or running back has accounted for more than 700 yards, with five different receivers and seven running backs sharing the wealth. Tony Barreno, Lamarie Dunn, Josiah Graham and Isley Tulmau may be Montana’s most frequent targets, but he’ll also go to Alex Miller, Tyce Mullins and Robert Weir. Mullins is Eureka’s most prolific running back, but he’s got a killer supporting cast in Miller, Tulmau and Casey Sidoti. Mullins is also the Loggers’ lead tackler, with 106 during the regular season, including 21 for a loss.
With the uproar surrounding the game’s location finally set aside, hopefully attention can turn to the incredible display of talent that will be on the field come Friday night.
