It would be easy for Wilcox to let its head hang for a minute, after seeing a 21-point lead dissipate in a 33-28 loss to Menlo-Atherton in the Central Coast Section Division I title game. The Chargers have no time to dwell on that loss, however, because unbeaten Capital Christian is headed to Santa Clara this Saturday night for the CIF 3-A North regional bowl game.
In his second year at the helm of the Cougars, head coach Casey Taylor has his squad playing for a berth in the state final, something he made a regular occurrence during his tenure at Del Oro. And Capital Christian brings a balanced approach on the field, with senior quarterback Cooper Crick and senior running back D'Marcus Ross combining to be an effective one-two punch.
Crick has completed 60 percent of his passes during a 13-0 campaign, for 2,012 yards and 25 touchdowns, while Ross has continued an outstanding career by running for 2,003 yards and 21 scores, plus another 433 yards and six touchdowns through the air. Capital Christian edged Placer in the Sac-Joaquin Section final, 25-22, denying the Hillmen a repeat trip to the CIF final.
Wilcox, meanwhile, faces the task of bouncing back from its first defeat of the year, after going unbeaten during the regular season, a stretch which included a victory over CCS Division II champion Valley Christian and a perfect run through the SCVAL's De Anza Division. As usual, the Chargers will look to establish the run, with Paul M Rosa and Gabe Herrera both well over the 1,000-yard mark this year. But they also know the value of protecting the ball, after losing four fumbles in last week's loss.
"We have to take care of the ball on offense," said Wilcox coach Paul Rosa. "They have a lot of talent in the defensive backfield, and they are athletic and big across the board. We need to be able to tackle them in space, because they have a lot of guys who are shifty and fast, and we have to make sure we make those tackles."
Rosa also noted the special ability of Ross, and what he brings to the table.
"(Ross) is an explosive runner, very shifty, and can make people miss," Rosa added. "They have a very good overall program."
Both teams are looking to advance to their first CIF final.