I’m not sure exactly how the CCS went from one simple football tournament in 1972 where only league champions competed to the mind-crushing, complex, much-scrutinized system we have now, but I am sure about this regarding last week’s action:
I’LL TAKE MAURICE WASHINGTON ON MY FANTASY TEAM: Actually, I don’t play fantasy anything because I lost my geek card and my pocket protector, but if fantasy high school teams did exist and I had one I’d take Maurice Washington of The King’s Academy after he ran amok for 402 yards and six touchdowns (eight overall) on 18 carries last Friday night in a 62-49 win against Jefferson.
Back in 1974, I saw Paul Jones rush for 350-plus for Archbishop Mitty against Serra at Buck Shaw Stadium. I thought that was pretty awesome and wondered why the Monarchs had him at quarterback the previous two seasons. But 402 is something else and since Jeff scored 49 points in the game, give me Grizzly quarterback Damari Cual-Davis while you’re at it.
BLANKENSHIP MADE RIGHT CALL: Aptos coach Randy Blankenship, whose team went unbeaten again in the SCCAL, opted not to move up to the CCS Open Division III for the playoffs, as he had a right to.
The Mariners, after losing to Bellarmine College Prep, Mitty, Capital Christian-Sacramento and Palma in non-league play, are instead in Division IV where they’ll face enough competition as it is.
Can’t really fault the veteran coach here. He played the big boys four times and lost, albeit respectably. Then he lost one of his better players Friday night in a win against Scotts Valley in two-way starters Ben Sheriffs (leg injury, done for season).
Without Sheriffs, Aptos probably wasn’t going to finish among the top two in the CCS Open III Division and therefore would not qualify for the NorCal regional anyway. It’s a good decision.
NICE CALL BY KAMALI’I, TOO: When Duane Akina left the University of Texas to become an assistant coach at Stanford two years ago, it left his youngest son Kamali’I Akina looking for a high school.
Akina took a look at a few including Palo Alto, but eventually chose St. Francis, despite having never attended a private school Can’t question that decision either, the way things have turned out.
St. Francis had some injury problems, lost some close games and had a middling WCAL season with Akina at quarterback in 2014, but still managed a CCS Division II title, defeating Archbishop Mitty 17-7 in the title game.
Last Saturday at City College of San Francisco the Lancers clinched a WCAL co-title (its first league championship since 2003) by defeating Riordan. Akina had three TD passes to give him nine for the year to go along with 934 passing yards, so he’s making a big impact.
IT WAS A SENIOR MOMENT: The CCS playoffs include most of the top teams in the section with the qualifying “most” being that Serra is not involved. The Padres (6-4) of course were banned from the playoffs for a year for forfeiting last season’s consolation playoff game against Milpitas the day of the game.
Saturday Serra finished its star-crossed season with a 42-21 Senior Day victory against formidable Valley Christian. Fittingly, star senior running back/defensive back Kelepi Lataimua had three scoring runs and caught a 49-yard TD pass from junior Leki Nunn. Another senior, Hunter Bishop, had an 87-yard TD catch from Nunn.
“It was great – it was a special week,” said Serra coach Patrick Walsh, who said the team had a dinner the night before the game that included a group of appreciative parents and the players on their own all went out to lunch together on Monday and texted Walsh photos of the event.
“As a coach you’re trying to forge relationships and a bond,” Walsh said. “That’s the type of environment you want. I was a little concerned about the situation after we lost some games that we might tank the season, but that never happened. That’s why I have a ton of respect for these kids.”
SECOND THE EMOTION: The late San Francisco 49ers’ coach Bill Walsh wasn’t a huge believer in Knute Rockne-like pep talks and there’s no proof having your team at a fever pitch for a game has any impact on the final score.
But Terra Nova had some natural emotion heading into Friday night’s game against visiting Half Moon Bay and it didn’t seem to hurt as the Tigers rallied from a 14-point early deficit to win 38-28 in the Skull Game.
Affixed to the back of each Tiger helmet was a gold “75” for TN defensive lineman Mace Iaulualo who was seriously injured along with his father in an auto accident eight days before the game.
“He was a huge inspiration for us today,” Terra Nova coach Tim Adams said after the game. “We’re very grateful he and his father are both alive because it was very, very close.”
Nice effort by the Tigers.
John Murphy is the Web Content Manager of Prep2Prep. Contact him at jmurphy@prep2prep.com. Follow him on Twitter @PrepCat
