Citrus Hill High School in Perris, Ca. hardly resembles the StubHub Center in Carson nor Sacramento State, nor any of the big venues usually associated with state playoff bowl title games.
But the school with the talented football team in an unincorporated section of Riverside County will be the host for arguably one of the biggest games in the history of either school. And rest assured, it's field is 100 yards long and it has the required seating and enough other amenities to properly host the game.
It’s the CIF-State Division II-A title game and it's coming at you at 6:00 p.m. Saturday from this ramshackle area of the Inland Empire, three miles southeast of Riverside.
“We’re excited,” said St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno, whose father Ron Calcagno put the program on the map. “This is something the school has not done before and now we get a chance to because of the expanded playoffs. We’re playing until the last date on the schedule and that’s cool for our guys.”
Neither has Citrus Hill played in a state playoff bowl.
“Everybody’s really excited,” said Citrus Hill coach Eric Zomalt, the former Cal and NFL defensive back. “We’ve gotten a tremendous amount of support from the entire IE. It’s been a real pleasure to see how many people are watching and rooting for us.
"St. Francis looks extremely physical and very well-coached on film, but that’s what you expect at this point.”
Citrus Hill (13-2) advanced to the title game with a 56-21, running-clock victory against Calabasas. Defensive end Aljenon Washington had two fumble recoveries and two sacks and Michael Washington and Duron Davidson combined for three interceptions to lead the Hawks.
On offense, Devin Floyd, Dumar Fisher and Fanau Mikaele all rushed for more than 100 yards for Citrus Hill. Hawk quarterback Elijah Matthews is also dangerous with with his arm and legs.
St. Francis is paced by quarterback Kamali'i Akina with 1,289 yards passing, 14 touchdowns and one interception; running backs Lutovika Ahoia and Cyrus Habibi Likio who have combined for near 2,300 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns; receiver Darius Thomas who has 25 catches for 618 yards and nine TDs; and linebacker Kevin Glajchen who averages 13.4 tackles per game.
For both young coaches, it really doesn't get much bigger than this.
Asked if he gets more nervous as a coach than he did as a player, Zomalt said: “I’m always anxious about everything. But things have gone our way so far so I hope they continue to do so.”
As for Greg Calcagno, it’s another stop on the journey that includes his father taking over the Lancer program in 1972 and leading it to 11 section titles in 24 years, Greg leading the Lancers to their first unbeaten season in 1982 and now Greg is his third year as head coach leading the team, with his son Patrick in uniform and his father Ron nearby.
“My dad is literally at the games because his grandson is playing,” the Lancers coach said. “We talk on weekends and watch film. It’s great that he’s involved because he’s forgotten more stuff than I know about football and I’d be stupid not to leverage that knowledge. He’s been a huge part of who I am and what I am.”
