High school football season is over. A process that began back in spring football in May finally came to a close for those fortunate enough to reach state finals. And while not everyone was able to raise a championship plaque, many teams did, while the rest represented their schools with pride and honor on the state’s biggest stage.
Fortuna turns 12-hour trek into victory caravan
Ka-chunk.
That was the theme on Saturday night at Glover Stadium in Anaheim, where Fortuna took to the ground in the second half, and pounded Katella’s hopes of a CIF title into submission, winning 54-33. Scott Sederberg’s 30-yard touchdown run with 1:40 remaining provided the final points of the night, but the Huskies had made their victory statement well before that time.
Fortuna led 28-27 at halftime, but the second half was all Huskies, who made their intentions clear on the first drive of the third quarter. Without even attempting to throw the ball, and with JB Lewis in at quarterback for a dinged-up Zac Claus, Fortuna drove the length of the field, converting a fourth-and-one, and then extending the lead to eight points on a 24-yard score by Joey Pontes.
“We had some adjustment issues in the first half. They threw the ball real well, and they were for 14-1 for a reason,” said Fortuna coach Mike Benbow.
After forcing a punt on the next Katella possession, the Huskies then created some separation for the first time in the game. A Church Crenshaw run and face mask penalty moved the ball across midfield, and Pontes capitalized again with a 29-yard scoring run, creating a 41-27 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Katella’s Andrew Pisani returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield, but the Huskies’ defense held firm again, and then the offense chewed away both the clock and Katella’s hopes. Fortuna once again drove the field, converted a fourth-and-one near the 20-yard line, and then put the game out of reach when Claus, who had re-entered the game, hit Crenshaw for a 12-yard score.
“The second half was just fantastic, typical Fortuna football,” Benbow said. “It was an amazing night. Going through what these guys have gone through, I’m so happy for these kids and what they have accomplished.”
The Huskies’ Ethan Higgins ended the next Katella drive with an interception, and though the Knights eventually closed the gap to 48-33 with a Nathan Arrington touchdown pass, with 4:12 left in the game, Sederberg’s scoring run iced the victory.
What started on Thursday with a drive to Oakland and a visit to senior teammate Bailey Foley, as he continues to recover from a stroke suffered in the first week of the season, finished on Sunday with a team trip to Disneyland. The ‘Happiest Place on Earth’ got a lot happier with one of the best stories of the 2017 high school football season.
Oakland, San Francisco both celebrate CIF titles
Last year, McClymonds made history as the first Oakland Athletic League school to win a state title. This year, the Warriors doubled their pleasure, while Galileo represented the San Francisco Section with the first CIF football title in city public school history, and just the second CIF title in any sport for the section.
McClymonds rolled past Golden West at Visalia Community Stadium on Saturday night, 42-12, behind another big night from Jarmar Julien, who ran for 210 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. Meanwhile, Charles Alberty scored three times, twice on scoring receptions and once on a fumble return. The Warriors led 42-0 at the end of three quarters, and also got three touchdowns passes from Emoreea Fountain.
Galileo, on the other hand, downed Vincent Memorial for the CIF 6-A title. The Lions overcame a six-point halftime deficit with a 24-point third quarter, cruising from there for the 38-20 victory. They had beaten Rio Vista in the CIF North regional final.
Milpitas gets over the hump
When Milpitas beat Campolindo in the CIF 4-A final, it ended a string of five straight section title or regional final losses. The Trojans used that momentum, and a crazy finish, to outlast Southwest-El Centro, 45-41, to capture a state title.
Milpitas led by 20 points early in the third quarter, but Southwest roared back and took a 41-37 lead with 3:42 left in the game. Noah Rodriguez, however, returned the ensuing kickoff out to the Trojans’ 46-yard line, and Tyree Bracy found Tuni Fifita for a 39-yard scoring pass to retake the lead. Tariq Bracy’s two-point conversion run provided the final margin.
Mariano Robles hit three field goals in the win for Milpitas, while Tariq Bracy showed why he is headed for Notre Dame next year. He opened the scoring with a 70-yard run, scored again on the ground, added a 35-yard scoring reception from his brother, and for good measure, returned a punt for a touchdown.
HMB fights for full 48 minutes
No deficit could take the fight out of Half Moon Bay. Not an early 14-point deficit, nor a late nine-point deficit. In the end, the Cougars fell just short, losing 44-42 to Steele Canyon-Spring Valley, a San Diego suburb charter school more than twice the size of HMB, but walked out with their heads held high and a season to remember.
Gavin Tomberlin connected with Hayden Von Almen for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 1:25 left in the game, part of a late rally after the Cougars had trailed 34-21 going into the fourth quarter. Tomberlin finished with 197 yards and two touchdowns in his final high school game. Chase Hofmann added 162 yards on the ground.
In the end, the Half Moon Bay defense could not slow down Steele Canyon’s second-half passing game, as Thomas Fishburne completed all 10 of his second half throws, and could not overcome an uncharacteristic four turnovers offensively. The ending, though, does little to blemish an outstanding season for the Cougars, one which included an unbeaten regular season, a PAL-Bay title after moving up from the Ocean Division, and a CCS Open III championship.
