Even with a week delay, the Central Coast Section was able to successfully wrap up its playoffs this past weekend, and the games were certainly worth the wait. All three games in the higher classifications ended in thrilling fashion, while the Peninsula Athletic League flexed some muscle in the lower two divisions, giving the league a total of three section titles for the 2018 season.
We take a look back at the post-season in our CCS playoff rewind, highlighting five fantastic games, five standout performers, and ultimately the five championship teams.
THE FINISHES
1 – Valley Christian rallies to extend season
Valley Christian knew it was in must-win position to keep its season alive, after Aptos had stunned Sacred Heart Prep earlier in the day (more on that in a minute). The Warriors trailed 17-7 in the third quarter before a Lucas Ramirez field goal cut the deficit to seven points. And while quarterback Cory Taylor’s overall night included a pair of interceptions, his 55-yard touchdown pass to junior Deven Vanderbilt tied the game with 3:57 left in regulation.
The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, with Taylor hitting Skylar Loving-Black for a nine-yard touchdown and St. Francis quarterback Ryan Daly connecting with Evan Williams on a quick fade route. Daly and Williams hooked up again in the second overtime, but a blocked extra point left the Warriors’ offense controlling its own destiny. A pair of handoffs to Thomas Dunham did the trick, and the ensuing extra-point by Ramirez capped a dramatic 31-30 victory, sending Valley Christian into the CIF playoffs along with the Lancers.
2 – Aptos refuses to be denied
Sacred Heart Prep sophomore quarterback Raymond Price III showed what he is capable of for the next two years in the Division III title game against Aptos, dashing 48 yards to give the Gators a five-point lead over the Mariners with 2:05 left in the game. But the Mariners responded calmly and emphatically, putting together an 81-yard drive in just 63 seconds to post a thrilling 35-34 victory and grab a CIF NorCal berth.
Marcos Reyes made his last carry of the game count the most, reaching the end zone from 10 yards out, and finished with a game-high 196 rushing yards. Price threw for 197 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 117 yards in the loss.
3 – Menlo-Atherton overcomes early deficit
The pitch on the sweep designed to go to the perimeter on the right side was behind Menlo-Atherton sophomore receiver Troy Franklin, so Franklin simply improvised. He stopped dead in his tracks to gather the ball, reversed field, avoided Wilcox defenders near the line of scrimmage and dashed 17 yards to give the Bears their first lead of the night, and ultimately, a stunning come-from-behind 33-28 victory over the Chargers.
Wilcox led 21-0 in the first half, and 28-14 at the half after a 41-yard touchdown pass from Alex Adame to Paul M Rosa, but the Bears got within one point on a short touchdown run by Deston Hawkins and a 29-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Matt MacLeod – who entered the game when starter Jack Alexander left with an injury – to Justin Anderson. A blocked extra-point kept Wilcox in front, but three straight incompletions and a nice punt return by Anderson gave M-A a 31-yard field to go for the winning touchdown.
4 – Gonzales ends 22-year drought in spectacular fashion
It had been 22 years since Gonzales had won a playoff game, but the Spartans gave a packed crowd reason to be excited in their quarterfinal game against Saratoga, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds left in a back-and-forth battle, prevailing 54-49.
Gilbert Payton Flores ran for 231 yards, including the game-winning 17-yard touchdown. Gonzales quarterback Raul Morales also had a big night, throwing for 103 yards while rushing for 196 yards and four touchdowns.
5 – Carlmont holds on against Independence
Independence came in as a heavy favorite, but Carlmont had its Wing-T offense working, running for close to 400 yards in the game, and built a 14-point lead at the half. Despite that, Independence had a couple shots late in the game.
First, Jordan Ausbie connected with Dylan Oliver for a 35-touchdown pass to cut the lead to seven points with just over five minutes left in the game. Carlmont’s Jonaven Kuhn responded with a 36-yard dash to push the lead back to 14 points, with 2:26 left in the game, but the 76ers closed the gap again with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ausbie to Jesse Lopez. The Scots recovered the ensuing onside kick, though, holding on for the 28-21 victory, and the rare occurrence of a ‘C’ league champion taking down a ‘B’ league champion in the post-season.
THE PERFORMERS
1 – Bralyn Lux, The King’s Academy
It’s hard to imagine anyone putting together a better run to the end of the season. In the quarterfinal win over Del Mar, Lux cruised his way to 154 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. In the semifinals against two-seed Monterey, the senior back ran for 201 yards and five touchdowns, while adding three catches for 116 yards and a score.
The title game against previously unbeaten Carmel was another level, as Lux carried the ball 30 times for 331 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-14 championship performance.
2 – Marcos Reyes, Aptos
The top player from the PCAL, Reyes was the lynchpin for an overwhelmingly effective Aptos ground game, and scored the game-winning touchdown in the Mariners’ 35-34 title-game victory over Sacred Heart Prep. But his entire playoff run was memorable.
In a quarterfinal win over Terra Nova, Reyes went for 221 yards and three touchdowns. The next week, he needed just 16 carries to rack up 212 yards and four scores in a lopsided win over Palma. Then there was the 196-yard performance against SHP, which included the game-tying score before halftime and the game-winner in the final minute of the game.
3 – Dakota Mornhinweg, Carmel
The Padres may have come up short in the title game against TKA, but Mornhinweg certainly shined during Carmel’s run in the playoffs. The junior running back scored five touchdowns in a quarterfinal win over Mt. Pleasant, and then repeated the feat in the semifinals against Gonzales. In the championship game loss, Carmel’s final points of the day came on a short plunge by Mornhinweg.
4 – Evan Williams, Saint Francis
To start the playoffs, no heroics from Williams were needed, though the first two rounds of the post-season gave the senior an interesting stat line. He caught just one pass in each game against Aragon and Serra, but both went for touchdowns. Combine that with the final game of the regular season against Serra, when all three of his receptions went for scores, and that made five straight catches for Williams that had resulted in trips to the end zone.
Then there was his championship game performance, which was remarkable even in defeat – six catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns, with both scores coming in the overtime sessions. Before that were catches of 56, 24 and 43 yards, all of which set up scores for the Lancers in the heart-breaking loss.
5 – Lucas Meredith, Burlingame
The sophomore might be hard-pressed to exceed his post-season performance in the next two years, after serving as a workhorse in the Panthers’ run-first approach. Meredith ran for seven touchdowns in Burlingame’s three playoff games, with two each in a quarterfinal win over Mountain View and a title game victory over Carlmont, adding to a 110-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Panthers’ semifinal win against Overfelt.
THE CHAMPIONS
Division I – Menlo-Atherton
The Bears got valuable big-game experience early in the year, beating Bellarmine and Archbishop Mitty before suffering back-to-back defeats to Palma – in overtime – and in Highlands Ranch against Colorado 5A champion Valor Christian, who went 14-0 under the guidance of coach Ed McCaffrey.
The loss to Valor Christian would be the last one for Menlo-Atherton, who went unbeaten in the rugged PAL-Bay before embarking on its run to the CCS Division I title. The Bears now head to Eureka in a CIF 3-AA NorCal regional.
Division II – Valley Christian
A pair of four-point losses, to Wilcox and Saint Francis, in the first half of the season did nothing to derail the Warriors’ title hopes. After a 7-3 loss to the Lancers, Valley Christian embarked on a winning streak which has now reached seven games, and included a massive 37-6 bounce-back win over Serra, the week after the loss to Saint Francis. The non-league slate also included a win over eventual Northern Section champion Pleasant Valley.
The Warriors now host NCS Open Division runner-up Liberty in the CIF 1-A North regional.
Division III – Aptos
After winning its first eight games of the season, Aptos stumbled briefly with a five-point loss to Palma and a four-point loss to Salinas. But coach Randy Blankenship said after the loss to Salinas that he had gotten his team back that night, and the Mariners proved him right.
After putting up 62 points in a quarterfinal win over Terra Nova, Aptos opened eyes around the region with a blowout win over Palma in which the Mariners scored the first 49 points of the night. That preceded a gut-check title game win over Sacred Heart Prep, which sends Aptos into a CIF 4-A North regional game against McClymonds.
Division IV – Burlingame
It’s hard to believe that at one point this season, Burlingame was 1-2, after four turnovers led to a 12-point loss against Live Oak. But maybe it was the week before that which would prove to be the greatest indicator of this team’s ability, a two-point loss to a Sacred Heart Prep team which would nearly win a section title.
After the loss to Live Oak, the Panthers rattled off 10 straight victories, including a win over eventual CCS Division V champion King’s Academy, which ultimately clinched an unbeaten run through the PAL-Ocean. Then there was the dominant playoff run, outscoring opponents 132-19 en route to capturing a section crown.
Division V – The King’s Academy
The season opened with a two-point loss to eventual San Diego Section semifinalist Christian-El Cajon, and from there the Knights found their footing under coach Pete Lavorato, winning six straight games before falling to Burlingame. The loss to the Panthers cost King’s Academy a league title, but the Knights made up for it in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 138-34 on their way to the section title.