NORWALK, Calif. — With Arizona State’s coaches in attendance and one of his future Sun Devil teammates lining up opposite him, Kyrie Wilson put on a show.
The Pacifica senior made his final high school game a memorable one, with a 14-yard catch for the game’s opening touchdown and a pair of interceptions as his Tritons rolled past the McClymonds Warriors in the CIF Division 2-A Championship, 34-6.
“It’s good to show the coaches here what I can work on and what I can get better at,” he said. “That’s what I really want to do.”
He may not have too much improving to do at the next level after excelling on both sides of the ball in a convincing win, a fine last hurrah in high school before enrolling early at ASU.
“It’s great, you know,” he said. “I’m just glad we could bless Coach Moon with a state championship before we left.”
The state championship that head coach Mike Moon and his squad will be returning to Oxnard with is the first any school from the town has brought home to a community much more renowned for boxing and soccer than for anything on the gridiron.
“We come from a rougher area. I told the boys, ‘I want this championship to help you win not only on the football field, but in life.’ I told them I want to be the coach of the first team from Oxnard where everyone is a millionaire,” he explained.
Pacifica (15-1) might have more than a few players who won’t have to pursue careers outside of football. Wilson was far from the only top receiver, as Nohl Williams had eight catches for 87 yards and Isaiah Moon shook off a defender for a 44-yard catch and score to make it 27-0 in the third quarter. A stellar catch by Savonne Farmer in the corner of the end zone added to the lead before the end of the third as the Tritons were able to finish the game with many of their less-used seniors getting playing time.
“The media was telling how great they are, before the game their coach told me how great they are,” Moon said. “I told him, ‘it’s just an honor to play you if you’re that great,’ but clearly they weren’t as good as they thought they were and we’re better than we thought we were.”
McClymonds (11-1) only got on the board with a 30-yard Arrion Hughes scoop-and-score in the fourth off a bad snap. The Warriors were outgained 411-112.
“We couldn’t do anything on offense,” McClymonds head coach Michael Peters said. “It doesn’t matter what division they put us in, we still have to play better.”
Having won three straight state titles in Divisions 5-A, 5-AA and 4-A, the jump up to 2-A was a massive one, and it seemed to be a difficult transition for the Warriors from the noon kickoff until the final minutes. They didn’t have a first down until the second quarter and threw four interceptions, leading to a nonstop party on the Pacifica side.
“I’ve got to be honest with you, we don’t usually get great support,” Moon said. “We’re mainly a soccer school. They kind of kicked in during the playoffs, and this crowd was bigger than any we had on our home field. The student section was great, and I think we had a lot of people from our city, not just from our school. I’m hoping the fans enjoyed themselves and next year during the regular season we get that support.”
Among the plays to delight the home crowd were a pair of field goals by Alberto “Scooter” Carranza, who made a 42-yarder in the second quarter and a 32-yarder in the third. Though he has yet to receive the attention that many of his teammates have received at the next level, he knew that his opportunity on Saturday to help win a state title could also help him secure a spot to kick in college.
“I haven’t gotten any calls, any visits” Carranza said. “I’m just waiting on them to come.”
The lack of college offers certainly didn’t bother him during the game and ensuing celebrations, though.
“This is what we work for,” he said. “This is why we play football in high school, and we accomplished that goal.”
