SAN FRANCISCO — The Mission Bears got started early on Friday, opening up a 28-point lead en route to a 37-13 victory over the Balboa Buccaneers to clear up the crowded AAA playoff race.
With an early 36-yard touchdown by Will Delaney, a 43-yard score from Jaleel Bender and a Will Loveless fumble return, Mission (4-4, 2-2 AAA) jumped out to a 28-0 lead and led 28-6 at halftime after Balboa got on the board with a Caden DeGuzman touchdown run. A zany play to open the third quarter, in which the kickoff return was fumbled multiple times before Andre Monroe picked it up and ran it 63 yards for a touchdown, cut it to 28-13, but after that, the Bears quickly regained control. A fake punt accounted for 31 of McKinley Oliver’s game-high 163 yards, and on another fourth down later in the drive, Jelani Al-Malik scored from 12 yards out to restore the three-score lead.
Friday afternoon’s victory at Kezar Stadium likely means the Bears will finish in third place, while Balboa (5-2, 3-1) will have to finish the regular season against the top two teams, Lincoln (7-0, 3-0) and Galileo (6-2, 3-1). Lincoln faces Burton (5-2, 1-2) on Saturday and is expected to win out, while Galileo’s lone league loss is to Lincoln. The Lions had beaten Mission before falling 52-18 to the Mustangs.
As it now stands, the most likely scenario will be Lincoln taking the top spot and facing Balboa in the semifinals, while Galileo is in position to finish second and draw Mission. The Lions beat Mission 42-36 in a thriller on October 5, and Galileo also beat the Bears 50-28 in last year’s championship en route to a CIF Division 6-A Championship.
