Weekend Regional FB Scoreboard (Friday)

St. Mary’s players Kenneth Moore III (blue gloves) and Diego Hernandez (to his right) are among those from the St. Mary’s of Stockton team holding up CIF NorCal D2-AA title trophy after win on Friday vs Serra of San Mateo. Photo: Mark Tennis.

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CIF State Championship games will be played next week at sites in Southern California — Saddleback College (Mission Viejo), Buena Park High & Fullerton District Stadium.

The Open Division championship (in which there are no regional games beforehand) will be next Saturday, Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. at Saddleback College between state No. 1 Santa Margarita of Rancho SM (10-3) and state No. 5 De La Salle of Concord (12-0). Saddleback also is scheduled to be hosting the CIF state title games for D2-AA and D1-AA on Friday, Dec. 12 and then D2-A and D1-A on Saturday, Dec. 13.

Check the CIF state website on Sunday for dates and times of the other state finals at Buena Park and Fullerton.

DIVISION 1–AA

North: Folsom (SJS D1) 42,
Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco (CCS Open) 38

Riordan looked like world beaters in the first half and at one point led 38-20 and even had some in the media questioning whether the Crusaders should have gotten more consideration for the Open Divison. But they didn’t score in the second half and the Bulldogs rallied for two TDs behind back-up QB Brody Rudnicki that turned a 38-28 deficit into a 42-38 victory. Rudnicki had to come in after All-American Ryder Lyons had to come out of the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.

Folsom (13-1 and ranked No. 10 in our State TOP 50 rankings with its loss to No. 7 Mission Viejo) got a huge lift just before halftime from an 89-yard kickoff return by Israel Lawson. The Bulldogs kept up that momentum in the second half. Lyons suffered what head coach Paul Doherty described as “not sure if it’s a broken collarbone or a fracture up there” and had kept the Bulldogs close as Riordan kept scoring. Rudnicki, a junior who played in one game earlier this season with Lyons resting a tender foot that plagued him in early games, is a junior with D1 offers. He had a 50-yard run on the first play after coming in for Lyons. Rudnicki threw a go-ahead 20-yard TD pass to Jameson Powell with 5:02 left in the game. Powell, who made headlines earlier this week after decommitting from Ole Miss due to the Lane Kiffin coaching change there and instead signed with Oregon State, had perhaps his best game as a Bulldog with a reported 13 catches for 162 yards and three TDs.

The Crusaders will end the season at 12-1 but may only finish behind Folsom in the final state rankings (they were 11th coming in) depending on how the Bulldogs do in next week’s state final. They displayed their great offensive balance in that first half with six straight TDs behind RB Adonyae Brown and QB Michael Mitchell Jr. Brown (still unsigned) powered for three of those TDs and ended with 31 carries for 250 yards, according to the Bay Area News Group. Mitchell (who signed with Stanford earlier this week) capped his brilliant four-year career with TD passes to Cynai Thomas (two), Israel Vaenuku and Judge Nash. He was reported with 275 yards through the air.

Isaac Cook (left) and Brady Palmer proved to be a lethal pass-catch combo for Cathedral Catholic in win vs Los Alamitos. Photo: SportsRecruits / Instagram.com.

The last two times that the Dons have won in the SoCal D1-AA regional final they followed up by having to play Folsom. They lost in overtime in the 2018 state final, but in 2021 they rode the legs of Lucky Sutton (now starring at San Diego State) to a 33-21 win against the Bulldogs. Those two teams will now play a third time and it should be a tighter game than what head coach Sean Doyle’s team played on the road vs the Griffins.

If Folsom gets out to an early lead in next week’s game, you can be sure that the Dons (11-2 and ranked No. 13 in the State TOP 50 rankings) will not panic. One week after they scored 20 straight points in the fourth quarter of their 20-16 win vs Carlsbad in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division final, they scored 28 points against Los Al that turned a 14-7 deficit into a 28-14 lead. A key sequence came late in the first half when the Griffins missed a 26-yard field goal and then on the first possession of the third quarter the Dons took their first lead on a 56-yard TD pass from Brady Palmer to Isaac Cook. After a defensive stop, Palmer and Cook hooked up on 79-yard TD pass. Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, who earlier scored on runs of 13 yards and 1 yard, then caught a 20-yard TD pass from Palmer to complete the 28-point run.

Los Alamitos, which came into the night at 12-2 after winning the CIF Southern Section D2 title and was one spot behind Cathedral Catholic in the State TOP 50 at No. 14, took a 7-0 lead early in the contest on a 28-yard TD pass from Cody Creason to Lenny Ibarra. Creason also scored in the second quarter on a 2-yard run for a 14-7 lead. Los Al, which wasn’t able to get stops in the second half, cut the deficit to 35-21 on 47-yard run by junior standout Kamden Tillis.

The final TD of the night was another TD pass from Palmer to Cook. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Palmer at 16 of 21 passing for 306 yards and four TDs plus Cook with seven catches for 213 yards and three scores. Fa’alave Johnson had 28 rushes for 135 yards.

DIVISION 2–AA

North: St. Mary’s of Stockton (SJS D2) 24, Serra of San Mateo (CCS D1) 17

We have to go back to the night of the Rams’ first CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D2 playoff game when we were at another game and thought for most of the night they were going to be upset by Jesuit of Carmichael. The Marauders led 31-15 at halftime. St. Mary’s won, 64-55, with the final six points coming on a defensive touchdown as the clock expired. The Rams then outslugged previously unbeaten Manteca, 19-14, and in last week’s section finals they were behind 24-7 to Granite Bay, but took control in the second half for a 38-24 victory.

Serra never got further ahead than three points, but the Padres then took a 24-23 lead with 2:41 left on a 2-yard TD run by Andrew Takapautolo. That turned out to be too much time remaining for the Rams. They were lifted up on a 66-yard catch and run by Ivan Huerta that set up a 2-yard TD run by Diego Hernandez with just 34.7 seconds left. Serra still had a chance at the end but a pass into the end zone was broken up and on the game’s final play freshman QB William Orr was sacked and didn’t get a pass away.

St. Mary’s (12-2 and No. 22 earlier this week in our State TOP 50 rankings) didn’t have as much success in the run game as it did in the two previous games, but Hernandez still gutted it out for 98 yards on 20 carries (unofficially). Senior QB Jaden Galvan hit on key passes when he had to, not just the big one to Huerta, but also had a 14-yard TD pass to UCLA-bound Kenneth Moore III with 4:43 left that gave St. Mary’s a 23-17 lead, but the PAT was no good. We had Galvan 16 of 33 for 307 yards and no interceptions. Huerta also had big chunk catches of 40 and 37 yards and ended with seven for 183 yards. Moore, who was playing with hand injury that almost prevented him from playing, also had two kickoff returns of 45 yards each.

Serra fell to 8-6 after the loss but may not drop far from No. 25 in the state since the other five losses were to Archbishop Riordan twice, Folsom, De La Salle and St. John Bosco. Takapautolo was the Padres’ leading rusher, but only had nine carries for 45 yards. Freshman William Orr went most of the way at quarterback and had pass plays of 47, 18 and 45 yards to junior tight end Jace Cannon plus a 62-yarder to junior Charles Walsh. It is one of the youngest teams that we’ve seen over the years under Serra head coach Patrick Walsh.

“Ivan’s play was huge because it looked like we were out of hope,” said St. Mary’s head coach Tony Franks, who is 0-2 in CIF state final games in 2008 and 2016 (both losses to Cathedral Catholic) and laughed when we told him which team was playing in the state final after his team plays next week. “He takes it down there and we score, but that’s what we’ve done the last weeks. It’s been really fun to see. And Serra is just terrific. We love their coaches and how they play the game.”

Serra head coach Patrick Walsh grits teeth as St. Mary’s team was getting its NorCal title trophy. Young Padres team will be ones to watch in 2026 season. Photo: Mark Tennis.

The Eagles will be looking to post their biggest win in school history when they play St. Mary’s next Friday in the state championship. It’s not that they can finish unbeaten at 14-0, but they are looking to win in a CIF division that includes not just St. Mary’s, but Serra of San Mateo, Los Gatos, Manteca (which had a win over Cardinal Newman) and many others. Bakersfield Christian has won a CIF state title before, but that was in a lower division (3-A) in 2019.

Both teams scored in the first quarter of Friday’s game, but Bakersfield Christian went up 14-7 at halftime on a 1-yard run by Arnez Lee, who does double duty as one of the state’s top reported sack leaders. The Eagles made it 21-7 in the third quarter on a 29-yard TD pass from Lincoln Adame to Jason Gutierrez. They added to their lead at 24-14 in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Cohen Peters. The Eagles (13-0) were placed at No. 40 in last week’s State TOP 50 rankings.

La Habra, which came in a 11-3 after winning the CIF Southern Section D4 championship but was not in the State TOP 50, had its chances for a comeback win. Junior QB D.J. Mitchell score on a run with 1:08 left in the game to cut the score to 24-21, but the Highlanders didn’t recover an onside kick plus the Eagles picked up a third down conversion and then ran out the clock. Mitchell also had a 2-yard TD run in the second half.

DIVISION 3–AA

North: St. Ignatius of San Francisco (CCS D2) 17,
Monte Vista of Danville (NCS D2) 13

While West Catholic Athletic League rivals Riordan and Serra will not be going down to Southern California for state title game appearances, the Wildcats will be heading south (in a much lower division obviously) after they outlasted the Mustangs on Friday night at their home field. St. Ignatius won partly due to special teams with two blocked PATs, one blocked field goal attempt plus Thomas McKeon made a 34-yard field goal. The Wildcats (8-6) also had a rushing TD from Steve Malone plus a TD pass from Caedon Afsharipour to Zui Shelton. Monte Vista (8-6) was led by senior QB Ian Ondricek. The Bay Area News Group had him with 148 yards passing and two TDs plus 92 yards rushing.

South: Ventura (CIFSS D6) 35, Arroyo Grande (Central Sec D2) 28

The Cougars advanced to take a shot at their first CIF state title in 102 years with a win on Friday before a packed house at Arroyo Grande. They will be playing a school next week older than them, St. Ignatius of San Francisco (actually the oldest school in the state founded in 1849). Ventura (12-2) is known for its passing game with UNLV-bound QB Derek Garcia and UNLV-bound WR Jack Cunningham. And although Cunningham made history for going over 2,000 yards receiving for the season, it was running back/receiver Tristan Savage who rushed for a TD that made the score 28-28 and had an earlier TD. Garcia scored on a short run to give Ventura a 35-28 lead. The Cougars’ defense then got a stop and the offense was able to finish the clock. University of Idaho-bound Caleb Clark scored three TDs for Arroyo Grande. Hard-charging RB Zack Tayman also had a 60-yard TD run for the Eagles, who finished a 9-5 season.

DIVISION 4–AA

North: Sutter (SJS D5) 21, Ferndale (NCS D5) 7

This was a breakthrough win for Sutter since the Huskies had been winless in five earlier NorCal title games, including one in which future NFL star Jared Goff led Marin Catholic of Kentfield to a win. This time, the defense held down a Ferndale offense that had scored 762 points in 13 games coming into the night in a game played at Cal Poly Humboldt. The Huskies, who were higher ranked than Ferndale in our State Small Schools Top 10 at No. 4 compared to No. 5 for the Wildcats, pushed their season record to 13-1. They avenged their only loss in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D5 final with a win over Casa Roble of Orangevale. Ferndale, representing a school of only around 200 students, ends the season 13-1 with a still incredible scoring margin of 769-64. The Wildcats were hoping to reach 800 points, but the Sutter defense said, “Sorry, not going to happen.”

Iosefa Leafoli is the leading tackler this season at Barstow. Photo: Barstow football / Instagram.com.

South: Barstow (CIFSS D8) 13,
Immanuel of Reedley (Central Sec D4) 12

A 71-yard TD run in the third quarter by Nicholas Gaoa plus a go-ahead PAT in the third quarter held up as the winning combination for the Aztecs. They also stopped the Raiders twice on ensuing possessions. Barstow (12-3) will now play Sutter for a state title. According to the Victorville Daily Press, it is the first time that a team from High Desert region of Southern California has ever appeared in a CIF state final. Immanuel grabbed a 12-6 lead in the third quarter on a 26-yard catch and run TD by Seth Thomas. The Raiders (13-1) couldn’t punch through again, however, and thus suffered their first loss of the season.

DIVISION 5–AA

North: Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland (NCS D4) 23, Chico (Northern Sec D2) 20

There were two sequences in this game that turned the tide for the Dragons. First, after Chico’s John Bernardez had given his team a 14-9 lead in the third quarter, Trevor Erickson brought the ensuing kickoff back for a 95-yard touchdown and an immediate 16-14 lead for O’Dowd. Second, after Chico had a drive stopped on downs at the one-yard line, the Dragons scored on a quick drive afterward capped by a 48-yard TD run by Lamar Ellis. Bernardez was able to score again on a 7-yard run with five minutes left, but the O’Dowd defense got the stops after that to get the win. Head coach Hardy Nickerson’s team improved to 11-4 and will look to win the school’s second CIF state title next week. It won in 2016 in D5-AA when Napoleon Kaufman was head coach. Chico wrapped up an 11-3 season.

South: Christian of El Cajon (SD D4) 27,
Valley Christian of Cerritos (CIFSS D10) 13

The Valley Christian offense had a problem with Christian linebacker Hank Houston. He turned in what likely would have netted him SoCal Defensive Player of the Week honors for next week except for the fact we are switching those selections to basketball. Houston, a senior linebacker, picked off three passes for the Patriots, including one in the third quarter that he returned for a 35-yard TD and a 20-7 lead. He also was credited with a sack. Christian (8-7) also was led by the pass-catch combo of Kaleb Runkle and Kai Rosier. They connected on TD passes of 23 and 43 yards. Valley Christian (11-4) scored first on a 53-yard TD run by Julian Morones.

DIVISION 6–AA

North: Lincoln of San Jose (CCS D4) 28, Gridley (Northern Sec D3) 20

Another undefeated season besides the ones at Riordan, Ferndale and Immanuel that came to a close on Friday was the one held by Gridley. The Northern Section school had to play on the road at Lincoln and lost in a game that the Bulldogs came within a tipped ball of taking a 26-14 or 27-14 lead with six minutes left. Instead the tipped ball was intercepted and a few minutes later Lincoln’s Michael Whitelaw caused his defender to fall down on a route and he caught a wide open pass from Luca Papoulias for a 64-yard touchdown. The Lions then took the lead after recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff on a 17-yard run by Kyan Phillips. Gridley (13-1) then came up short on a fourth down with 1:33 left. Lincoln (8-5) will now go for its first CIF state title after winning its first CCS title and is first NorCal crown.

South: Valley Center (SD D4) 30,
Valley View of Moreno Valley (CIFSS D11) 19

Neither of these schools have been in a CIF state final before, but it will be the Jaguars (8-6) who are going to be heading up to Orange County next week to play San Jose Lincoln. They were down 19-8 in the second quarter, but scored just before halftime on a 44-yard TD by Joeisha Ryan Tirado. They kept up that momentum in the third quarter on 12-yard run by Tirado. Braylon Mitchell then added to the lead by throwing a 15-yard TD pass to Gauge Wright. Mitchell ended 12 of 15 passing for 225 yards and two TDs, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Tirado had 121 yards rushing on 16 carries. For Valley View (9-6), QB Jesse Vega passed for three touchdowns.

DIVISION 7–AA

North: Redding Christian (Northern Sec D5) 22, Middletown (NCS D7) 18

Just like there was more than one unbeaten team to lose in a regional game on Friday, there was more than just Bakersfield Christian as an unbeaten team that won. That would be the small school Lions of Redding Christian, which followed up its Northern Section crown by beating Middletown for their first regional title. Micah Skinner helped turned the game for Redding Christian (14-0) with an interception late in the second quarter that prevented Middletown from getting the lead and then in the third quarter he caught a TD pass from QB Wyatt Shaw for a score that extending the lead to 22-12. Tyler Galamay and Trenton Griffith had TD runs for Middletown, which finished up an 11-3 season.

South: Woodbridge of Irvine (CIFSS D13) 13, San Fernando (LA City D2) 0

The complete opposite of Redding Christian being a small school that only just started playing 11-man football three seasons ago and being unbeaten is the Warriors. They’re a school probably 10 or 12 times bigger and have benefitted from competitive equity playoff seeding, but they’ve also shown how to bounce back from tough times with seven wins in their last eight games after starting 0-7. In the win over San Fernando (11-4), the defense had two interceptions and three sacks while the offense featured Kayjahn Pitts, who rushed for 101 yards and one TD on 22 carries.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle.