State's top offense may be at St. Mary's of Stockton…….Citrus Hill, Hawthorne extend state's longest winning and losing streaks……Loyola football coach resigns……Third Sac High girls bb player commits to big-time program…Go inside for closer look at all four stories.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

So how good is the offense of the 5-0 and state top 10-ranked Stockton St. Mary's football team?

Well, we've seen several teams that are currently in the top 10 of the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national rankings – including state No. 1 Oaks Christian of Westlake Village and Florida No. 2 Lakeland – and we'd say that the St. Mary's offense is just as impressive, maybe even better, than either of those two teams.

This doesn't mean we think St. Mary's as a team overall is at the level of top 10 in the nation --- those other two we mentioned are superior defensively – but on the offensive side of the equation the Rams have few equals anywhere you look from coast to coast. Top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and previous No. 2 Byrnes of Duncan, S.C., could be better, but beyond them there is possibly no others.

The first ingredient to an unstoppable offense is obvious: balance. Even if a team had the greatest running back of all-time or the greatest quarterback of all-time, if that team can't run and pass equally well then opposing defenses can much more easily defend them. Then within those two elements the unstoppable offense needs to have multiple weapons who can catch the ball, run with the ball or throw it. Of course, there also has to be more than solid players up front along the offensive line doing the blocking.

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Pitcher from Redwood Christian is turning heads with 90 mph fastball. Go inside for picks of others who are hoping to get themselves into August's Area Code Games in Long Beach.

By Paul Muyskens, Editorial Assistant

The best part of going to a tryout like the one held Wednesday at Delta College in Stockton for the Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Team is getting familiar with players most people have never heard about.

Among the over 100 players who participated on a hot day at Nick Cechetti Diamond, hoping they'll eventually get chosen to appear in this summer's Area Code Games in Long Beach, was senior-to-be A.J. Venegas from Redwood Christian of Castro Valley in the CIF North Coast Section.

Coming from a school with an estimated 250 students and playing in Division V, it may seem to be a hard task to get noticed but with fastball that reaches up into the 90s, but Venegas has become more than noticed by scouts. During his junior year, he went 9-2 with a 1.22 ERA and struck out 109 in 57 1/3 innings as the Eagles made the championship game where they lost to Head-Royce.  

On this day, Venegas recorded the fastest pitches with a fastball that reached up to 91 miles per hour while also throwing a slider that reached 81 miles per hour.
 
"This is like a dream come true,” said Venegas after his day was done. "Not many people come out and watch us play during the year and to get invited for stuff like this is an amazing feeling. I work really hard and it's great to know that it's starting to pay off. I love to travel and going all to all these different states this summer for baseball is an amazing thing.”

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A 35-1 week pushes Yucaipa to No. 1 for the second time this season. Norco moves up to No. 2 and also earns top seed for CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs. Buchanan of Clovis is up to No. 4 while Huntington Beach Edison charges up to No. 6.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Andrew Drennen, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens and Mark Tennis

(After games of Saturday, May 16)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1. (2) Yucaipa 25-2
After a week in which four of last week's top five teams took losses (some of which admittedly were in meaningless games), it is the T-Birds going up to snag he No. 1 ranking. It is the second time this year that Yucaipa has been No. 1 in the state and comes after a week in which they crushed Fontana, 12-1, and Eisenhower of Rialto, 23-0, to wrap up the Citrus Belt League title. Taijuan Walker got the offense rolling against the Steelers by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI. In the matchup vs. the Eagles, All-American candidate Matt Davidson cranked out a pair of homers while pitcher Pedro Cota tossed zeroes and improved to 10-0 for the season. Yucaipa took the No. 2 seed in the CIF Southern Section Div. II playoffs and will play either Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta or Righetti of Santa Maria in its first playoff game. While the team's strong finish wasn't enough to wrest the No. 1 seed from El Toro (last week's No. 1 team in the state), the L.A. Times did move up Yucaipa to No. 1 in its rankings as well.

2. (6) Norco 23-4
Two weeks ago the Cougars weren't even in the Top 10. But this week it's another significant move for Gary Parcell's nine after they dusted off M.L. King 8-0 and Centennial (Corona) 8-2 to enter the Southern Section playoffs on a 13-game roll. One week after David Jones hurled a no-hitter, Wes Hatton did the same to MLK, striking out five and walking just one. Add in Matt Hobgood and there are few pitching staffs in the state – maybe none – as good as Norco's, which has a gaudy 1.70 team ERA. Hatton got all the support he needed when Hobgood powered out a home run. Jones came back to beat Centennial and while he wasn't perfect, the Cougars collected another nine runs with Joseph Lavalle and Jake Clark sending the ball over the fence and out of the park. If the Cougars were trying to show they're peaking at the right time, outscoring their final two opponents in the regular season 17-2 sent a very clear message. Norco's strong showing of late, plus the fact the team was a semifinalist last year, no doubt contributed to the team earning the No. 1 seed for the CIF Southern Section Div. I playoffs. The Cougars open against the winner of the Moorpark-Brea Olinda game at home on Friday.

3. (1) El Toro (Lake Forest) 21-5
The Chargers split their final two games of the year against Foothill of Santa Ana. With the split, the Chargers ended up with a 13-2 league record, which was good enough for the Sea View League crown. Because of its loss, El Toro dropped two spots in this week's rankings but still was handed the No. 1 seed for the CIF Southern Section Div. II playoffs. As the defending champion of those playoffs, getting the No. 1 seed is certainly justified. It's also justified to move up Yucaipa in the state rankings as well. The Chargers will play host to the winner of the Rancho Cucomonga vs. Valley View wild card game on Thursday.

4. (8) Buchanan (Clovis) 23-4-1
This is the same spot in the rankings last week that was occupied by Clovis West. This week, the Bears move up and take it after a pair of wins against Central of Fresno while Clovis West went 1-2. Buchanan also has a 2-1 record against the Golden Eagles and on Sunday was selected to be the No. 1 seed for the CIF Central Section playoffs. In the team's regular season finale, a 14-4 victory over Central of Fresno was paced by the long ball with six different Bears who connected for round-trippers. According to the Fresno Bee, ripping home runs were Bryce Berger, Brett Bishop, Brent Etiz, Matt Millar and Chris Rodgers. Buchanan will be seeded No. 1 for the CIF Central Section Div. I playoffs and because of that has a first-round bye.

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Ladouceur could have given an excuse after De La Salle loss, what we'd do to prevent another small school ridiculous rout, a preview of next year's preseason rankings (and why Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure have to play to each other) and more.

In almost 30 years of covering high school sports, we've witnessed thousands of victories and losses, and enough coaches and players combined to populate an entire city.

There's only one Bob Ladouceur, however, and it shows both on and off the field and in the 344 wins and just 22 losses (with three ties) he's had in his 30 years of coaching.

It didn't surprise me when we met the Concord De La Salle head coach the morning after his team lost, 21-16, to Centennial of Corona in the workout room of our hotel, and it didn't surprise me when he told me a big part of the Spartans' inability to generate much offense was the result of an injury to quarterback Blake Wayne.

On the second series with De La Salle leading 7-0 after converting a Centennial turnover into a touchdown, Wayne was back to pass when Vontaze Burfict slammed into him.

Not only did the pass get tipped and intercepted, but Wayne suffered a shoulder injury that hampered his throwing the rest of the game.

"He really wasn't able to deliver the ball after No. 7 hit him in the shoulder," said Ladouceur, not usually one to make excuses and who didn't mention the injury to any other media immediately after the game.

Before we hit the elevator for the ride back to our rooms the subject turned to next season.

"The defense should be better next season but we have some questions at quarterback," said a sweat-soaked Lad.

As we hit the elevator we looked at each other and Lad smiled. "Whew. I had to work that one out," he said.

-HAROLD ABEND

Commissioners hit it right with Grant selection

When the 10 section commissioners voted for Grant as the open division representative for the bowl games, we were critical not for the Pacers getting chosen but based on the information on hand for not picking De La Salle in the open.

We also said it wasn't that much of a controversy because both teams would still be playing outstanding opponents.

The Grant pick was definitely a gamble given who the Pacers had played and especially since we saw them struggle to beat Granite Bay in a playoff game. The gamble did pay off, though, which was good for the commissioners and most importantly it worked out for the CIF in general.

Anytime a team from a region of the state that doesn't seem to have much respect from other parts of the state gets the type of win like Grant had over Long Beach Poly is a big positive for anybody who wants to see more big games down the road.

Grant's win is similar to when De La Salle came down to Southern California in 1998 to play Mater Dei for the first time. It was a matter of respect and the Pacers have earned it not just for themselves but for every other team in their section.

-MARK TENNIS

Who Will be No. 1 To Start 2009?

Based on watching all the games at The Home Depot Center over the weekend and on a quick glance at the rosters of this year's top-ranked teams, the most impressive collection of underclassmen are at St. Bonaventure of Ventura and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village.

This year, St. Bonnie clearly played the stronger schedule between the two teams, which enabled the Seraphs (14-1) to stay ahead of the Lions (14-0) in the rankings all year. They used that advantage to gain selection to the CIF Division III state bowl game and in that game beat Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, 28-6.

Next year, it's unclear whether the two Ventura County private schools will play again, but the dynamics between the two in the rankings will be much different.

This is primarily because it's already very likely that Oaks Christian will be playing in a game against Skyline High of Sammamish, Wash. Skyline is an unbeaten state champion from this year that will feature one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the nation next year, Jake Heaps, and one of the top juniors in the nation next year, wideout Kasen Williams.

If Oaks wins that game, which would likely be against a top 10-ranked in the nation squad, and adds another strong opponent to its schedule -- such as Crespi of Encino or Servite of Anaheim -- then it's likely that the Lions would be ahead of the Seraphs in the rankings and that might not change through the Southern Section playoffs.

Head coach Todd Therrian of the Seraphs understandably didn't want to get into the subject of Oaks Christian immediately after his team won a state title on Saturday, but he did say: "We're working on it, but I'm not thinking about that. I am going to take a week off, if I don't my wife will kill me. I'm going to help some of the guys get scholarships and then we'll start thinking about next year."

Let's hope those thoughts include nailing down a date with Oaks Christian. As described above, if that doesn't happen, the next time it very well could be the Lions celebrating a state crown at The Home Depot Center even if the Seraphs haven't lost all season. Of course, both of them could be celebrating, too -- one in the open and the other in Division III.

-MARK TENNIS

Change Needed For Small Schools

Supporters up at St. Vincent of Petaluma are probably even more furious that their team wasn't picked to play St. Margaret's in the first-ever small schools game now that the Tartans blew out Hamilton, 59-7, in a matchup they led 52-0 at halftime.

Trust us, though, whether it was St. Vincent or 12-0 Modoc of Alturas or anybody else from the eligible small schools teams from the north, the result likely would not have been different.

To prevent such an embarrassing situation to come up again, the CIF Football Advisory Committee could do one simple move and that's to elevate the Northern California enrollment cutoff from 400 students up to 500 or 550 students. The Southern California cutoff already is at 500.

If it was bumped up in the north to 500, the obvious school that would slide down from Division III is Central Catholic of Modesto. That would eliminate one potential team from the north that would at least come close to St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian in Division III, but would solve the small schools problem.

If it was bumped up in the north to 550, then a couple of top programs from the CIF Central Coast Section -- The King's Academy, and Sacred Heart Prep -- would come into play, at least as long as the CCS doesn't keep dropping down teams from the West Catholic Athletic League down into its own small schools division where those teams usually clean up.

-MARK TENNIS

Underclass players of the games

Here's a look at some promising players chosen by our staff who may be involved in another CIF bowl game in the future:

Open Division
Viliami Moala (Grant) -- Other than one run, the Long Beach Poly ground game was stuffed all night long by the Pacers and one of the primary reasons for that was the dominating play of this 6-2, 305-pound sophomore. Moala already looks comparable to former Grant lineman star Christian Tupou (now at USC) and he still has two more years to go. He has to be one of the top sophomore nose guards in the nation.

Division I
Charles Wynn (De La Salle) -- This one was very hard because there weren't many underclassmen who produced much in this game. De La Salle does have some top linemen who will be strong next year and Wynn, a 6-1, 210-pound sophomore, is certainly one of those. He was second on the Spartans in tackles with nine, including one for a loss.

Division II
Louie Lechich (St. Mary's) -- The 6-3, 185-pound junior set a state bowl game record with 15 catches for 157 yards and two TDs in the Rams' 37-34 loss to Cathedral Catholic. With Lechich and fellow junior Joshua Harper (who ran one route in the game but didn't return due to an ankle injury), there's not going to be many teams in the state next year with a receiving tandem like that.

Division III
Cody Kurz (St. Bonaventure) -- Displayed dominating qualities as a defensive end. The 6-2, 225-pound sophomore had 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four tackles in all. He could end up being as highly-recruited as former St. Bonnie TE-DE Blaine Irby (now at Texas).

Small Schools
John Murayama (St. Margaret's) -- A mighty mite of the highest order at 5-3 and 135 pounds, Murayama tallied four touchdowns and rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries. He's a junior and played significant minutes for the Tartans as a sophomore.

More Media Attention, More Scrutiny

Members of the media and television announcers in the press box were commenting on the demonstrative actions of Corona Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict in the Huskies' 21-16 victory over Concord De La Salle in Friday night's Div. I bowl game.

Burfict dominated the game, especially in the first half, with some bone-jarring hits. On nearly every tackle he made or after big plays by his teammates, Burfict would gesture towards the Centennial sideline and do a small celebration ritual with fellow backer Anthony Whitlow.

Some comments we heard from various media scribes felt his antics were unnecessary, but part of what makes him effective is the intimidation factor he brings to the game and, in fairness to the USC commit, most of Burfict's actions were directed towards his own sideline and not made in an attempt to show up the De La Salle players.

What must be noted in this day and age of on-line blogging, instant fans' interaction on message boards and generally more television coverage, not to mention access to instant replay, is that these antics go on at games throughout the country nearly every week. They are obviously amplified because of the magnitude of a state title game and Burfict's talent.

We vividly recall games ending early because of numerous personal fouls and have personally witnessed a junior varsity game during the 1993 season where players and coaches alike on opposing teams were in a full-fledged brawl with each other. What fans and scribes should realize is games are generally cleaner than they were 15 or 20 years ago because of an increased emphasis on sportsmanship and the enforcement of rules to protect against late and helmet-to-helmet hits.

Antics aside, Burfict had as big an impact as any one player in the five CIF State Championship Bowl Games. His early game hit on De La Salle quarterback Blake Wayne caused great discomfort in his throwing shoulder and negatively impacted the Spartans' passing attack the rest of the game. In fact, Burfict's performance secured him spot as a Mr. Football State Player of the Year finalist.

-RONNIE FLORES

The Lost Art of the Punt Return

One aspect of the game we noticed that wasn't up to championship par during the CIF bowl games was punt returns. Many times when media scribes or television analysts describe a team having an advantage on special teams, they are usually referring to which team has the kicker with the strongest leg or who can line up for the longest field goal. They rarely refer to which punt returner is the best at cleanly and smartly fielding punts, which can have a huge impact on field position.

"My job as a punt returner was to cleanly field the punt at all costs, that was my No. 1 job," said former Air Force and University of California wide receiver/punt returner and current ESPN RISE Vice President Andy Bark. "I wasn't supposed to let the punt hit the ground, even if I had to catch it on the run at full speed."

In nearly every game on Friday and Saturday, we witnessed punts that should have been caught allowed to hit the ground and roll even further back and put the offense "in the hole." We also witnessed punt returners standing much too deep, as if they had no intentions to catch the football or as if they had no clue as to the leg strength of the punter.

We realize these are high school kids and their respective coaches definitely do not want them to make special teams mistakes. High school coaches want to play things things safe, but the mark of a great punt returner is not his return average or how many he can take back to the house, but if he knows when to field football and when to let it hit the ground in order to give his team an advantage after playing good defense.

-RONNIE FLORES

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
 

San Diego school tops St. Mary's of Stockton, 37-34, behind five more touchdowns from Tyler Gaffney and overcomes record-breaking night from Rams' QB Cody Vaz.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Two Catholic schools with long-standing athletic traditions and high-powered offenses, both making their initial appearances in a state football title contest, clashed in the Division II Bowl game and the offenses certainly lived up to their acclaim.

In the end, it was too much Tyler Gaffney as the record-breaking running back led Cathedral Catholic of San Diego to its first CIF state football title with a 37-34 triumph over St. Mary's of Stockton.

Cathedral Catholic (formerly University High) came into the contest with the No. 5 rusher and No. 1 scorer in the state according to Maxpreps.com, Tyler Gaffney, and his 2,543 yards rushing and 51 total touchdowns.

St. Mary's countered with Oregon State-bound quarterback Cody Vaz, who started the game with 3,512 yards passing and 28 touchdowns.

The result was a track meet that turned into an all-out barnburner with both teams going over the state bowl record 456 total yards of offense set by Lutheran (Orange) in 2006. Combined they had 1,051 yards of total offense.

Back and forth they went with long runs by Gaffney and crucial fourth down conversions by Vaz, both setting high water marks for rushing and passing respectively in the state bowl games.

The game's outcome was in doubt until a 4th-and-4 pass from Vaz to Louie Lechich fell incomplete with 2:03 remaining and the Rams were out of miracles.

Cathedral Catholic (14-0) struck first on its opening drive to start the game, and it was faster than the blink-of-an-eye, and of course it was Gaffney who did the damage.

Four plays and 60 yards in less than two minutes with Gaffney blowing past defenders 36 yards to paydirt made it 7-0 Dons.

St. Mary's came right back driving 79 yards in 11 plays culminating in a 28-yard pass from Vaz to Alex Michaels. On the play, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller threaded the needle to Michaels, who tippy-toed down the sidelines for the equalizer.

It would be the first of several times in the game Vaz acted like a diamond cutter with his precision passing.

But as was the case all night the Rams couldn't stop Gaffney, only this time he got some help from quarterback Parker Hipp.

The second Dons' scoring drive wasn't quite as quick as the first but it still only took five plays and covered 76 yards with a mere 2:05 elapsed time off the clock.

After a 48-yard pass from Hipp to Chance Early got the ball to the 1-yard-line, Gaffney went in on a 1-yard plunge for a 14-7 lead.

It would be the second of five runs to paydirt by Gaffney, who with his performance, etched his name into the CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac.

"The coaches put me out there to make plays and as an athlete that's what I try to do, said Gaffney, who finished with 329 yards on 33 carries and five touchdowns to give him 56 total touchdowns on the season and move him into a tie with Chad Kackert (Grace Brethren, Simi Valley, 2004 season) for No. 4 on the all-time list for most touchdowns in a season.

Tyler Ebell of Ventura holds the record with 64 touchdowns in 2004. DeShaun Foster of Tustin is second with 59 in 1997, and Jermaine Marshall of Camp Kilpatrick of Malibu is third with 57 accomplished in 1999.

Gaffney also moves into the No. 2 spot for this year's state rushing leaders. His 2,872 yards only trails Deontae Cooper of Citrus Hills (Perris), who finished with 2,948.

Once again, the Rams came right back after Gaffney's second TD to tie it up just before the end of the first quarter.

This time they marched 80 yards in 13 plays with Vaz once again throwing a perfect 5-yard strike to Lechich, releasing the ball before the receiver even turned around in the end zone.

Not to be outdone, Cathedral Catholic made it three straight scoring drives to open the contest when Gaffney went for his third score on an 18-yard run.

The kick by Roman Ferriera went wide right, however, which ended a state record 115 straight extra points for the senior placekicker and left the score at 20-14 to end the first half

The second half was as much back-and-forth as the first two quarters only with more offense, more exciting plays, and more scoring.

With Gaffney slowed for a few plays after taking a hard hit, a Dons' drive stalled and Ferriera atoned for the missed extra point by booting a 27-yard field goal that gave Cathedral Catholic a 23-14 lead.

Vaz, however, wasn't finished. He took the Rams 60 yards in eight plays and when he found Lechich in the right corner of the end zone from 8-yards out the lead was cut to 23-20 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.

The Dons looked to be moving on the ensuing series, moving from their own 20 to the Rams 15-yard line when Gaffney committed the game's only turnover with a fumble after an 18-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"That [the fumble] was my bad and I knew I had to pick up my team, said Gaffney. "I felt like crap because it was a bad time in the football game to do that.

St. Mary's (12-3) took immediate advantage of the miscue, going 85 yards in eight plays. When Vaz placed another perfectly thrown pass to Michaels between two defenders from 10 yards out, St. Mary's had its first lead at 27-23 with 9:38 remaining in the game.

From there it became a mad scramble to the finish.

With the Dons facing 4th-and-10 from their own 33-yard-line, Coach Sean Doyle went to his bag of tricks and the Rams bit.

Hipp handed off to Gaffney, then slipped into the left flat where Gaffney threw him a perfect pass and the quarterback turned wide receiver raced toward the post before being pushed out of bounds at the 2-yard line.

A facemask penalty on the run moved it to the 1-yard-line where Gaffney took it in for his fourth score and a 30-27 Cathedral Catholic lead with 6:10 left.

"We've been working on that all year, said Gaffney about the pass play to Hipp. "We used it and it worked.

Just as amazing as the fourth-down flea-flicker by the Dons was what happened next on the ensuing kickoff.

Thinking he was a yard deep in the end zone and waiting for the officials' whistle, St. Mary's Chad West hesitated, then realized he better run it back.

When he stopped running he was in the end zone 96 yards away and after the extra point the Rams had retaken the lead at 34-30 with 5:54 remaining in the contest.

Just like they had done all game, the Dons wasted little time striking back.

After a 3-yard run by Gaffney and an 11-yard run by Hipp, Gaffney, who is being pursued by Southern California, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA and San Diego State, made the run of the game that gave the bowl championship plaque to the Mission City school.

His 51-yard touchdown run with 4:45 left in which he broke three tackles and outraced several defenders to paydirt was more than St. Mary's could overcome.

"Gaffney was just terrific. He lived up to all the hype, said Rams' head coach Tony Franks. "I knew it was going to be two real good offensive teams on the field out there and that we had to get a few defensive stops. Our kids are still absolute champions.

Vaz ended his career with an outstanding game and season, finishing with 336 yards passing on 31 of 46 attempts with four touchdowns in the game and 3,848 yards and 32 TDs on the overall campaign. He ends up as the No. 4 leading passer in the state this year.

"Winning league, CIF and a state title in the same year? asked Gaffney rhetorically. "I couldn't ask for anything more in my senior year.

With the game concluded, Doyle reflected on the outcome as the Long Beach Poly and Grant players took the field to warm up prior to the Open contest.

"Wow. What a track meet, said Doyle. "I thought these guys [Grant, Long Beach Poly] were going to be the track meet.'

Most Touchdowns (Season)
64 - Tyler Ebell, Ventura, 2000 (14)
59 - DeShaun Foster, Tustin, 1997 (14)
57 - Jermaine Marshall, Malibu Camp Kilpatrick, 1999 (14)
56 - Chad Kackert, Simi Valley Grace Bretheren, 2004 (12)
56 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic, 2008 (14)
54 - Kenny James, Dos Palos, 2000 (13) Jr.

Courtesy of CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac

Note: Gaffney came into bowl game with 51 touchdowns

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.

Victory by 36-14 over Pleasant Grove puts Stockton school in strong contention to land CIF Division II bowl berth.

By Paul Muyskens, Stockton office assistant

With Oregon State-bound Cody Vaz enjoying a solid outing, St. Mary's of Stockton won the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title with a 36-14 triumph over Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove at University of the Pacific.

The local Rams avoided a second straight section title game loss after they fell last year in a high-scoring final to Napa. St. Mary's won its first section crown five years ago when University of Arizona QB Willie Tuitama led the way.

A quick three-and-out by the Eagles offense, the Rams took their time in marching 73 yards in 15 plays for the first points of the game. On the drive, the Rams twice converted on fourth down plays setting the stage for Vaz to sneak it in from a yard out. Vaz then connected with Louie Lechich for the two-point conversion.

Pleasant Grove, a new school that opened in 2005 and was playing in its first section final, bounced right back as Jalen Saunders took the kickoff and soared 78 yards down the left sideline for the Eagles' first touchdown of the game. Saunders followed up with a 41-yard rush on their next offensive series to set up Russell Vonschoech's 12-yard carry to give the Eagles a 14-8 lead late in the opening quarter.

Vaz led the Rams right back to take the lead as he passed for 52 yards as part of a 12-play drive that started on their own 34 and was capped off by a two-yard Jordan Davis touchdown to give them a 15-14 lead.

The Rams would extend the lead right before halftime on a 12-yard pass from Vaz to Louie Lechich for the 22-14 halftime lead.

After a defensive stop by each side to start the second half, the Eagles looked primed to narrow the gap after a questionable fumble gave them the ball at the Rams' 32-yard line. Going into their bag of tricks, the Eagles just missed a touchdown on a double-reverse pass. On the very next play, Saunders took a pitch and had the ball knocked out. Shannon Clark scooped up the fumble for St. Mary's and returned it 60-yards the other way for a Rams touchdown.

"It was huge," said Clark on his fumble return for a score before later leaving the game with an injury. "With it just being a one-score game at the time. it swung the momentum back in our favor and made us feel like we shouldn't lose this game now."

Jordan Davis scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard carry with under five minutes remaining.

"I'm so proud of the team," said head coach Tony Franks after the game. "We lost (Josh) Harper, who's one of our team leaders, early on but the team came together and stepped up despite some missed opportunities that made it harder on ourselves."

Harper, one of the top junior receivers/defensive backs in the state, went down in screaming pain late in the first quarter with an apparent right ankle injury. Harper wouldn't return and was carted out to watch the second half with crutches.

"Our goal since we lost last year in the section finals was to get back this year and win it," said Vaz after the game. "We came together and put in a lot of hard work and we weren't going to lose it this year. Hopefully, we get a chance to play next week as we feel we can play with anybody but it's out of our hands on whether we get to go."

The Rams are now eligible to be selected for next week's CIF Division II state bowl game as the likely nod will come down to either the Rams of St. Mary's or the Rams from Casa Roble of Orangevale.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.