Acalanes coach h Floyd Burnsed hoists the CIF NorCal 3-AA high school football championship trophy after defeating Escalon 49-14, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Lafayette, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
UNCHARTED TERRITORY FOR LOS GATOS, ACALANES
Los Gatos and Acalanes made school history over the weekend, capturing their first Northern California regional championships and earning a spot into this week’s state finals.
Now comes the busy part.
The logistics of making the trip to Southern California while prepping for the biggest game of the season.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Los Gatos coach Mark Krail said during a conference call on Sunday with reporters from across the state. “This is the first time for us winning a regional game. Tough game with El Cerrito last night. They were everything we could handle, Just fortunate to get a win.
“You go from there to celebrating for a few short moments and then you’re on Hudl looking at film of the next opponent. We’re off an running. Super excited for the kids. Great group of guys that get to experience this all for the first time in our school’s history, which is fun.”
Acalanes coach Floyd Burnsed said he has been going nonstop since his team’s 49-14 regional victory at home on Friday over Escalon.
“A lot going on,” Burnsed said. “A lot of excited people since this is our first trip to a state playoff, which is great. We exchanged film on Saturday, so we got a chance to look at Birmingham a little bit. They’re very impressive. Very, very large. Got good speed. They look like a really, really, very good team.”
By contrast, the Bay Area News Group’s other two teams traveling to Southern California this weekend, Serra and De La Salle, are familiar faces on the state championship scene.
DLS will be appearing in its 16th state final in the 17 seasons the event has been held in the modern era. The Spartans play Mission Viejo on Friday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.
Serra is making its sixth state finals appearance. The Padres will play for the Open Division championship against Mater Dei-Santa Ana on Saturday at Saddleback.
— Darren Sabedra
CIF ON WHY ACALANES, NOT LOS GATOS, IN MISSION VIEJO
Historically, the California Interscholastic Federation placed its five upper-division games at the same location. Not so next weekend.
Los Gatos of the Central Coast Section will play Central Valley Christian-Visalia of the Central Section for the 2-A state title on Saturday night at Pasadena City College, not at Saddleback with the other upper-division games.
Instead, Acalanes will face Birmingham for the 3-A championship at Saddleback on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
“From the onset we wanted to try and keep the traditional five games or so at Saddleback,” CIF Associate Executive Director Brian Seymour said Sunday. “That was the past practice and everything we have done since we started this. (But) there were some opportunity to move a couple of games to sites that would make a little more sense for travel.
“The opportunity for Central Valley Christian and Los Gatos presented itself with a CCS school and a Central Section school. That one seemed to make more sense, a Saturday night, a marquee game at Pasadena at 7. That’s what was done there.”
The CIF also traditionally played its lower-division games (3-A to 7-A) at home sites. This year, all 15 games are being played at three Southern California community colleges — Saddleback, Pasadena City College and El Camino College in Torrance.
— Darren Sabedra
MCCLYMONDS: PETERS WAS MORE THAN JUST A COACH
When Michael Peters finished his postgame media interview, he slowly walked to his McClymonds team to give one last postgame speech after losing the NorCal 3-A title game 35-28 at Marin Catholic on Saturday.
“I just want to say that I love each and every last one of you guys,” the retiring coach said as tears welled up in his eyes. “I said I wouldn’t cry, but this hurts. It’s over, there’s no more Mack football for me.”
Peters won four state championships, six regional crowns and 11 league championships in as many seasons at McClymonds. But for his players, what Peters did on the field wasn’t what made him a winner.
“Coach Peters is everything to us,” lineman Sione Vailea said. “He’s some people here’s father figure, and he’s definitely a father figure to me. I just love him.”
The junior said that while the 55-year-old coach garnered statewide acclaim for his many victories, Vailea would always remember Peters for what he did when the cameras weren’t rolling.
“There will be days at our school where kids won’t eat, and he’ll notice,” Vailea said. “He’ll pay out of his pocket to feed all the players, and even the other students at the school that don’t have anything to eat.”
When reflecting on his 32-year career at his alma mater, one that began in 1992 as an assistant coach, Peters said he accomplished what he set out to do.
“To play teams we had never played before, for them to come to our house and be respected the way we are, that’s all I ever wanted,” Peters said. “To put McClymonds back on the map. Down in Southern California, everyone knows who we are, and not just because of Bill Russell.”
– Joseph Dycus
PITTSBURG: END OF THE LINE
The final postgame huddle of the 2023 Pittsburg season turned into a testimonial, a tribute, a bond of brotherhood that the scoreboard did not break.
Pittsburg lost on the road to Folsom 28-25 in the CIF NorCal Division 1-A regional championship game on Saturday night, the Bay Area team’s fate sealed by a couple of close calls in the waning minutes.
After the teams shook hands and Folsom hoisted the championship plaque, Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez gathered his players on the opponent’s blue turf and tried to soothe the pain.
The first-year head coach noted all the team accomplished during its three-plus month journey that included 13 consecutive victories without a defeat until the loss on Saturday.
“I know you guys are hurting right now,” Ramirez said. “Just know that all the pain that you feel is because you guys left it all out on the field. These are the games you guys wanted to end your season at, a game like this. So hold your head up high, fellas. Couldn’t have done this without every single one of you.”
When Ramirez finished, player after player got up and spoke in an emotional scene that spoke to why this Pittsburg team will go down as one of the best in the program’s storied history.
“I just want to say it was a blessing to play with y’all,” lineman Emeril Bridges said. “I had a great senior year with all you boys. It’s a blessing to say you all my brothers.”
Junior quarterback Marley Alcantara added, “This was probably the most special year of football in my life. Every single one of you all has touched my heart in a way that nobody could.”
— Darren Sabedra
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO REFLECTS ON HISTORIC RUN
Frank Moro did not believe South San Francisco’s storybook run, from not having a varsity football program in 2021 to winning CCS this season, ended with the team’s 42-6 loss to Colusa.
Moro, who started as an assistant during the program’s heyday in the 1980s and coached the team from 2002-13, believed this season was just a return to form..
“It was like that before,” said Moro, who led the team in 2022 before stepping down to be an assistant under current coach Kolone Pua. “We expected to win. It was a proud program, and now it’s back and it’s fun.”
The winning culture didn’t start during this 12-2 season, though. Moro said it was last year’s 6-4 team that set expectations for the revived program.
“When we started to win, it just started snowballing. It started rolling,” Moro said. “They started expecting to win.”
– Joseph Dycus
REACTION TO SERRA’S 2024 SCHEDULE
De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh paused for moment when asked about his friend, Serra coach Patrick Walsh, adding Southern California powerhouse St. John Bosco to the schedule next season.
The teams will play at Serra on Sept. 14, after the San Mateo school opens the season at Folsom on Aug. 30 and De La Salle on Sept. 6.
“He’s up for a challenge,” Alumbaugh said. “I talked to him last night after our team meeting. He’s taken the mentality that we have here. Play the best. If you’re not worthy of beating all them and getting to the (state) Open, that’s OK. You’ll fight for something else.
“If he wins league and beats Bosco and us and Folsom, then they’re going to the Open. They deserve it. He’s a gunslinger. I wasn’t surprised one bit.”
— Darren Sabedra
CLOSING NOTES
— Pittsburg receiver Bobby Shaw III made an incredible touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone while being closely defended with 10.2 seconds left Saturday, the 23-yard pass from Alcantara cutting the margin to 28-25. Folsom recovered the onside kick, nearly returning it for a TD, to clinch the victory.
— Eighteen of the 30 teams to reach Southern California this weekend are making their first state championship game appearance.
— De La Salle is 7-8 in state title games, last winning one in 2015.
— Serra is 1-4 in state games, its victory coming at the 2-AA level against Cajon 38-14 in 2017.
— Mission Viejo will be playing in its second state game. In 2015, the SoCal school beat Bellarmine 24-0 in the rain at Sacramento State to capture the 1-AA championship.
— Darren Sabedra
Originally published at Darren Sabedra, Joseph Dycus