South San Francisco’s Carl Lutu #4 leads a moment of reflection after the Warriors lost to Colusa in the CIF NorCal 6-A high school football championship, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in South San Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO – South San Francisco’s packed home bleachers saw its crowd rise in unison to applaud and cheer the hometown team after the final whistle blew on the NorCal 6-A final.
Did it matter that Colusa had just routed the Warriors 42-6 in a running clock victory?
Hardly.
The town, which didn’t even have a varsity team to cheer for two years ago, appreciated a program that won a section title for the first time since 1989, broke the school record for wins, and reached the cusp of state glory.
“It meant a lot,” senior Justice Goodman said. “During my freshman year, we had nobody. Now, we had the whole city out here.”
South San Francisco entered the game fresh off a grueling 13-7 slugfest with Santa Teresa in the CCS Division V title game.
Colusa, located north of Sacramento, was ready for South City’s physical style of football.
Colusa led 21-0 at halftime, its suffocating defense forcing South City to abandon the Warriors brutal three-back power-T and throw. South City had less than 150 yards of total offense.
On offense, Aiden Selover ran for 111 yards and a touchdown for the RedHawks, and 6-foot-5 receiver Isaiah Travis used his huge frame to catch a couple of touchdowns as Colusa rolled past SSF.
The only bright spot was when Darren Miller returned a kick for a touchdown late in the third quarter. Miller also intercepted a pass for the Warriors.
Miller, a junior, will be among the standouts that coach Kolone Pua will rely on as South San Francisco moves into a tougher league next season.
“It should be another good season, and hopefully everyone comes out and still wants to play,” Pua said. “When the program starts winning, people come out.”
South San Francisco did plenty of winning this season.
After going 6-4 in 2022, South City went 9-1 in the regular season, a schedule that included eight consecutive victories to end the regular season. Behind versatile athletes Miller, Elijah Fields, Marcus Mercurio and a gritty offensive line, SSF won every game during that stretch by double-digits.
South City then won defeated Leland 11-9 and Santa Teresa by six to claim a section crown, which gave the Warriors a chance to host in front of a raucous home crowd.
“The community was really bought-in, and everyone had fun,” assistant coach Frank Moro said. “It was heartwarming.”
South City’s players and coaches saw the banner season as more than just a flash in the pan. For its coach, a new standard has been set for South San Francisco football, which returns all but five seniors.
“This team brought us to NorCal, one game away from being in state,” Pua said. “They know this team can do it again next year.”
