CIF state football: Serra coach talks Open title game and why last week was best time of season
As expected, CIF chooses CCS champion Serra to play Mater Dei for the Open Division state championship
SAN MATEO — Patrick Walsh always has a plan, a theme, a way to keep his Serra football team entertained and interested.
The Padres had no game to prepare for this week because their Central Coast Section playoff run ended two weekends ago when they routed Wilcox for the Open Division championship.
Serra’s eighth running-clock rout during a 12-0 season secured the San Mateo powerhouse’s third consecutive trip to the state’s Open Division championship game. The California Interscholastic Federation placed the Padres against Southern California heavyweight Mater Dei on Sunday, making the match official.
The game will be held on December 9 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California.
Serra is 0-2 in previous Open championship game appearances, falling to Mater Dei two years ago and St. John Bosco last season by lopsided margins.
Walsh made headlines after last year’s game when he was asked on the field if he wanted to bring his team back to the Open title game. “At this point, doing this two years in a row, it’s almost like we have no chance,” he concluded.
The Bay Area News Group interviewed the longtime coach last week. Walsh knew what his dominant team, possibly the most dominant team in CCS history, would face as the season came to a close. But he’s not looking at it through the emotional lens that greeted him moments after Bosco routed his undefeated 2022 team 45-0.
“What I’ve learned is to spend 100 percent of the time on things that I/we can control,” he said. “Time spent on things over which we have no control is a complete waste of time and adds anxiety, worry, and other negative emotions.” Since we are in this position, we are making the most of our time and enjoying it. That is the intention. We’ve earned three weeks together, which is fantastic.”
Because of the CCS’s new playoff format for its top division, which was modeled after the neighboring North Coast Section’s, top-ranked Serra needed only two wins to win its fourth consecutive section title. On November 11, the Padres defeated Salinas 47-7, and on November 17, they defeated Wilcox 63-27.
Walsh got creative last week because there was no game.
He gave his starters time off from football activities, and they installed the program’s base offense and defense for returning players and the 20-plus kids promoted from the junior varsity and freshmen teams for next season.
“We’re using this time to improve for 2024,” Walsh explained. “Obviously, the 2023 team is senior-heavy.”
The coach also had some fun, dividing his 12-player captains’ council into two groups and allowing them to choose teams for the program’s first Turkey Bowl scrimmage on Thanksgiving morning.
“We had what we call a ‘Bottom of the Fire’ draft,'” Walsh told reporters.
Bottom of the Fire is the coach’s term for players who are on the scout team but do not play.
“That’s where we believe the true heat and strength of a team comes from,” he said. “Not necessarily the starting lineup, but the entire roster.” The teams’ head coaches are the kids. They’ll be in charge of calling the plays. They’re responsible for installing our offense and defense this week. We’ll wear headsets and then have a prayer service and feast following the scrimmage.
“The enthusiasm and bonds that are being formed in addition to what we’ve already done have been absolutely spectacular.” This has been the most enjoyable week of the year. I took all of the senior starters aside and told them, ‘When guys like James Outman, Creighton Felise, Nio Mafi, and Tom Brady text us, people care about Serra football.’
“My message to them was when you are those guys, you’re going to care about Serra football, so you have an opportunity now as arguably one of the best teams to ever play at this school, you have an opportunity to inject what you know into the next generation of Serra, which is 2024 and beyond.”
Asked later how the Turkey Bowl went, Walsh wrote, “The game was fantastic.”
Walsh hosted a watch party at his house on Friday, streaming high school games from across the state, including Mater Dei’s 35-7 victory over Bosco in the Southern Section Division I championship game.
Serra will now take another stab at one of Southern California’s powerhouses, an opponent loaded with top college prospects and transfers.
The Padres are without a doubt the Kings of Northern California, having opened the season with victories over Folsom and De La Salle, just as they did last year.
Heavily favored in every game since playing De La Salle, Serra will be a heavy underdog again when it faces Mater Dei.
Is Serra feeling any different this time, despite the fact that many of its players have participated in two previous state Open games?
“That makes a huge difference,” Walsh remarked. “What excites me is the chance to return with these guys because they want to be there.” This is something they’ve been discussing. To be honest, I had to stop them from talking about it. They talked about winning the state championship and facing Mater Dei and Bosco again in June or September.
“They’ve chosen this path for themselves, and I’ve always said that I’m going to follow this team this year.” Because of their experience and everything, the coaching staff will stick with this team. This is the direction they wish to take. This is where they want to be, and we are there.”
