No comeback this time: Christopher falls to Soquel in CCS Division II final
High school football: After second-half rallies in its first two playoff games, Christopher held scoreless in season-ending defeat
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Christopher’s playoff run ended Saturday night in the Central Coast Section Division II championship game, after two straight successful comebacks against higher-seeded opponents.
The eighth-seeded Cougars were defeated 28-0 by second-seeded Soquel at San Jose City College, thanks to an outstanding defensive effort.
“We’ve had to deal with Live Oak, Mitty, and Menlo. We’ve played some outstanding football teams this season. “This is by far the best football team we’ve seen,” said Christopher coach Darren Yafai, who is stepping down after three seasons as head coach of the Cougars. “We’ve never seen such a vicious pass rush.” They don’t even need to blitz. Their front four is fantastic.”
Christopher quarterback Jaxen Robinson was sacked four times by the Knights (11-2), who held the Cougars (11-2) to 102 total yards. They also resulted in three turnovers.
Soquel coach Dwight Lowery praised his defense after his team won its first CCS football championship.
“There were a lot of times, especially in the first half, when we were shooting ourselves in the foot offensively,” Lowery said, whose team led 7-0 at halftime. “Our defense has only responded all year.” We have a lot of talent, players who play fast, players who can make plays at all three levels, and good leadership.”
The defenses dominated the first half, with Soquel holding a slim yardage lead of 77-55. “Our defense stiffened,” Yafai observed of the first half.
Braylon Noble’s 14-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes, 51 seconds left in the first quarter was the only score before halftime. Soquel’s Jordan McCord, on the first drive of the second half, produced perhaps the game’s most important play, a 67-yard touchdown run.
“The killer was that big long run,” said Yafai.
Lowery was well aware of what Christopher had accomplished in the previous two weeks. Christopher came back from a nine-point deficit in the final half of the fourth quarter to win 33-28 in the first round against No. 1 seed Archbishop Mitty. Christopher rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to win 21-17 in the semifinals against No. 5 Menlo.
“We knew that they were a team that wasn’t going to give up,” Lowery told reporters. “They play well for their coach, they play well for each other.”
Soquel increased its lead to three touchdowns with 2:54 remaining in the third quarter on another rushing touchdown by Noble, this time for 30 yards. Tyreis Lundy scored the game’s final touchdown on a 1-yard run with 7:02 remaining. The Knights also aided themselves by not committing any turnovers during the game.
Christopher’s William Rizqallah led the team in rushing with 61 yards on 12 carries. With 68 yards, Lundy led all ballcarriers.
Aaron Davis-Beckford and Rizqallah had sacks for the Cougars on defense.
Christopher started the season with nine straight victories before falling to Live Oak 28-24 on Nov. 3. However, the Cougars stormed through the playoffs to reach their first CCS title game since 2021.
Christopher won the Division IV championship in 2017.
