No doubt about it: Serra dominates Wilcox to claim CCS Open Division title
CCS Open Division: Serra wins fourth consecutive section title after routing Wilcox: “That’s the best team I’ve ever played against”
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Serra football team made no mistake. There’s Serra and then there’s everyone else in the Central Coast Section.
On Friday at San Jose City College, Serra defeated Wilcox 63-27 in the CCS Open Division championship game.
It was Serra’s fourth consecutive championship in the CCS’s top division.
“A lot goes into the DNA of a championship,” Serra head coach Patrick Walsh explained. “But, in the end, it’s up to the players.” These guys have exceeded everyone’s expectations. This senior class is widely regarded as the best in CCS history. Everyone who came out to watch us play got to see some of the best football players on the San Francisco Peninsula. I’m honored and proud that Serra was chosen.”
Serra (12-0) will almost certainly have two weeks off before taking on the Southern California finalist in the Open Division state championship game on December 9. The official announcement will be made by the CIF on Nov. 26, but with Serra defeating both De La Salle and Folsom in the first two weeks of the season, who else but the Padres could be chosen to represent Northern California?
“That’s the best team I’ve ever played against in all of my years, and we’ve played some pretty good teams,” Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said. “They have talent at every position and are focused,” which makes dealing with them difficult.
Wilcox (8-4) will face league rival Los Gatos, which defeated St. Ignatius 21-17, for the CCS Division I championship on Friday at SJCC. On Oct. 27, Wilcox was defeated by Los Gatos, 24-21.
Wilcox had just come off a fantastic performance against St. Francis the week before, scoring the game’s final four touchdowns in a 52-28 upset victory. In contrast, the Chargers were never in this one. At halftime, Serra led 49-13, and the second half was played with a running clock.
Rosa was asked if there was any benefit to playing Serra before moving on to face teams at the same level in the playoffs:
“I’ll let you know next week,” he said, promising. “I think it can be at times.” You can tell who is capable of competing against real players. There are definitely some benefits.”
To have a chance against Serra, Wilcox needed to be effective with the ground game and control time of possession. The Padres’ defense rose to the occasion, forcing three-and-outs on Wilcox’s first two possessions and scoring both times they touched the ball: a 21-yard run by Danny Niu and an 8-yarder by Joseph Latu for a 15-0 lead just over five minutes in.
“The most important thing for us was to tackle the dive,” said Niu, a standout defensive linebacker. “Our defense is tremendous, the best defense in NorCal.”
On the final play of the first quarter, Tyson Bonilla connected with Maulidi Saleh for a 58-yard touchdown pass.
In the second quarter, Serra scored five touchdowns. To get things started, Latu scored the second of his three touchdowns. Maealiuaki Smith scored twice on touchdown passes to Kyon Loud and once on the ground. Marley Alapati scored on another interception return.
Serra’s defense limited Wilcox to 37 yards on 19 carries in the first half.
“I thought that was absolutely unbelievable,” Walsh said. “It was terrifying watching them run through St. Francis the week before.” This defense has been used numerous times. And they’ve done it in a variety of ways, sometimes defending the pass against Folsom, sometimes defending the run against Wilcox. We have an incredible group of defensive coaches and players, and that was a work of art.”
Smith, a 6-foot-4 senior quarterback bound for Oklahoma State, completed 11 of 15 passes for 145 yards. On the season, he has 20 touchdown passes and only two interceptions.
“He should be a Northern California player of the year,” that’s what he said. “He doesn’t have the figures because there have been eight running clocks this year.” But when given the chance, he delivers.”
Serra’s eight ball carriers gained 221 yards on 16 attempts. That has been the season’s theme.
The Padres came into the Wilcox game with 30 rushing touchdowns, 155 yards per game, and an average of over 6 yards per carry, but no single player had rushed for 500 yards. When we discuss the Serra ground game, we’re talking about depth.
Serra has had seventeen different players carry the ball this season.
