Sports

Football: Roundup of Title Games Played Saturday

Here's a look at Southern Section Championship football games played around the Southland on Saturday. 

Click here for a roundup of Friday's championship games.

CIF-Southern Section Ford Championships

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Pac-5 Division

Bellflower St. John Bosco 34 vs. Mater Dei 7—Josh Rosen passed for two touchdowns to Jaleel Wadood and top-seeded St. John Bosco’s defense turned in another sterling performance as the Braves—in their fourth championship game appearance and first since 1986—won their first title.

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The game, between the first- and second-place teams from the Trinity League, was played before 12,525 at Angel Stadium.

Rosen completed eight of 15 passes for 94 yards, and rushed 11 times for 105 yards. He connected on scoring passes of 9 yards to Wadood for a 10-7 lead with 1:45 left in the half, and after running 37 yards passed 5 to Wadood that closed the scoring with 7:08 remaining.

Mater Dei’s only points came via Johnny Johnson’s blocked punt and recovery in the end zone that gave the Monarchs (11-3) a 7-0 lead. It’s the second straight game Mater Dei’s offense failed to score against the Braves defense; when they played in league, the Monarchs’ only points came via a safety in a 24-2 loss.

Bosco limited Mater Dei to 34 yards rushing on 16 carries, and held quarterback Chase Forrest in check, 12 of 27 for 183 yard with an interception.

Sean McGrew ably complemented Rosen with 24 rushes for 137 yards and a 12-yard score 29 seconds into the fourth quarter for a 27-7 lead.

Reid Budrovich kicked field goals of 33 and 29 yards., and Manasseh Anesi scored from 1 yard late in the third quarter for a 20-7 advantage.

Bosco (14-0) will be one of two teams named to compete in the State Regional next week—probably against Corona Centennial—with the winner advancing to the State Bowl Championship against the representative from the North—likely Concord De La Salle.

Central Division

Mennifee Heritage 34, Moreno Valley Rancho Verde 33—On fourth-and-9, sophomore Brett Vigil connected with Evan Rodriguez for a 24-yard touchdown pass, giving second-seeded Heritage (13-1) its first lead with 3:18 remaining. Top-seeded Rancho Verde (12-2), the 2011 champ and a finalist the past four seasons, had a chance to win when Alan Zuniga attempted a 35-yard field goal with 7.9 seconds remaining; it was low and short. Rancho Verde had led after one quarter, 20-0. Virgil also scored on a 46-yard run.

East Valley Division

Fontana Jurupa Hills 41, St. San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s 24—Damion Wright rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns, and passed for 235 yards and another touchdown as the top-seeded Spartans (12-2) held off the second-seeded Tartans (12-2). Wright scored on runs of 7, 1 and 5 yards, the last with 35 seconds left in the half to give Jurupa Hills a 24-7 lead. Josh Davis ran for 48 yards and two short scoring runs, and passed for 154 yards for St. Margaret’s.

Northeast Division

L.A. Salesian 34, San Luis Obispo Mission Prep 0—A strong second quarter in which it scored 27 points propelled third-seeded Salesian (12-2) to the section championship. It was the second consecutive loss in the finals for visitor Mission Prep (11-3), which suffered a blow when tailback Patrick Laird twisted his ankle on the first play from scrimmage. This was a rematch of last year’s semifinals won by Mission Prep, 54-26. Felipe Meza carried 23 times for 149 yards for Salesian, and Blaise Booth completed nine of 11 for 179 yards and four touchdowns.

Northwest Division

Ojai Nordhoff 49, El Segundo 21—Matt Woodcock rushed 25 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and Tayler Livingston carried 23 times for 141 yards and four touchdowns as second-seeded Nordhoff (13-1) successfully defended its title. It’s the program’s fourth championship. El Segundo was down by 14 heading into the fourth quarter, but Nordhoff scored twice in a minute’s time to make it a four-possession game. Lars Nootbaar completed 17 of 24 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown for El Segundo (10-4), which was in the finals for the first time following an eight-game winning streak. Jamie Stewart had 10 catches for 173 yards, and scored on a running play, in the losing cause.

Southeast Division

Whittier La Serna 41, Norwalk 35 (2OT)—In a game of sudden death, senior Frankie Palmer chose to celebrate life. The third-year starter, down by three points and facing a fourth-and-5, scrambled in the backfield before throwing a 19-yard scoring pass to Matthew Rosales to give La Serna (12-2) the upset of top-seeded—and previously unbeaten—Norwalk (13-1). It’s the first title since 1967. If you want to talk about team of destiny, consider La Serna’s Tony Ceron blocked a field goal and Kevin Ramos returned it 75 yards for a touchdown—and Palmer ran in for the two-point conversion to tie the score at 29-29. Both teams scored TDs but missed extra points in the first overtime, and Jorge Perez booted a 21-yard field goal for Norwalk in the second OT, setting the stage for the heroics that gave La Serna the title after finishing runner-up the past two seasons.

Southwest Division

Huntington Beach 42, Newport Harbor 21—The Oilers (9-5), an at-large team that finished fifth in the Sunset League, blitzed the second-place team with 21 points in a 45-second span to go ahead, 42-21. Quarterback Kai Ross passed for 219 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 90 yards and returned two interceptions for touchdowns 10 seconds apart in the fourth quarter as the Oilers won their first title since 1935. Newport Harbor (8-6) led 21-14 late in the third quarter before the game got away from the Sailors.

TELL US IN THE COMMENTS: What did you think of the games? 


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