By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Del Oro, Bellarmine and Newark Memorial all saw their unbeaten seasons come to an end while Mater Dei bounced back from a loss to Lutheran last week to defeat Servite.
Logan 21, Newark Memorial 14
Logan captured first place in the Mission Valley League and completed a perfect 10-0 season with a 21-14 win over previously undefeated Newark Memorial. The Cougars slowed down Logan standout Rashad Evans, limiting him to 58 yards on 12 carries, but Danny Godfrey ran 22 times for 78 yards and Joseph Bailey added 78 yards on four carries to lead the Colt rushing attack. Evans did manage to return a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown just before halftime. Godfrey finished with two touchdowns while Kyle Lopez had a key interception in the final minute to prevent a Cougar comeback. Logan earned the No. 2 seed for the North Coast Section 4A playoffs while Newark Memorial is the No. 2 seed in the 3A East Bay Region playoffs.
San Jacinto 27, Notre Dame Riverside 20
Kenjon Barner of Notre Dame Riverside has been a rushing machine all season long for the Titans, but San Jacinto showed they could run the ball, too, in a 27-20 win. The Tigers gained 384 yards as a team with Tony Austin gaining 157 yards with a score and Adam Castellano adding 131 yards and a touchdown. Barner, one of the leading rushers in the state, got his yards as well, running for 166 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers finished in second place in the Moutain Pass League behind Citrus Hill and will play host to Kern Valley. Notre Dame takes to the road against Desert.
Serra 24, Bellarmine Prep 20
The Padres squeaked out a 24-20 win over previously undefeated Bellarmine when Tiuke Tuipulotu scored on a 4-yard run with 11 seconds remaining in the game. Bellarmine still finished in first place in the West Catholic Athletic League, but the win helped move Serra up in the Central Coast Section Open Division seedings and it dropped the Bells down to No. 4. The result? The two teams play again this week in the first round of the playoffs. The lead changed hands three times in the final 1 minute, 30 seconds. Serra held a 17-14 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Tuipulotu, but Bellarmine came back and scored on a 77-yard drive that took just three plays. Usua Amanam scored on a 23-yard run for the score to put the Bells ahead 20-17. Serra set up Tuipulotu's final score with passes of 25 and 42 yards from Cody Jackson to De'Leon Eskridge. Amanam ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns for Bellarmine.
Pacific Grove 22, Carmel 19
Pacific Grove completed its fifth undefeated league championship season in a row with a 22-19 win over Carmel in the 60th annual Shoe Game. Carmel led throughout most of the game, including 19-14 in the fourth quarter, but the Breakers scored on a 1-yard run by Ian Hesse to culminate a 52-yard drive. Hesse finished with 132 yards rushing to lead the Pacific Grove offense. Carmel junior quarterback Ken Johnston had a huge game, completing 22 of 40 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. However Pacific Grove' Tommy Merchak intercepted Johnston in the final minute to prevent a Padre comeback. Pacific Grove (9-1) received the No. 1 seed for the Central Coast Section Small Schools Division playoffs and will host Soquel. Carmel received the No. 5 seed and will play at Scotts Valley.
Mater Dei 31, Servite 13
The Monarchs bounced back from their only loss of the season to dump Servite 38-13 with 17 points in the fourth quarter. Despite the win, Mater Dei received the No. 3 seed from the Trinity League while Servite gained the No. 1 seed and Lutheran got the No. 2 seed. Matt Barkley threw for 348 yards, completing 16 of 26 passes with three touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown. D.J. Shoemate ran for 145 yards for the Friars and scored a touchdown.
Centennial 43, Norco 7
Ryan Bass ran for 157 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries to lift Centennial to a convincing 43-7 win over Norco in a battle for the Mountain View League championship. The Huskies limited Norco to just 142 yards rushing and held quarterback Joshua Foley without a pass completion until there was just two minutes left in the contest, according to the Riverside Press Enterprise. Centennial will host Carter in the first round of the Inland Division playoffs while Norco hosts Ayala.
Crespi 23, Notre Dame 3
Crespi's penchant for defeating top-ranked teams continued with a 23-3 victory over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks that gave the Celts the Serra League championship. The Knights lost for just the second time this year and played most of the final three quarters with quarterback Dayne Crist standing on the sidelines with an injury. Crespi also had its bit of bad luck with injuries, losing running back Austin Shanks to an ankle injury in the second quarter. Crespi scored its first touchdown following a Crist fumble on the play in which he was injured. Quarterback Bryan Bennett tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Fauria for the score. Crespi later blocked a punt and recovered the loose ball in the end zone. The Celts put the game away in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Jeremiah McKibbins. Notre Dame hosts Newport Harbor in the first round of the Pac-5 Division playoffs while Crespi hosts Millikan.
Hart 24, Saugus 21
For the second time this year, first-year player Johnny McArthur kicked a game-winning field goal for the Hart Indians, this time securing the Foothill League championship with a 24-21 win over Saugus. The 29-yard kick, which came with 16 seconds left in the game, prevented Saugus from winning the school's first ever league championship. Saugus tied the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter on a 62-yard run by Ryan Zirbel. The standout running back gained 191 yards on 21 carries. Hart's Delano Howell was even better, rushing for 205 yards on 30 carries with three touchdowns. The Indians also got a lift on defense from linebacker Patrick Larimore, who was expected to miss the rest of the season with a thumb injury, but, according to the Newhall Singal, was given clearance to play with a cast on his hand. Hart hosts Thousand Oaks in the first round of the Northern Division playoffs while Saugus hosts Pacifica.
Granite Bay 21, Del Oro 14
The Golden Eagles saw their unbeaten season come to an end with a 21-14 loss to Granite Bay. The loss dropped Del Oro into a tie for first place in the Sierra Foothill League with the Grizzlies and it also left the Golden Eagles with a No. 2 seed from the SFL for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 playoffs. Del Oro (9-1, 4-1) travels to play Oak Ridge this week while Granite Bay (9-1, 4-1) hosts Sacramento, the No. 3 seed from the Metro League. Granite Bay limited Del Oro running back Mike Makela to 89 yards on 26 carries while Hunter Pahl had only 22 yards on 13 attempts. Quarterback Cole Saunders was 7 of 19 for 103 yards with a touchdown pass to Ryan Otten. However Saunder's one interception turned into a 52-yard return by Danny Keddy for a touchdown..
Escalon 28, Modesto Christian 14
The Cougars captured their first Trans-Valley League championship in five years with a 28-14 win over the Modesto Christian Crusaders. Escalon led 21-0 in the second quarter as Jacob Caton ran for a pair of touchdowns and the Cougars' ballhawking defense picked off Crusader quarterback Isaiah Burse three times. Caton scored on a 49-yard run and a 26-yard pass from Nick Aprile. Josh May added the other touchdown on a 4-yard run. Burse, only a sophomore, did manage a 58-yard touchdown pass to J.T. Teixeira in the third quarter. Escalon (9-1, 5-0) opens the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs this week at home against Bret Harte of the Mother Lode League. The Crusaders (8-2, 3-2) hit the road for a first-round game against MLL champion Calaveras.