Top 10 attractions at CIF State Bowl Championships

CARSON, Calif. - Here are the five match-ups for the sixth annual California State Bowl Championships at the Home Depot Center.

Friday
4 p.m. - Division IV (Small school): North, Le Grand (12-0) vs. South, Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth (14-0)
8 p.m. - Division I: North, Bellarmine-San Jose (12-1) vs. South, Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita (12-2)

Saturday
Noon - Division III: North, Campolindo-Moraga (14-0) vs. South, Washington Union-Fresno, (13-0)
4 p.m. - Division II: North, Del Oro-Loomis (13-1) vs. South, Helix-La Mesa (12-1)
8 p.m. - Open Division: North, De La Salle-Concord (12-1) vs. South, Westlake-Westlake Village (14-0)

Here are 10 attractions, athletes, match-ups or storylines one won't want to miss. 

10. Carrying the Torch
Washington Union (Fresno) coach Jeff Freitas isn't holding back. His Panthers are the first Central Section team selected into the Bowl Championships. Many thought Bakersfield should have earned that distinction in Division I. WU takes on Cinderella Campolindo in the Division III game noon Saturday.



"We're carrying the torch for the whole section," Freitas told the Fresno Bee. "We can't lay an egg."{PAGEBREAK} 9. Dynamic Duos
The combination of breakaway running back and game-breaking quarterback is lethal and hard to beat at the prep level.

Here is the best trio here the dynamic duos: Westlake (Westlake Village) running back Dashon Hunt (1,231 yards, 18 touchdowns) and quarterback Justin Moore (3,592 total yards, 40 touchdowns), Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) quarterback Johnny Stanton (3,432 total yards, 28 TDs) and running back Ryan Wolpin (1,546 yards rushing, 28 TDs) or Helix (La Mesa) quarterback Brandon Lewis(2,750 yards passing, 34 touchdowns) and running back Darrion Hancock (1,207 yards, 21 touchdowns).{PAGEBREAK} 8. Three-headed offensive monster
Del Oro (Loomis) has always been known as a running machine under coach Casey Taylor and this season is no different with the dynamic tandem of Brandon Monroe and Nick O'Sullivan, who have combined for 2,947 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. But Helix can't just load up in the box and ignore quarterback Bobby Heatherington, who has completed 121 of 185 passes for 2,133 yards and 22 touchdowns. {PAGEBREAK} 7. Small enrollment, big fun
We're a simple breed. In our culture, big means watch. Small means yawn. But for State Bowl Championship purposes this couldn't be further from the truth. The Division IV – small-school bowl – traditionally has featured some of the best games over the two-day event.

Le Grand (Le Grand) versus Sierra Canyon's (Chatsworth) should be no different. Consider the following: The teams are a combined 26-0. The two quarterbacks – Le Grand's Alex Bucio and Sierra Canyon's Tyler Stewart – have combined for 4,589 yards, 72 touchdowns and – get this – just four interceptions.

Throw in 1,906 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns by Le Grand's Daniel Guizar and 1,382 rushing yards and 25 scores by Xavier Menifield, and this one should be a "whoever-has-the-ball-last-should-win" showdown. {PAGEBREAK}6. Three-headed defensive monster
De La Salle (Concord) has had tremendous linebackers in its storied history. D.J. Williams is having an All-Pro season with the Denver Broncos. Kevin Simon was an All-American at Tennessee. Terrance Kelly was likely destined for the NFL before he was murdered in 2004.

De La Salle Defensive Coordinator Terry Eidson thinks his current group – Cal-bound Michael Barton and junior standouts Michael Hutchings (6-1, 203) and David Moffitt (6-2, 200) – might eventually be his most talented trio. They are fast, strong and relentless. Throw in Austin Hooper, a 6-4, 233-pound junior defensive end, and this is definitely one of De La Salle's best and most dynamic defenses. The Spartans give up a scant 8.5 points a game, but will be going against a very potent Westlake attack that averages more than six touchdowns per game. {PAGEBREAK}5. Three cheers for Harry
Harry Welch brings his third different school – not just team – to the State Bowl Championships when his Santa Margarita Eagles take on Bellarmine Prep for the Division I crown 8 p.m. Friday.

And not only did Welch bring the previous teams, but they were victorious: Canyon of Canyon Country in 2006 (Division I) and two years later St. Margaret's of San Juan Capistrano in Division IV. No matter what occurs, Welch is an inspiration. He went public in August of 2010 with his battle with prostate cancer. He had successful surgery a month later and has barely missed a beat.



"If I can use my position in the community as a sports figure to help other people live fuller, longer lives, I'll feel better about this than winning a state championship," he said at the time of the announcement of his disease.
When it was announced on Sunday that Santa Margarita made the bowl game, he said: "I'm as happy as a coach can be." {PAGEBREAK}
4. Hunt vs. Williams
Westlake junior Dashon Hunt has been earning a lot of headlines lately, especially following his team's 49-42 victory in the Southern Section Northern Division finals over Oaks Christian when he scored five touchdowns. Hunt has averaged more than 10 yards per carry as Westlake's game-breaking back.
 
But Hunt (5-9, 175) was offered a scholarship by UCLA, which he accepted, as a cornerback. He's recorded a team-high six interceptions, and last week he returned one for a touchdown.

In Saturday's premier Open Division game against De La Salle, his most important duty will be trying to contain Anthony Williams, who has been De La Salle's best big-play offensive threat, especially in big or close games. The 6-foot, 185-pound Williams, the brother of former NFL receiver Demetrius Williams, has 38 catches for 921 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's also a tremendous defensive back and will be trying to slow down Hunt on the other side of the ball.{PAGEBREAK} 3. Travis Tebow
It's horrible comparing high school kids to NFL players. But it's impossible not to think – especially these days – Tim Tebow when watching Bellarmine (San Jose) senior quarterback Travis McHugh. He's a big and strong 6-foot-3, 205-pound left-handed quarterback. He's a more effective runner (1,373 yards rushing, 21 touchdowns) than passer (847 yards, 11 touchdowns) and an extremely vociferous, selfless and passionate leader. On top of that, he loves to block in Bellarmine's double-wing "scrum" attack. He's had little Division I interest other than Ivy League schools. But a big game against Santa Margarita's physical and well-rounded defense would likely change that.{PAGEBREAK}2. Deontay Greenberry
At 6-foot-3 and 187 pounds, the Washington Union senior receiver is a physical specimen. Sleek. Fleet. Strong. From our accounts at Nike's "The Opening" showcase this summer in Oregon, Greenberry stood above a very talented crowd.

He's proved this season he's not just eye candy. Greenberry has put together one of the best seasons ever for a receiver, with 105 catches for 2,149 yards and a preposterous 32 touchdowns. The Notre Dame-bound star is tied for the national lead in TD receptions and is No. 8 in receiving yards. He'll be going against a Campolindo secondary with an equally preposterous 43 interceptions. {PAGEBREAK} 1. Cinderella Cougars
Yes, it's a cliché: "Will the clock strike 12 on Campolindo's fairytale season?" But indeed, it's a more-than-intriguing storyline.

Campolindo (Moraga), picked to finish last in its league, has defied logic and odds all season, especially the last two weekends when the Cougars upset heavily favored Cardinal Newman and Marin Catholic, a pair of former Bowl teams, to reach the state's center stage. With not a single obvious Division I player on the roster and not much speed or strength, it will indeed be intriguing to see if the Cougars can match up with a physically superior Washington Union team and end this tale in storybook fashion.

"We may not look like much to most people but we're a good football team," said Campolindo's best athlete Griffin Piatt, who has scored 13 touchdowns from his wideout spot and added 12 interceptions from safety.