Duke-bound tight end Tyler Petite to take on state's most intriguing team

MORAGA, Calif. — Tyler Petite is anything but. ... anything but petite. And he's been hearing the old joke for years.

"Doesn't really bother me anymore," said the 6-foot-5, 235-pound senior tight end and defensive end for Campolindo (Moraga). "Never really did. Since I'm not (petite), I never got teased that much."

He also wasn't a tight end growing up. He dreamed of being an NFL quarterback, even until his freshman season, and was a good one.

But being the good soldier, a great teammate and hungry to play varsity ball, Petite switched and now he's one of the nation's best — the 13th ranked tight end according to 247Sports.

The Duke-bound standout leads Campolindo (14-0) into the CIF Northern California Division III regional final versus an exceptionally talented and rested Sutter (13-0).

See the rest of the California Bowl Game matchups

"Team player all the way," Macy said. "Even though he's the big recruit, he's really just one of the guys. They all grew up together."

But can they hold together against a fast and physical Sutter team that had a week off from its Northern Section title to await regional selections?

Meanwhile, Macy's team is beaten up and fighting the flu. He was making a checklist of his team's injury woes with the team trainer and finally offered some advice.

"Forget more athletic tape," he said. "You better get duct tape."

No patching up needed for Petite. He should shoulder much of the offensive load on Saturday at Acalanes.

With leading receiver and cornerback Max Flower (45 catches, 860 yards, 11 touchdowns) doubtful with a shoulder injury, senior quarterback Jack Stephens (2,996 yards, 30 touchdowns) will likely be eyeballing Petite, which is a little ironic.

On a one-loss freshman team in 2011, Petite was the starting quarterback and threw 10 touchdown passes to Stephens, the team's tight end.

"We definitely have chemistry," Petite said.

With three capable quarterbacks in the program, Macy asked Petite to switch positions as a sophomore and the move turned golden for all involved. Petite flourished and garnered 17 FBS offers and the Cougars scored a Jimmy Graham-type, stretch-the-field threat who is a master of getting off the line.

The Duke commit has caught a pedestrian 30 balls, but for a gaudy 867 yards (28.9 average) and nine touchdowns.

"I've never seen a high school kid break out of a three-point stance and cover ground like he can," Macy said. "He just explodes. He's a big kid with soft hands and excellent speed. Those kids are hard to find."

Especially around Campolindo. He's just the third FBS recruit in Macy's 19 seasons at the school. With a hand-time of 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash, he's received offers from such programs as Cal, Arizona, Arizona State and Auburn.

"Most little kids dream of being a doctor or policeman, but mine was always to be an athlete," Petite said.

At 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds as a freshman, his dream was to be the next Tom Brady, but he didn't flinch at the position change.

"I just wanted to get to play on Friday nights as soon as I could. I didn't care the position," he said. "It's all worked out for the best. Our coaches know what they're doing. They're a huge part of why we've had so much success."

The Cougars are 49-4 over the last four seasons and with a win Saturday will make their second state bowl game. They lost the first time, 21-16 to Washington Union-Bakersfield in 2011.

Sutter reminds Macy of Washington Union.

"Big, fast and athletic," he said. "They run inside and outside with the fly sweep and have big, tall speedy threats on the outside."

With Flowers and the team's other starting cornerback Conner McNally (groin injury) doubtful, Macy is particularly worried about 6-3 Brandon Jackson (32 catches, 856 yards, 17 TDs) and 6-1 Tyjuan Prince (26-746-15).

Sutter quarterback Randy Post has thrown for 2,708 yards and eight scores and the Huskies have rushed for 3,428 yards and 43 scores. They've scored 642 points, allowed 62 and beaten Bay Area squads Justin-Siena (49-0), Novato (56-7) and El Cerrito (49-14).

Petite, who had a late sack of athletic and elusive Marin Catholic (Kentfield) quarterback Darius Peterson to secure a 27-21 North Coast Section title win last week, said Saturday will be a big challenge. Especially if Campolindo leading rusher and flu-ridden Nick Fadelli (1,766 yards, 31 touchdowns) is less than 100 percent. He hasn't practiced all week.

Sutter "is impressive," Petite said. "They have plenty of weapons and can score a lot of points. It's going to be a hard-fought game with probably a lot of points. But I doubt they've seen a team like us before. We might not look like the greatest, but there's a lot of things you can't see on paper like our bonds and tenacity. I can't wait for Saturday."