Marin Catholic knocked off undefeated El Cerrito to advance to the NorCal Division III Regional Bowl.
Photo by Ernie Abrea
One school is getting another shot in the state playoffs. And one section is getting the same.
The Wildcats of
Marin Catholic (Kentfield) and the
Sutter Huskies will play in the North Division III Regional Championship Bowl Game Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Harrison Stadium in Oroville, about 70 miles north of Sacramento.
Mat Sanders, Sutter
Photo by Anthony Brunsman
Marin Catholic is returning to the CIF Bowl competition for the second time in four years, after
losing 24-20 to Serra (Gardena) in the Division III Bowl Game in 2009. For Sutter, it is the second time a Northern Section squad has been chosen, the first being when Hamilton (Hamilton City)
lost 59-7 to St. Margaret's (San Juan Capistrano) in the 2008 Small Schools game.
The Wildcats (13-1), under third-year coach Mazi Moayed, have lost just one game, a 28-24 decision to Vacaville in Week 3, and have won 11 in a row, including a 31-28 win over previously undefeated El Cerrito in the North Coast Section Division III championship game.
Chris Hill provided the heroics with a 27-yard field goal in the final minute to break a 28-all tie against El Cerrito. The exciting finish came one week after Marin Catholic twice overcame 17-point deficits to defeat Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 42-37 in the semifinals.
Marin Catholic, which has won nine North Coast Section championships, has one of the top quarterbacks in the state in Cal-bound
Jared Goff. The Marin Independent-Journal County Player of the Year as a junior, Goff has been just as effective in his senior year, completing 207 of 315 passes for 3,244 yards and 34 touchdowns this year.
Sam Killpack, Marin Catholic
Photo by Ernie Abrea
Goff's top targets include
Andrew Celis with 62 catches for 1,123 yards and nine touchdowns, and
Michael Devine with 41 catches for 590 yards and five scores.
Marin Catholic is not strictly a passing team, however.
Akili Terry is one of the top ground gainers in the Bay Area this season with 1,691 yards and 25 touchdowns on 239 carries.
Alex Poksay is the top defender for the Wildcats, earning first team All-League honors as a linebacker last season.
The Huskies became just the second team in Northern Section history to post a 13-0 record by winning the Division II championship 38-31 in double overtime against West Valley (Cottonwood) two weeks ago. They run the ball out of the Wing-T with
Nathan Ahlers, the leading scorer in the Northern Section, posting 1,369 yards and 25 touchdowns on the season.
Mat Sanders also eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Huskies have a three-year starter at quarterback in
Trent Little, who has thrown for 1,349 yards and 16 touchdowns this year.
Nathan Ahlers, Sutter
Photo by Anthony Brunsman
, the Butte View League defensive co-MVP, leads the Sutter defense with 150 tackles on the season. He's joined by fellow co-MVP
Phillip Robledo, who has 111 tackles.
Trevor Carr and
Garrett Wallace have also anchored the defensive line with Wallace accounting for 16.5 sacks and Carr getting 11.5.
The Huskies were confident that a 13-0 season would be hard for the CIF selection committee to overlook.
"I don't see us not getting in," Sutter coach Ryan Reynolds told the Appeal-Democrat following the win over West Valley. "If we don't, it's going to be a travesty… We did everything we could and I hope we're rewarded for that."
The location of the game site could be a factor as Marin Catholic will have to travel 151 miles to Oroville while Sutter is just 35 miles away from the field. Sutter also has the advantage of playing a game on the surface just last month, winning a 62-13 game against Oroville.
In the Freeman Rankings, Marin Catholic is ranked No. 50 in the state and Sutter is No. 80.
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