MaxPreps 2013 CIF State Bowl Preview: Division IV, Central Catholic vs. Bakersfield Christian

Central Catholic (Modesto) (14-1) vs. Bakersfield Christian (12-2)
4 p.m. Friday at StubHub Center in Carson


Rankings
Central Catholic: 95 state, 845 national
Bakersfield Christian: 110 state, 1014 national

Notable alumni
Central Catholic: Byron Storer (NFL), Chris Pritchett (MLB)
Bakersfield Christian: Derek Carr (Fresno State QB)

Leading rushers
Central Catholic: Matt Ringer (323 carries, 2348 yards, 33 touchdowns), Reggie Bland (76-455-14).
Bakersfield Christian: Matt Smith (228-1667-21), Brandon Jones (82-387-7), Keith Blank (68-382-3).

Leading passers
Central Catholic: Donovin Townsend (49 of 95, 724 yards, 4 touchdowns, 4 interceptions).
Bakersfield Christian: Brandon Jones (226 of 338-3980-52-9)

Leading receivers
Central Catholic: Timmy Gutierrez (15 catches, 325 yards, 4 touchdowns), Jared Rice (15-331-2).
Bakersfield Christian: Josh Jackson (61-1326-16), Zach Balfanz (45-716-11), Hayden Kuchta (40-603-8), Donald Harris (36-664-7).

Points per game (allowed)
Central Catholic: 39.2 (15.3).
Bakersfield Christian: 44.1 (16.2)

It will be the classic run vs. the pass when Bakersfield Christian and Central Catholic take to the field in the CIF State Championship Division IV Bowl Game.

Central Catholic advances to the state final for the third time thanks to a relentless rushing attack that has racked up over 4,500 yards on the season. Meanwhile Bakersfield Christian makes its first appearance in the state bowl game behind a passing attack that has managed nearly 4,000 yards on the year.

While their offenses are clearly on different ends of the spectrum, the two teams have some similarities. Central Catholic advanced through the Sac Joaquin Section Division IV bracket against larger schools, defeating Hilmar to qualify for the NorCal Regional. Likewise, Bakersfield Christian tangled with much larger teams in the Central Section Division IV playoffs before topping Mission Oak for the right to advance.

Both teams also struggled early in the season. Central Catholic suffered its only loss in week two when it fell to St. Mary's (Stockton). Since then, the Raiders have won 13 in a row. Similarly, Bakersfield Christian lost its first two games to Huntington Beach and Central Valley Christian before winning its next 12 games.

Central Catholic knocked off McClymonds 17-14 in the NorCal Regional while Bakersfield Christian had a relatively easy time with View Park Prep, 40-8, in the SoCal Regional.

The early edge might go to Central Catholic, which is making a return trip to the state finals after winning it all last year.

"It's like when you go on vacation one year and come back the next," Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa told the Modesto Bee. "There are some things we didn't like that we can take out. Now we can get our  times dialed in a little better and plan a better trip."

Expect the Eagles to keep the ball in the air for most of the game as that has been their trademark for most of the season. Quarterback Brandon Jones ranks sixth in the state in passing yardage with 3,980 yards while his 52 touchdowns rank third. The South Sequoia League Offensive MVP got off to a slow start this season in losses to Huntington Beach and Central Valley Christian, throwing for under 200 yards in both games, but has been on fire ever since with a pair of 400-yard outings and three games where he threw at least six touchdowns in a game, including a nine-touchdown performance. Jones has four receivers on his team with 36 or more catches, led by Josh Jackson with 61 catches for 1,326 yards. Tight end Zach Balfanz adds 11 touchdowns and 45 catches with 716 yards while Hayden Kutcha has 40 catches for 603 yards and Donald Harris has 36 catches for 664 yards. All four earned all-league honors this year.

While the Eagles like to attack through the air, they are not adverse to running the ball. Junior running back Matt Smith already has three 1,000-yard rushing seasons at the varsity level, including 1,667 yards and 21 touchdowns this year.

"It's tough to put a value on Matt Smith on both side of the ball because he plays such a vital part defensively, and he's such a big, huge part of the cog offensively," Bakersfield Christian coach Jerald Pieruccio told the Bakersfield Californian.Central Catholic is led on defense by senior linebacker Reggie Bland (5-10, 205), younger brother of former Central Catholic great Louis Bland, who has 101 tackles and five sacks. Travis Gist (6-2, 250) is an all-league pick on the defensive line while Donovin Townsend (5-10, 190) is an all-league selection in the defensive backfield. Jared Rice leads the team in interceptions with seven.

The Raiders were unstoppable on the ground last year, rushing for 509 yards in a 66-7 win over Santa Fe Christian in the Division IV title game. Central Catholic scored 59 points in the first half alone and the game ended with a running clock.

Central Catholic isn't quite as explosive this year. Last year, the team ran for 4,700 yards on the ground and had two players with more than 1,500 yards rushing. This year, it's been more of a single-back attack with Matt Ringer gaining 2,348 yards on the ground with 33 touchdowns. Not surprisingly, Ringer was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the Western Athletic Conference. He's also come up big in Central Catholic's biggest games. He had 272 yards in an early win over McClymonds, 285 in a crucial league win over Patterson and 243 yards in the section championship game against Hilmar.

"They run a Wing T offense similar to what we've seen at Wasco," Pierucci told the Californian. "Their line is also similar to what we've seen against Central Valley Christian."

The Raiders rarely pass the ball, in fact this year's total passing yardage of 1,303 yards is the lowest season total for a Roger Canepa team in his six-year tenure at Central Catholic. Donovin Townsend leads the team with 724 yards passing, however sophomore Hunter Petlansky has also seen time behind center with 484 yards on the season.

The Raiders also have one of the top kickers in the state in Kenny Smart In three years on the varsity, Smart has 240 career extra points, which is just six short of the state record. Smart also has nine field goals this year, 20 in his career, with a long of 53. Don't expect many runbacks on kickoffs either as Smart has 71 touchbacks on the season.

Bakersfield Christian is led on defense by senior linebacker Grant Bouma (6-3, 220), who is simply a tackling machine. In four years on the varsity he has 534 tackles, including a whopping 229 tackles this year. Twelve of his tackles have been for loss and he has also picked off three passes. He was named the most valuable defensive player in the South Sequoia League.

The Eagles have two other players with over 100 tackles each in Josh Mantle and Austin Duffield. Mantle, a 6-2, 235-pound junior defensive tackle, has 109 tackles and three sacks while Duffield, a 5-9, 170-pound senior linebacker, has 107 tackles. Hayden Kuchta, meanwhile, pitched in with 97 tackles. Kuchta and Mantle were both all-league picks for the Eagles.

Josh Jackson and Keith Blank lead the team in interceptions with four each while Matt Smith leads the team in sacks with nine. Smith was an all-league choice on defense at defensive end along with his selection at running back.

Bakersfield Christian has won one state title, that coming in volleyball during the 2006 season... Potential first round NFL draft pick Derek Carr, currently at Fresno State, played his senior year at Bakersfield Christian in 2008 and threw for 4,067 yards... Central Catholic has won 17 Sac Joaquin Section football championships since winning their first in 1972... Central Catholic has appeared in two other CIF state bowl games, falling to St. Bonaventure 35-21 in the 2007 Division III game and beating Santa Fe Christian 66-7 in the 2012 Division IV contest.