CIF Bowl Championships: Division IV preview - Le Grand vs. Sierra Canyon

Le Grand will enter the Home Depot Center as one of the highest scoring teams in the state, averaging 58.5 points per game.

Photo by Ralph Thompson

DIVISION IV
Le Grand 12-0 vs. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 14-0, at Home Depot Center, 4 p.m. Friday

FACTS AND STATS
Rankings — Le Grand: State, No. 221 by MaxPreps. Sierra Canyon: State, No. 62 by MaxPreps.

Leading Rushers — Le Grand: Daniel Guizar (178 carries, 1906 yards, 35 TDs), Dustin Slate (26-300-5). Sierra Canyon: Xavier Menifield (111-1382-25), Danny Jordan (103-1021-8).

Leading Passer — Le Grand: Alex Bucio (129-for-199, 2344 yards, 2 INT, 40 TDs). Sierra Canyon: Tyler Stewart (131-222-2245-2-32).

Leading Receiver — Le Grand: Zachary Moreno (64 catches, 1387 yards, 21 TDs), Aaron Salcido (22-310-2), Juan Gomez (14-235-8). Sierra Canyon: Preston White (35-490-7), Brian Tucker (23-307-5), Julian Brooks (17-331-8).

Points per game (allowed) — Le Grand 58.5 (11.1), Sierra Canyon 46.1 (10.5).

One of the oldest schools in Northern California will take on one of the newest in Southern California when Le Grand and Sierra Canyon mix it up in the Small Schools Bowl Game at 4 p.m., Dec. 16 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Le Grand celebrated its 100th anniversary two years ago and has been playing football since the 1920s. A town of 1,650 people, according to the 2010 census, Le Grand is located southeast of Merced and is one of the southernmost schools in the Sac-Joaquin Section.

The Bulldogs have been very successful under coach Rick Martinez, a Le Grand graduate himself from 1990. Le Grand made the section finals in 1995, 2004 and 2009 but finally broke through for its first section title last year with a 61-7 win over Highlands.

This year, Le Grand is possibly fielding the best team in school history - and it's a long history. The Bulldogs have a 12-0 record and scored more than 700 points while winning their second-straight section championship.

"We have good athletes and we're doing what we are supposed to do when you have good athletes," said Martinez. "We also have a coaching staff that has all graduated from Le Grand, and I think that is a big part of our success."

Sierra Canyon, meanwhile, is located in the city of Chatsworth on the western edge of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. The city itself has 41,255 people according to the 2000 census with Sierra Canyon being one of three high schools in the city.

Like its nickname, the Trailblazers, Sierra Canyon is blazing its own trail. Although the school originated 40 years ago as a preschool-eighth grade campus, it has been a high school the past five years. It has only had 11-man football for three seasons, transitioning over from 8-man three years ago.

"When I took over as coach, I had the administration swear that they would back our change to 11-man football," said Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse. "I hired a staff of 11-man coaches and we had all freshmen and sophomores that first year. Well a lot of those freshmen and sophomores are now juniors and seniors with 40-50 games of varsity experience under their belts."

Sierra Canyon fell one game short of qualifying for the state bowl games last year, falling to Paraclete in the section finals. Ellinghouse said that he didn't let the team use that loss as a motivating factor.

"We didn't want to dwell on the negative," he said. "We didn't want to look at a loss to motivate us. Because negativity breeds negativity. We would rather use playing in the Home Depot Center as our motivation. Of course it didn't hurt that we got to play Paraclete again in the finals, but we didn't use redemption as our motivation."

Le Grand qualified for the bowl games last year after beating Highlands, however the Bulldogs were passed over in favor of another smaller Sac-Joaquin Section school, Brookside Christian (Stockton), which went on to lose to Bishop's (La Jolla) in last year's Small Schools bowl game, 40-14. It's a fact not lost on Martinez and the Bulldogs.

"Certainly it hurt last year to be overlooked in favor of Brookside," said Martinez. "We have used that as motivation this year. The guys on the team this year are playing for the ones who graduated last year that didn't have a chance to play in the bowl game."

Although Le Grand is a small town, Martinez feels that the fans will do their part to give his team an edge.

"I don't know what the record is, but I'm guessing we might set a record for the most fans," said Martinez. "the three towns that make up Le Grand High School have really come together to support this team. We will have a lot of them there with us Friday."

LE GRAND OFFENSE vs.          
SIERRA CANYON DEFENSE

The Le Grand offense has been nearly unstoppable this year, scoring an average of 58.5 points per game with three games reaching the 70s. The Bulldogs have a 1-2-3 punch of quarterback Alex Bucio, running back Daniel Guizar and receiver Zachary Moreno.

Bucio ranks second in touchdown passes in the Sac-Joaquin Section this year with 40 and his 2,344 yards passing also puts him in the Top 15. More importantly, his two interceptions this year rank among the fewest thrown by a quarterback with more than 2,000 yards passing.

His favorite target, Moreno, ranks third in the Sac-Joaquin Section in receptions (64) and third in yardage (1,387). His 21 touchdowns put him second on the list. Moreno is a big target, listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds. Moreno has more than 1,000 yards receiving for the second-straight season and he has 39 touchdown receptions in two years.

Guizar has rushed for 1,906 yards and has scored 36 touchdowns. He runs behind a line that consists of four All-League picks in Andrew Hernandez (5-10, 230), Leonel Marquez (6-0, 260), Diego Morales (6-4, 230) and Roman Hernandez (6-4, 310).

"We respect the heck out of them," said Ellinghouse. "They've got good size and they are a gritty team. They are in the bowl game and they are undefeated so they are a good team. We can't underestimate anyone. However, I have a lot of faith in my players and they have done a good job of rising to the occasion."

Sierra Canyon counters with a 4-2-5 defense, sparked by linebackers Brian Tucker, William Young and Jesse Janes. Young leads the team with 130 tackles while Tucker is next with 121 and Janes adds 97. Patrick McGown leads the defensive line with 17 sacks while William Young and Tucker each have three interceptions.

"Tucker is the leader of our defense," said Ellinghouse. "He's been a starter since his freshman year and he has a quiet spirit, but he is mentally strong and he gets things working for us."

SIERRA CANYON OFFENSE vs.
LE GRAND DEFENSE

The Trailblazers like to operate out of a multi-set formation that includes anything from the pro-style offense to spread option to the fly.

"But the most important thing is that we are balanced," said Ellinghouse. "And we have a quarterback in Tyler Stewart who does just an unbelievable job of running the team."

Stewart has thrown for 2,245 yards and 32 touchdowns this year, but those aren't the stats that impress Ellinghouse.

"He has only two interceptions this year," he said. "He doesn't take unnecessary risks and he has really matured this year."

The offensive line has also been a big factor, according to Ellinghouse. The crew of Andrew Terry (LT, 6-5, 265), Danny Gordon (C, 6-3, 265), Abe Roca (RG, 5-10, 280), Janes (LG, 5-11, 225) and Remy Linares (RT, 6-4, 250) averages more than 260 pounds.

"These last five games have been phenomenal," said Ellinghouse. "I've never had an offensive line that has blocked like this. They are the reason we are where we are today."

Sierra Canyon also has a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Xavier Menifield and Danny Jordan. Menifield accounted for five touchdowns in the win over Paraclete and has rushed for 25 touchdowns on the season.

Martinez says that Le Grand is traditionally known for its physical defense. And that hasn't changed this season.

"When teams play Le Grand, they know they have been in a game," said Martinez. "Because we come ready to hit."

Slate, a 5-10, 180-pound linebacker, leads the Le Grand defense. He's racked up 135 tackles on the season and also has three sacks. Julian Nava, a 5-10, 200-pound senior, is second on the team with 92 tackles. Guizar leads the team in sacks with eight while Mario Zavala has four interceptions.

EXTRA POINTS

While the town of Le Grand has only about 1,600 people, the school actually draws from the towns of Planada, Le Grand and Plainsburg... Le Grand has a 21-game winning streak... Prior to coaching at Sierra Canyon, Ellinghouse was the offensive coordinator at Chaminade (West Hills)... Daniel Guizar has a season-high of 293 yards rushing with five touchdowns in a win over Delhi... The two quarterbacks in the game have combined for just four interceptions (two apiece) this season... Sierra Canyon quarterback Tyler Stewart had his best game in a win over Bishop, throwing for 328 yards and five touchdowns.