DIVISION II: Rocklin 14-0 vs. Servite (Anaheim) 13-1, 4 p.m. Saturday
Matthew Inman, Servite
Photo by Heston Quan
Live TV: Comcast SportsNet California and Comcast SportsNet Plus.
GameTracker: Click GAMETRACKER to follow each of the state championship bowl games.
Live radio/webcast: KBCSports.com will webcast all games and KFRC 1550 AM broadcast De La Salle-Crenshaw tilt.
Stadium ticket sales: $15 adult, $8 each for students, seniors and children.
Parking: $10 per vehicle..
Nike Football Coaches Clinic with Pete Caroll: Saturday, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Home Depot Center (Agassi Pavilion), no registration fee, free Nike shirt and ticket to the games. Coaches only.
California High School Cheer and Dance Championships: Saturday at Home Depot Center Tennis Stadium, $15 adult admission ($8 student, senior, children) includes entrance to football games.
Other games: Small Schooll, Modesto Christian (14-0) vs. Parker-San Diego (11-2), 4 p.m., Friday; Division I, Bellarmine Prep (11-1-1) vs. Oceanside (13-0), 8 p.m. Friday; Division III, Marin Catholic-Kentfield (13-1) vs. Serra-Gardena (14-0), noon Saturday; Open Division, De La Salle-Concord (12-2) vs. Crenshaw-Los Angeles (14-0), 8 p.m. Saturday.
FACTS AND STATS
MaxPreps Rankings — Rocklin: Nationally, No. 60; State, No. 10. Servite: Nationally, No. 2 by MaxPreps Freeman, No. 6 MaxPreps Xcellet 25; State, No. 1.
Notable Alums — Rocklin: Brendan Lane (UCLA basketball freshman). Servite: Ryan Garko (MLB), Steve Beuerlein (NFL), Blaine Nye (NFL).
Leading Rusher — Rocklin: Jackson Cummings (313 carries-2,247 yards-37 touchdowns). Servite: Cody Fajardo (170-1,046-8).
Leading Passer — Rocklin: Jimmy Laughrea (157-287-2,635 yards-22 TDs). Servite: Cody Fajardo (166-236-2,265-20).
Leading Receiver — Rocklin: Kyle Garvella (40-656-5). Servite: Rudy Guerrero (52-770-7).
Points per game (allowed): Rocklin: 36.9 (17.9), Servite 32.4 (18.2).
CARSON, Calif. — Two extremely balanced and battle-tested squads that were actually considered strongly for the Open Division game will square off in a tremendous Division II Bowl Game championship.
Rocklin, a team that was just 4-6 a year ago, takes on a Servite, a school that is rich in athletic tradition that persevered through perhaps the state’s toughest schedule.
Both head coaches were just ecstatic to make it to the final week of the season, no matter what Bowl game. Each of their squads had pushed through their region’s toughest Divisions, the Pac-5 out of the South and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II from the North. The two teams square off Saturday at 4 p.m.
“This is a special group,” Servite coach Troy Thomas told the Orange County Register after learning of the team’s selection into the game. “We look forward to being together for one more game. We know it’s the final game. We are going to enjoy it and cherish it all week long and every step of the way.”
Rocklin coach told Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee: “It’s outstanding to be in this position. We’re honored to represent Northern California. We feel great about this.”
It’s been a landmark year for both squads.
Servite knew it was going to be a special year after opening with a 30-7 victory over storied program Long Beach Poly, before big wins over perennial state powers Clovis West (47-13) and Crespi (38-28). The season’s one hiccup came against Edison, losing 23-9, one it would eventually avenge, taking the rugged Pac-5 championship over the same top-five national school 16-6. Along the way, Servite also beat arch-rival and nemesis Mater Dei, a team that had defeated the Friars 20 straight years, 30-20. The Friars also claimed their first outright Trinity League title after sharing it the previous four.
"We wanted to go undefeated, and Week 4 was a little disappointing," said the team’s catalyst, senior quarterback Cody Fajardo. “But we stayed strong, bonded as a group and we were ready for the playoffs.”
Like Servite, Rocklin knew it had something special early as well when it won its second game of the season 41-36 over eventual SJS Division I champion Nevada Union.
Junior quarterback Jimmy Laughrea threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns in that one, and gifted Jackson Cummings, the starting point guard on the team’s Northern California championship basketball team, added 106 yards rushing and another score.
Big wins over Napa (49-21), Granite Bay (14-7) and arch-rival Del Oro (24-21) solidified the special season, but a victory over defending state Open champion Grant of Sacramento (21-19) in the SJS semifinals all but sealed the deal. A remarkable goal-line stand in the final minute, stopping Grant three times from the 1-yard line signaled that Rocklin’s season was meant to continue.
One last sign of determination was the following week when, even though Laughrea was lost for the season with a broken forearm sustained in the second half, the Thunder defeated Del Oro again, 21-14, for its first SJS title.
ROCKLIN OFFENSE/SERVITE DEFENSE
The Thunder does have some depth at quarterback. Tiger Sorenson was the starting quarterback last season until an injury forced Laughrea into the lineup. He never relinquished the spot. Sorenson, a tremendous athlete, then became one of the team’s top receiving threats and even caught the go-ahead TD pass in the SJS championship.
Now the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is back at his old position, replacing Laughrea and the 2,635 yards and 22 TDs he supplied.
"It's ironic how I started my career as a quarterback and now I will finish at quarterback," Sorenson told the Sacramento Bee. "This is not the way I wanted it to happen. I'm really excited about this game and our team, but I'd rather have it be Jimmy at quarterback. He's had a great year. He's earned this. I know how it feels, to be injured, but I'll be ready and so will our team."
The team’s real bread-and-butter offensively is Cummings, a 5-8, 165-pounder who is extremely strong for his size. He’s carried 313 times for 2,247 yards and 37 touchdowns. Servite has had to overcome its own bouts with injuries, especially on defense.
Their biggest – literally and figuratively – name and standout, Matt Jakubiec (6-foot-8, 310 pounds), broke his kneecap in August and eventually left the school late last month. He had committed to Arizona. Another huge lineman, Kirfi Leuta-Taula (6-3, 285) broke his arm at practice last month and is back in action.
But the Friars have overcome defensively behind the play of Butch Pauu, Jacob Slemmer, Matthew Inman and Josh Drake, to name a few. The defense has bent a little but never broken. They have no shutouts, but haven’t allowed more than 20 points since Nov. 6.
SERVITE OFFENSE/ROCKLIN DEFENSE
The Friars offense truly revolves around Fajardo, who is the team’s leading rusher (1,046 yards) and passer (2,260 yards, 20 touchdowns). Many compare him to current USC quarterback Aaron Corp, who led Orange Lutheran to a 2006 Division II state title with a dominating performance against Palo Alto.
Fajardo hopes to do the same Saturday.
“We played against Corp, and he's a dangerous dud running and passing, and I do believe Cody is that type of guy,” Thomas told MaxPreps correspondent Martin Henderson after Servite’s championship win over Edison on a sloppy field. “On a field like this, you want a guy who can do both, get himself out of trouble and make some plays.
“We've known he's a special guy. When the pressure's on, this kid performs.”
Servite runs by committee with Sean DeRosa (710 yards, eight TDs) getting the bulk of the carries, but Christopher Nichols is the short-yardage touchdown maker with 486 yards and 15 TDs on just 60 carries.
Nichols is also a strong receiving threat with 37 catches and 754 yards, but Fajardo’s top target is Rudy Guerrero (52 catches, 770 yards). Nichols and Guerrero each have seven TD catches.
Defensively, Rocklin is a tremendously sure-tackling and hard-hitting. The Thunder is led by linebacker Sean Moore (91 tackles) and Daniel Lessard (80). B.J. Roberts (75), Trevor Cooper (74), Andrew McEwan (71) and Garth Keffer (67) are more mainstays. McEwan leads the team with four interceptions and 10 deflections.
EXTRA POINTS
Opposed to what most think, Sorenson is not named after Tiger Woods, but actually Ty Detmer, one of his father’s favorites. Ty became Tiger at birth. … The lone shutout between the two teams was Rocklin’s 28-0 win over Woodcreek on Oct. 16. … Cummings has rushed for all but nine of his team’s TDs this year. … Rocklin was open in 1993. … Servite was founded in 1957 and got off to a roaring start, winning a Section title in just its third season (1960) with nothing but juniors, including future Dallas Cowboys great Blaine Nye. … Thomas had a very successful run at nearby Crespi before taking over Servite in 2005.
