Marin Catholic returns to state bowl game

OROVILLE - Marin Catholic (Kentfield) capitalized on a pair of Sutter mistakes early in the second half to claim a 23-7 win in the North Division III Regional on Saturday at Harrison Stadium.

The Wildcats return to the CIF Division III Bowl Game to face Madison (San Diego), a 21-17 winner over Monrovia in the Southern Division III Regional. Marin Catholic (14-1) competed in the Division III Bowl Game in 2009, losing to Serra (Gardena) 24-20.

With the two teams tied 7-7 at halftime, Marin Catholic changed its game plan and took advantage of two Husky errors to score two quick touchdowns. Sutter kicked off to start the second half, but the kickoff went out of bounds, giving Marin Catholic good field position at its own 35.

After throwing the ball most of the first half on the arm of Cal-bound quarterback Jared Goff, Marin Catholic switched its strategy to start the second half and went with five straight running plays.

"We wanted to get a little more control of the game," said Marin Catholic coach Mazi Moayed. "We missed some opportunities in the first half. We wanted to just stay calm and finish some drives."

After moving the ball to the Sutter 41 on a 10-yard run by Akili Terry, Marin Catholic went to the air with a 16-yard pass from Goff to Billy Alten. Goff then found Alten again on a well-developed screen play to the right side. Alten followed a wall of blockers for a 25-yard touchdown and the Wildcats' first lead of the game.

Chris Hill added the second of his two extra points on the night for a 14-7 advantage with 8:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Sutter's second mistake occurred just moments later. On third down, Sutter quarterback Trent Little attempted to throw a pass to the right flat while trying to avoid a sack. Jared Lazor made a diving catch for the interception at the Sutter 15.

On the next play, Marin Catholic was in the end zone as Goff found Keegan Mulcahy down the left sideline for the 15-yard score and a 20-7 lead with 7:17 left in the third quarter.

"That was tough giving them an opportunity like that in the red zone," said Sutter coach Ryan Reynolds. "But that was a third-year starter at quarterback just trying to make a play to help his team. I thought he was down, but there's no instant replay."

Sutter was able to mount a drive following the kickoff, but another interception, this time by Sam Killpack at the goal line, halted the Huskies' best opportunity to score in the second half.

Marin Catholic put together one final drive, eating up nearly six minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter while going 78 yards in 15 plays culminating with a 19-yard field goal by Hill. Goff kept the drive alive with three completions to Andrew Celis for 24, 16 and 4 yards.

Goff finished the night completing 16 of 23 passes for 217 yards and an interception, which came on the last play of the first half. Celis had five catches for 62 yards while Terry led the rushing attack with 57 yards on 17 carries.

Despite the loss, Sutter managed to limit Marin Catholic to its lowest point total of the season.

"They came in with a great gameplan," said Moayed. "They did what they do. They come up and hit you hard and keep you off balance. They did that very well tonight."

The Sutter defense held Marin Catholic scoreless until late in the second quarter. The Huskies avoided early disaster with a recovery of a Wildcat fumble at the Sutter 16 after Goff hit Colton Hanley with a 43-yard pass on Marin Catholic's first drive of the game.

Later in the first quarter, Sutter put together its only scoring drive of the game. After stopping Marin Catholic on fourth down at its own 27, Sutter went 73 yards on nine plays for the touchdown. Little scored on a 1-yard option around the left side and he set up the touchdown with a 21-yard pass to Brad Bonnenfant.

Erika Lynch booted the extra point for a 7-0 Sutter lead with 11:57 left in the second quarter.

Late in the first half, Marin Catholic took advantage of a Sutter punt that traveled just 17 yards and went out of bounds at the Marin Catholic 35. Terry did most of the damage on the 65-yard drive: he carried the ball six times on the drive for 34 yards and also caught a pair of passes from Goff for 16 yards.

Terry scored the touchdown on a 5-yard run with 2:49 left in the second half.

Marin Catholic outgained Sutter (13-1) in total yardage 308-286. Little completed 9 of 17 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions while Mat Sanders led the Husky running game with 61 yards on 11 carries. Little also added 57 yards on 11 attempts.

Marin Catholic 23, Sutter 17
Marin Catholic 0 7 13 3 — 23
Sutter 0 7 0 0 — 7
Second quarter
S - Trent Little 1 run (Erika Lynch kick), 11:57
MC - Akili Terry 5 run (Chris Hill kick), 2:49
Third Quarter
MC - Billy Alten 25 pass from Jared Goff (Chris Hill kick), 8:45
MC - Keegan Mulcahy 15 pass from Goff (kick failed), 7:17
Fourth Quarter
MC - Hill 19 FG, 2:22

RUSHING
Marin Catholic — Goff 12-37, Terry 17-57, Andrew Celis 1-(-3), Totals 30-91. Sutter - Trenton McDaniel 1-10, Nathan Ahlers 12-40, Mat Sanders 11-61, Little 11-57, Alex Ingram 3-0, Phillip Robledo 1-4, Totals 39-172.
PASSING
Marin Catholic — Goff 16-23-1-217. Sutter — Little 9-17-2-114, Sanders 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING
Marin Catholic — Celis 5-62, Danny Noonan 1-5, Colton Hanley 2-55, Terry 3-20, Morgan Mahalak 1-7, Michael Devine 1-12, Alten 2-41, Mulcahy 1-15. Sutter — Ingram 4-31, Brad Bonnenfant 1-21, Sanders 1-19, Trace Murtha 1-13, Austin Webster 2-30.