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Is the third time the charm for the Sacred Heart Prep football program?
Sacred Heart Prep won its third NorCal football championship last Saturday with a 20-0 win over University Prep of Redding.
On the two previous occasions the Gators had to travel to Southern California for the state championship game and lost both times, to Corona Del Mar in 2013 and to Rancho Bernardo in 2015.
This time they get to play at home, taking on Righetti of Santa Maria, Saturday at 1 p.m., for the CIF Division 5-A state title.
“It’s a huge advantage for us to be at home in our own environment, playing a day game that we’re used to,” SHP coach Mark Grieb said. “Most teams play at night.”
Saturday’s game will be the first day game of the season for Righetti, which like SHP is an unlikely state final entrant.
Sacred Heart Prep finished the regular season 3-7 and was placed in Division IV for the Central Coast Section playoffs, following the competitive equity model set up by the state. The Gators proceeded to sweep three CCS playoff games to capture a section crown. Then with the win over University they improved to 7-7 on the season.
Before you say “what’s a 7-7 team doing playing for a state championship,” consider Righettii, which finished its regular-season schedule 1-8, only to win four Central Section playoff games and defeat Northwood of Irvine 14-7 to win a SoCal 5-A title.
So it’s a 7-7 team playing a 6-8 team with a state championship on the line. Quite a difference from those two previous SHP teams that went into state championship games with records of 13-1 and 11-3.
“To have a shot at a state title is pretty remarkable,” Grieb said. “I know our guys will be ready. They are super excited to have this opportunity.”
In five of Righetti’s six wins the opposing team has been held to single-digit scoring.
“They’re a really scrappy bunch on defense, tenacious, they fight off blocks well,” Grieb said. “Offensively they run the shotgun Wing-T, the third week in a row we’ve faced a Wing-T team, in addition to Burlingame and Mountain View.”
The Gators came up with their first shutout of the season against University. Linebacker Mat Bucher had 17 tackles total, six solo and three tackles for loss.
“Mat is amazing, from not playing much last year to being a tough, physical player for us this year on both sides of the ball,” Grieb said. “A warrior.’
Shay O’Kelly also had 17 total tackles against University, seven solo. Sophomore Anthony Noto came up with one of the biggest plays of the game on defense, throwing the University quarterback for a 4-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
The Gators have come alive on offense in the playoffs, scoring 155 points in four games as opposed to 199 over 10 regular-season games. They are averaging 174 yards rushing and 136 passing on the season.
It’s a typically balanced rushing attack out of the team’s fly offense. Fullback Andrew Latu has 678 yards rushing on the season and halfback Luis Mendoza has 620. Quarterback Jack Herrell passed for 191 yards against University and hit Latu, coming out of the backfield, for an 80-yard touchdown pass.
So now we will see if the SHP offense can continue its effective string of postseason performances against a Righetti defense that is also on a roll.
“I think it’s a good matchup,” Grieb said. “Now we’ll see how it plays out. I want us to be good with the football, convert short yardage, wrap up on tackles.
“I know we’re not going to leave anything on the table.”
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