La Serna football the underdog against Grant in Friday’s state championship
When La Serna’s football team plays Sacramento’s Grant in the CIF State Division 2-AA championship game Friday at Saddleback College at 4 p.m., it will be the first time the Lancers are considerable underdogs in these playoffs.
Grant (12-2) is ranked No. 23 in California by Calpreps and has torched every one of its opponents in the playoffs, including last week’s 41-14 victory over Rocklin in the Northern California Division 2-AA regional championship game.
Calpreps projects Grant to win Friday’s game 38-31.
Grant will be looking for its second straight state championship and third state title all-time. It beat San Jacinto 36-34 for the Division 3-AA state title last year.
You want numbers?
Grant has outscored its four playoff opponents 205-42, averaging 51 points a game and winning by an average margin of 41 points.
The Pacers have not allowed more than 14 points in any game during that stretch. They opened the playoffs with an 82-7 victory over Linden, a team that had just two losses entering the game.
Grant head coach Carl Reed said his team is playing its best football. Grant’s two losses came by a combined four points, making the Pacers close to being an undefeated team.
“We were in Division 3 last year and won those games handily and all the questions were could we handle Division 2 teams,” Reed said. “We took an early loss in the season by three points (Oakridge, 21-18) and picked up a game last minute against Los Gatos and came back to win (22-21), and those games taught us a lot.
“Those are the games that have helped us in the playoffs and we’ve answered up here (Northern California) that we can handle this division, but there’s one more game. I feel like we’re hitting our stride, and have been able to celebrate what we’ve done up here. But we know we’re running into a good opponent on Friday.”
La Serna’s defense will have its hands full with Grant’s backfield duo of Wayshawn Parker, committed to Washington State, and Devin Green, committed to UNLV.
Those two torched Rocklin in the regional final with Parker rushing for 175 yards and two touchdowns and Green rushing for 102 yards and two TDs.
Parker and Green have accounted for 38 touchdowns. Parker has been the more difficult back to handle, having rushed for 1,907 yards this season.
The Pacers also have two-way standout Kingston Lopa, a safety and wide receiver threat who is committed to Oregon.
That’s what La Serna (12-3) will be up against Friday.
La Serna romped through the CIF Southern Section playoffs and crushed Corona del Mar 49-29 in the Division 4 title game.
La Serna had to dig deep for the first time in the playoffs last week against Orange Vista in the CIF Division 2-AA Southern California Regional final. But La Serna was able to advance to the state title game by scoring 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a 49-32 victory at home.
La Serna coach Andy George is very aware of the challenges his team faces in the state final.
“They’re a combination of teams we’ve seen like Los Alamitos and Warren,” George said of Grant. “They’re big and physical, have balance and run and throw the ball well.”
That’s the tough part in trying to defend Grant. If you take away the run game, the Pacers still have a quarterback, Luke Alexander, who has thrown for 3,051 yards and 42 touchdowns.
Grant’s offense averages 227 yards through the air and 224 yards on the ground.
“Well, yeah, they’re a great team,” George said when reminded of their offensive numbers. “But you know what, we’ll do what we do and rely on what got us here, we’re not going to change. We’re going to play fast, swarm to the football and lean on everything that we’re about and see if it’s good enough.
“Yeah, it’s quite a challenge, but we’re up for it and we are who we are. And we’ll go for it and let the chips fall where they may. This is the biggest stage, our guys are excited and they’ll be ready.”
La Serna has some “dudes” too. It has shown it can run the ball with authority behind Owen Long and a host of others. The team averages nearly 250 yards a game on the ground.
Jacen Alcaraz, Adrian Castro and Kaimana Tufaga have all helped with the rushing attack. Those are players who also play on the team’s defense.
“They’re a talented team, we see that,” Reed said. “That No. 1 (Long) is a quality player and their offense is efficient. You don’t get this far by chance, and they’ve showed they can come from behind. We’re getting ready for a dogfight.”
La Serna showed last week that with transfer CJ Ceron starting at quarterback, they can win through the air. Ceron had his best game of the season in the comeback win over Orange Vista, completing 15 of 21 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns and adding 164 yards on the ground.
So maybe the Lancers’ best game is going to be their last game of the season.
“Yeah, it’s a great position to be in knowing you did everything you can to make it to the last game and now it’s here,” George said. “It’s right in front us, and I love the group we’re taking to this game.
“It’s an honor to play 16 games and take it to the end. The buzz in our community and around campus has been amazing, so we’re going to go out and give it our best shot.”
