Black Friday? How about Blue and Gold Friday for the Mater Dei Catholic High School football team?
The second-seeded Crusaders defeated the visiting Central Union Spartans, 23-10, last Friday to earn a berth in this Friday’s San Diego Section Division IV championship game against the top-seeded Bishop’s Knights.
Friday’s division final is set for a 3:30 p.m. kick-off at Southwestern College’s DeVore Stadium.
Turkey walk
The day after Thanksgiving is reserved for once-in-a-year great shopping deals; Mater Dei Catholic’s gridiron warriors got the best deal of all by becoming the first group from the east side Chula Vista private school to earn a spot in the CIF finals.
Crusader head coach John Joyner said last Friday’s big win over the third-seeded Spartans (6-6) was an opportunity to build some tradition at the 8-year-old school.
Mater Dei Catholic is the successor to Marian Catholic, though the new school retains all of the Crusaders records.
“We are very excited to advance for the first time,” Joyner said. “The team has worked really hard and the senior leadership has really been the catalyst for our success. The school is excited and the boys are excited. Should be fun.”
During its long run at its South San Diego campus, Marian Catholic was a regular participant in the section finals over the last two decades. The Crusaders appeared in seven CIF championship games from 1996 to 2003, winning titles in 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2003.
The Crusaders also won the Class 1A final in 1988.
C.J. Verdell rushed for 135 yards and scored on a 19-yard run and also caught a 17-yard scoring pass from Chris Jones to lead Mater Dei Catholic past Central Union. Jones threw two touchdown passes in the game, also hitting Conner Finnestad on a 20-yard scoring pass in the third quarter.
Alex Golembewski rounded out the scoring on a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
The Crusaders led 7-0 on Verdell’s opening TD and erased a 10-6 Spartan lead on Verdell’s second score just before halftime to go in front 13-10.
The MDCHS defense held the visitors off the scoreboard in the second half.
After last Friday’s semifinal victory, Joyner’s personal Twitter account lit up with well wishes from proud alumni.
“So proud of my boys,” Joyner tweeted on his own behalf.
MDCHS athletic director Bill Gerken said he thinks “this is a perfect example of the new playoff format working in the section.”
“It is based on competitiveness and the new power ranking system,” Gerken said. “Under the old system of enrollment size, you would have the same teams at the top of their division each year and the lower ranked teams would get beat up pretty bad in the early playoff games. Under the new system, you play teams of the same competitiveness and the result in all divisions is a more even playoff season.”
The teams met earlier this season in non-league action, with Bishop’s winning 38-21. The Crusaders are eager to avenge that loss.
Blue Bomber
Friday’s CIF championship game will serve as a showcase for former Park View Little League star Bulla Graft, a senior running back at Bishop’s, and South County resident. Graft scored four touchdowns in the Knights’ 49-14 semifinal victory against fourth-seeded Castle Park last Friday.
Graft returned the opening kick-off of the game 87 yards for a touchdown and later scored on a 72-yard run to break a 7-7 tie between the teams after the first quarter.
The Knights scored 42 unanswered points before the Metro-Pacific League champion Trojans (8-4) managed to score again.
Graft scored on a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Griffin Seaman to make the score 42-7 at halftime, and scored on a 77-yard run in the third quarter to close out scoring for the hosts.
Graft, who also made an interception on defense, accounted for 322 yards in total offense in the game to stand out as a one-man wrecking crew for Bishop’s. He rushed for 176 yards on nine carries, caught three passes for 59 yards and tacked on 87 yards on kick returns.
Seaman completed 12 of 14 passing attempts for 161 yards and four touchdowns, including two to freshman Mozes Mooney and one each to sophomore Justin Woodley and Graft.
Mooney had seven receptions for 54 yards in the win while Cyrus Nolan recorded two fumble recoveries and was credited with two caused fumbles.
Chris Alleyne kicked seven extra-point conversions for the Knights, who have outscored their opponents 111-14 in two playoff games thus far.
CP quarterback Jordan Danielson scored both Trojan touchdowns — the first on a one-yard run to tie the game early on and the second on a 75-yard breakaway run in the fourth quarter.
Danielson rushed five times for 76 yards and completed four of 16 passing attempts for 33 yards.
The Trojans rushed for 216 yards in the loss to Bishop’s. Mylik Steen gained 73 yards on eight carries while Daniel Arana had 35 yards on eight carries and Elijza Johnson had 22 yards on three carries.
CIF finals: No. 1 Bishop’s Knights (12-0) versus No. 2 Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders (7-5)
Bishop’s is averaging 253 rushing yards per game and 162 passing yards per game for a grand total of 415 offensive yards per game. The Knights defense has collected 42 sacks and 13 interceptions this season.
Senior Bulla Graft has rushed for 1,619 yards and 24 touchdowns this season while making 28 pass receptions for 575 yards and 13 additional scores. Graft leads Bishop’s with 39 total touchdowns, including two on kick-off returns, and tops the team with 2,726 all-purpose yards and 95 tackles on defense — numbers worthy of a San Diego Section Player of the Year nomination.
QB Griffin Seaman has passed for 1,871 yards and 35 touchdowns, also in 12 games. Mozes Mooney leads the Bishop’s receiving corps with 59 catches for 698 yards and 12 TDs.
The Knights are buttressed by junior running back A.J. Britanico, who has rushed for 1,071 yards and eight touchdowns, and Justin Woodley, who has 18 catches for 250 yards and eight TDs. Woodley ranks second on the team with 94 tackles.
Sophomore Daniel Anderson keys Bishop’s with 14.5 sacks, followed on the chart by Cyrus Nolan with 11 and Woodley with 5.5.
Junior Jack Case paces the Knights with four picks while Graft has three interceptions. Woodley and Mooney each have two picks to their credit this season on defense. Nolan leads the team with two fumble recoveries.
Mooney ranks second on the squad with 12 total touchdowns; Britanico has scored 10 times.
Mater Dei Catholic is averaging 127 passing yards per game and 108 rushing yards per game for a total of 235 offensive yards per game.
Junior Jarrod Rieta had amassed 1,243 passing yards and 11 touchdowns (with 11 interceptions) in 10 games while sophomore Chris Jones had passed for 401 yards with one TD and two picks in five game appearances leading up to the semifinals.
C.J. Verdell is averaging 114.5 rushing yards per game. Senior Luis Victoria ranked second on the team with 391 rushing yards on 72 carries.
Sophomore Quentin Frazier led MDCHS receivers with 23 catches for 527 yards; senior Michael Pimentel had 17 catches for 319 yards.
Senior Conner Finnestad, who had 10 catches for 202 yards, is the Crusaders’ top tackler with 146 stops, including 59 solo tackles. Pimentel ranks second with 71 stops, followed by senior Max Schwenke with 66 tackles.
Mater Dei Catholic has amassed 37 sacks, led by junior Mario Williams with eight and Finnestad with seven, and 13 interceptions. Frazier and senior Roberto Marcos each have four picks to lead the team.
San Diego Section Football Championship Games
All games at Southwestern College, Chula Vista
Friday, Nov. 28
Division V: (5) La Jolla Country Day 42, (2) Vincent Memorial 0
Friday, Dec. 5
Division IV: (1) Bishop’s 19, (2) Mater Dei Catholic 16 (OT)
Division I: (3) St. Augustine 49, (4) Madison 42
Notes: Bishop’s finishes undefeated season 13-0 on overtime touchdown by Bulla Graft; St. Augustine overcomes three two touchdown deficits in the second half to post win in final three seconds
State Bowl bound
Open Division champion Oceanside (13-0) – defeated Helix, 20-13, after trailing 13-3
Division II chamoion El Capiptan (13-0) – defeated Rancho Bernardo, 14-7, after trailing 7-0
Division III champion Christian (13-0) – defeated Hoover, 31-9, after trailing 9-8
