Serra 41, vs. Mitty, 14

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By all rights, Friday's CCS Division I finale should not be close. Serra, No.1 in NorCal, has already defeated Mitty during the WCAL season, 35-7. Like their last nine games for the Padres, the Mitty contest was one-sided and non-competitive throughout most of the evening. But Mitty, under the leadership of Coach Danny Sullivan, has had a strong season overall. The Monarchs, 1-9 last year, are one of the surprise teams in the Bay Area. They are a true feel-good story. Sullivan and his staff, along with his players of course, have turned around a dormant program in just one season. A laudable feat in anyone's book. Essentially, they have risen from the dead. No matter what happens Friday at San Jose City College (a nice home game for the Monarchs, by the way), Mitty deserves major kudos for what it has accomplished in 2022. And, who knows, maybe there will be some surprises in store for the several thousand witnesses at SJCC.

 

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Final was 41-14. But the 27-point margin does not indicate the ebb and flow of this game, attended by perhaps 6,000 fans at SJCC. It was tied at the half, 7-7. Mitty was giving Serra all it could handle. Then came the second half. Serra made some adjustments, including using its tight double-wing for several plays (including a long TD), ran the ball effectively, maintained defensive pressure on the Mitty passing game, produced a turnover or two and, finally, it was just too many athletes making too many plays over the last 24 minutes that wore down the Monarchs in the end. Mitty has nothing to be ashamed of. The Monarchs just did not have enough left in the tank to stay with Serra over 48 minutes. Now it's on to St. John Bosco for the 13-0 Padres. A very daunting assignment to be sure.