Odds Are Long Again, But Serra Relishing Second Shot At A State Title
By Mitch Stephens
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/...again-but-Serra-relishing-second-17614501.php
Nov. 27, 2022 Updated: Nov. 27, 2022 7:38 p.m.
Coach Patrick Walsh’s Serra will play for the Open Division title Dec. 10.
There’s no holding back any longer, Serra football coach Patrick Walsh said Sunday.
Not after his team earned its eighth Central Coast Section title by beating Mitty 41-14 on Friday to extend its winning streak to 13.
Not heading into a test against national power St. John Bosco-Bellflower in the Dec. 10 state Open Division championship game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo (Orange County).
Serra was one of 13 Metro teams chosen Sunday by the CIF to advance. As the top-rated team in Northern California for the second straight year, the Padres get to skip a NorCal game and go straight to the state title matchup.
They have two weeks to prepare for a squad with a staggering 43 players who have either Division I scholarship offers or a national 3-star rating or higher.
Even though Serra’s list in that category pales — around a dozen including just two seniors — the Padres’ domination this season puts it among the best all-time CCS squads. With preseason road wins over Folsom and De La Salle-Concord and no close calls in the WCAL (average margin of victory: 28 points), the resume is full.
“To me this is the gold standard — a team for the ages,” Walsh said Sunday. “I’ve held back saying it earlier because I worried about their egos. But going into a game like this you have to believe in every fiber of your being that you can play with these guys. Plus this team really deserves all the love and praise it’s been getting.”
The Padres faced a similar challenge last season, losing in the state final to national champion Mater Dei-Santa Ana, 44-7. Bosco broke Mater Dei’s 29-game win streak Friday at the Rose Bowl 24-22 for the Southern Section Division I title.
SBLive Sports senior editor Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.
By Mitch Stephens
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/...again-but-Serra-relishing-second-17614501.php
Nov. 27, 2022 Updated: Nov. 27, 2022 7:38 p.m.
Coach Patrick Walsh’s Serra will play for the Open Division title Dec. 10.
There’s no holding back any longer, Serra football coach Patrick Walsh said Sunday.
Not after his team earned its eighth Central Coast Section title by beating Mitty 41-14 on Friday to extend its winning streak to 13.
Not heading into a test against national power St. John Bosco-Bellflower in the Dec. 10 state Open Division championship game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo (Orange County).
Serra was one of 13 Metro teams chosen Sunday by the CIF to advance. As the top-rated team in Northern California for the second straight year, the Padres get to skip a NorCal game and go straight to the state title matchup.
They have two weeks to prepare for a squad with a staggering 43 players who have either Division I scholarship offers or a national 3-star rating or higher.
Even though Serra’s list in that category pales — around a dozen including just two seniors — the Padres’ domination this season puts it among the best all-time CCS squads. With preseason road wins over Folsom and De La Salle-Concord and no close calls in the WCAL (average margin of victory: 28 points), the resume is full.
“To me this is the gold standard — a team for the ages,” Walsh said Sunday. “I’ve held back saying it earlier because I worried about their egos. But going into a game like this you have to believe in every fiber of your being that you can play with these guys. Plus this team really deserves all the love and praise it’s been getting.”
The Padres faced a similar challenge last season, losing in the state final to national champion Mater Dei-Santa Ana, 44-7. Bosco broke Mater Dei’s 29-game win streak Friday at the Rose Bowl 24-22 for the Southern Section Division I title.
SBLive Sports senior editor Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.
