Serra isn’t playing with house money, says coach Patrick Walsh.
Completing the Padres’ already greatest season with a win Friday over Cajon-San Bernardino (14-1) at Sacramento State won’t be icing on the cake or gravy on the potatoes.
It won’t be spilt milk, either, if they come up short in the CIF Division 2-AA state title game.
“We’re planning to put all our cards on the table and hopefully we score more points than Cajon,” Walsh said. “The reality is, it may not happen. Because it’s for a state championship.
“And Cajon looks like an NFL team.”
Walsh was sort of laughing when comparing the Cowboys with, say, America’s team, but when describing some of their stars, NFL names kept arising.
Like 6-foot-3, 175-pound dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has completed 293 of 418 passes for 4,795 yards and 61 touchdowns against four measly interceptions. Cajon has thrown for more than 300 yards eight times, more than 400 yards three times, and 567 yards on 31 for 38 attempts and six scores in the team’s only loss, 49-46 to Murrieta Valley.
When he’s not lighting up secondaries, he’s scrambling past front sevens with 1,261 yards and 14 TDs, including a 281-yard, 4-TD performance while beating Downey 54-28 in the Southern Section Division final.
Walsh was exhausted just trying to describe Daniels, who has an offer from Arizona.
“He’s RG3 or Deshaun Watson,” Walsh said. “He scrambles to throw, he looks down field, but if he can’t find anyone, he’s so fast no one can catch him.
“Last week, we played the fastest kid I’ve ever played against (Tulare Union’s Kazmeir Allen, who broke the national record for touchdowns in a season with 72). We worried every time he touched the ball, he was going to score. Great. Now, we’re playing the same kid but he plays quarterback and touches it every down.”
Daniels’ favorite target is 6-8, 190-pound junior Darren Jones, who has caught 92 passes for 1,962 passes and 27 touchdowns. They call him “Baby Moss,” after Randy Moss. He’s a national football and basketball recruit.
“What an athlete,” Walsh said. “Soft hands. Goes up and gets it. He’s a total mismatch for any DB.”
The only one who might be able to defend him is during practice. Jhevon Hill, a 6-3, 185-pound safety, is a three-sport standout who has three interceptions and nine pass deflections. He’s an Arizona commit.
The team’s most sought-after defender is 6-6, 245-pound senior defensive end Jeremiah Martin, who has recorded — get this — 33.5 sacks among his 82 tackles. He has 17 offers from schools including Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan.
“He’s like Lawrence Taylor out there destroying people,” Walsh said.
That has been a good description of what Serra has been doing to defenses in Northern California.
The Padres (12-2) are coming off a school record for points in a 76-43 regional win over Tulare Union. Their 12th win was also a school mark.
They’ve won 11 straight games, including 10 games against West Catholic Athletic League schools (a WCAL record), and had running clocks in seven games.
The offense, led by super accurate quarterback Luke Bottari (2,733 yards, 25 TDs), breakaway back Isiah Kendrick (193 carries, 1,520 yards, 27 TDs) and a quartet of superb receivers including Patrick Nunn (61 catches, 843 yards, 9 TDs), has been remarkably efficient and explosive.
The Padres broke virtually every WCAL offensive record and have scored 594 points, which pales in comparison with Cajon’s 734.
The Cowboys, in fact, also put up 70 points in its regional win, which points to an even greater offensive showcase than Serra’s 42-40 loss to Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth in last year’s state 2-A title game, also at Sacramento State.
“Both teams might get to 50 in this one,” Walsh said. “As long as we get one more point than Cajon, we’ll be happy.”
MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.
Friday’s state-title games
Division 1-AA
Folsom (15-0) vs. Helix-La Mesa (13-1) at Sacramento State, 8 p.m.: Folsom made quite an impression on San Diego Section teams in 2014, beating Cathedral Catholic (55-10) and Oceanside (68-7), the latter the most lopsided CIF bowl championship ever.
Division 2-AA
Serra (12-2) vs. Cajon-San Bernardo (14-1) at Sacramento State, 4 p.m.: The two teams combined for 146 points in their respective regional finals. “They look like an NFL team,” Serra coach Patrick Walsh said of Cajon.
Saturday’s games
Open Division
Mater Dei-Santa Ana (14-0) vs. De La Salle-Concord (11-1) at Sacramento State, 8 p.m.: De La Salle plays the unusual role of spoiler against a program it beat four straight years starting in 1998 and one trying to win its first CIF state title and complete first 15-0 season.
Division 1-A
Pittsburg (9-2) vs. Narbonne-Harbor City (11-3) at Sacramento State, 4 p.m.: Pirates have two main threats — 6-foot-1 senior quarterback Jalen Chatman (3,526 total yards, 37 TDs) and 6-foot, 200-pound senior RB Jermar Jefferson (1,690 rushing yards, 9.5 average, 35 TDs).Pittsburg, anchored by its strong line play and led offensive by cousins, QB Justin and WR A’Jae Boyd, are making its first state appearance.
Division 2-A
St. Francis (10-4) vs. Grace Brethren-Simi Valley (13-2) at Sacramento State, noon: GB has two 1,000-yard rushers, junior Lontrelle Diggs (1,714 yards, 30 TDs) and freshman Seven McGee (1,082, 11).Junior RB Darrell Page is St. Francis’ single-season record holder for rushing yards (2,206).
Remaining divisions’ state bowl games
All 6 p.m. Saturday (all streamed on NFHS Network)
Division 3-AA
Shasta-Redding (12-1) vs. Bishop Diego-Santa Barbara (14-1) at Cal Lutheran
Division 3-A
Half Moon Bay (14-0) vs. Steele Canyon-Spring Valley (11-4) at Southwestern College-San Diego: Steele Canyon, which opened in 2000, has won seven straight en route to its first section and regional crowns. QB Thomas Fishburne runs the show and is a dual threat. The school has a 60-man roster. Half Moon Bay played most of the season with about 25 players before calling up JV reinforcements for the playoffs. Half Moon Bay, led by RB Chase Hofmann (36 rushing TDs), is after its first state crown.
Division 4-AA
Placer-Auburn (13-1) at Crenshaw-Los Angeles (11-3)
Division 4-A
Milpitas (13-1) at Southwest-El Centro (14-0): Southwest EC has outscored opponents 592-143, but won its past two playoff games 31-28 and 35-28. Primarily a running team, 6-2, 180-pound senior Tyler Saikhon leads the charge. Milpitas, after its first state title, is led by the Bracy twins, QB TyRee and RB-DB Tariq.
Division 5-AA
McClymonds-Oakland (13-0) vs. Golden West-Visalia (12-2) at Visalia Community Stadium: Mack’s run defense will be tested against a GW team that averaged 379 yards rushing per game, led by Gonzalo Rodriguez (2,107 yards, 31 TDs) and Kai Cuadell (1,135, 12). McClymonds, led by QB Emoreea Fountain, is going after its second straight title.
Division 5-A
Fortuna (13-2) vs. Katella-Anaheim (14-1) at Glover Stadium-Anaheim.
Division 6-AA
Strathmore (15-0) vs. Orange (13-2) at El Modena HS.
Division 6-A
Galileo (10-2) vs. Vincent Memorial-Calexico (12-2) at Calexico HS: Vincent Memorial averages 44 points and 455 yards per game, led by super dual-threat quarterback Eduardo Valenzuela, who has accounted for 4,488 yards and 56 touchdowns. Galileo, making its first post-SFS appearance, is led by AAA MVP Yarvell Smith, a sophomore tailback, and LB Jimmie Edwards, the AAA Defensive Player of the Year.