CIF-SS FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
EAST VALLEY DIVISION
St. Margaret’s (13-0) vs. Grace Brethren of Simi Valley (13-0)
Where, when: St. Margaret’s High, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Live web coverage: foxsports.com/west/prepzone
Outlook: Of the 13 CIF-SS finals, only the East Valley Division features two squads that both boast undefeated records. Statistically, the Tartans and the Lancers have been two of the most dominant teams in the Southern Section, winning their games by an average margin of 28 and 27 points, respectively. Topping the 40-point plateau is commonplace for both offenses, and they each do so with explosive rushing attacks. St. Margaret’s senior Oscar Gomez is the county leader in touchdowns (38) and he’s second in the county with 2,184 rushing yards. Grace Brethren counters with a 2,000-yard back of its own, junior Zikel Reddick who’s coming off a 200-yard performance against St. Anthony of Long Beach in the semifinals. As good as Reddick has been, the guy the Tartans will need to key on is senior Andre Bannister. After starting the season at the receiver spot, the speedy Bannister has made a seamless transition to the backfield. In three playoff wins, he has racked up 648 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns. Even though passing will be a rare sight in this game, don’t think for a second it will be a low-scoring affair. The Tartans’ defensive line will be critical in this matchup. They can’t afford to let the Lancers’ two skilled backs get to the second and third levels of the defense. If they do, it’s imperative that players such as linebacker Dalan Cragun and safety Fernando Delgado make open-field tackles, limiting Grace Brethren’s big play ability.
COACH’S SCOUTING REPORT
Brethren Christian coach Pat McInally’s team played against Grace Brethren twice this season, including a 49-28 loss to the Lancers in last week’s semifinals. His Warriors team also played St. Margaret’s in the Academy League in mid-October. Here is his scouting report on the two teams:
McInally on St. Margaret’s: “Oscar Gomez has been torturing us for three seasons now. But Nick Shanks is a good playmaker as well, especially on kick returns. When we played them earlier in the season, we did a good job holding Oscar Gomez early and we had a 21-3 lead. They managed to score 21 points in like a minute and a half though. They’re a resilient team. It’s a championship school that always has great expectations. They play with a lot of confidence and don’t panic. They’re very well conditioned and wore us down in the fourth quarter of our game. Their offensive line is very good. On defense, they have a solid group of linebackers and a good core of defensive backs, especially Preston Ellis.”
McInally on Grace Brethren: “Zikel Reddick killed us the first time we played. Andre Bannister took the opening kickoff back in that game. As the season went on, they started pounding teams with Reddick and then handed it off to Bannister. He’s faster and it gets harder and harder to tackle him late in games. He rushed for 250 yards in our second game. They have a very good offensive line that’s very much in unison. It’s really impressive to watch. They break the huddle and sprint to the line. We were barely making it up to the line before the snap. They’re in shape. … I think it’ll come down to whoever can slow down the running game will win. It’s going to be a great one. ”
OCVARSITY PREDICTION
Again, passes will be a rarity in this game. Points won’t be. The team that can tackle better in space and get one or two more stops on defense will be the one holding the CIF trophy at the night’s conclusion. Look for St. Margaret’s kicker Charlie Beall to play a major role, booting the ball into the end zone on kickoffs, forcing Grace Brethren to work with a long field. He’ll also kick the winning field goal in a 45-42 thriller.
PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Margaret’s
Offense
George Krantz, QB
Oscar Gomez, RB
Taylor Freitas, WR
Fernando Delgado, WR
Nick Shanks, WR
Austin Locke, WR
Dalan Cragun, OL
Nick Amoukhteh, OL
John McGlinn, OL
Jake Bradley, OL
Stewart Toubia, OL
Charlie Beall, P
Defense
James Eidt, DL
Jake Bradley, DL
John McGlinn, DL
Mikey McGraw, DL
Sam Harnisch, LB
Dalan Cragun, LB
Nick Amoukhteh, LB
Preston Ellis, CB
Ryan Cragun, CB
Fernando Delgado, S
Taylor Freitas, S
Charlie Beall, K
Grace Brethren
Offense
Matthew Woodard, QB
Zikel Reddick, RB
Andre Bannister, RB
Caleb Funk, WR
Daniel Schultz, WR
Tucker Robertson, TE
Hunter Leppard, OL
Sisto Zele, OL
Louie Zele, OL
Tyrus Bergeron, OL
Josh Cabrera, OL
Caleb Funk, P
Defense
Tucker Robertson, DL
Trevor Breithaupt, DL
Alex Lyman, DL
Michael Herwig, LB
Tyrese Gholar, LB
Logan Shurtz, LB
Aaron Morris, LB
Matt Woodard, CB
Blake Cargnel, CB
Karl Kniseley, S
Jameson Betancourt, S
Caleb Funk, K
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
