State championship preview: Who does Central Catholic play?
Central Catholic is the last Stanislaus District football team standing.
The Raiders (13-1) play Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista in the Division 2-AA State Championship on Friday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif.
This sets up a state Top 25 matchup as the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champs are ranked 25th and the Crusaders come in at 21st in the most recent CalHiSports.com State Top 50.
Running back Aiden Taylor leads the Central Catholic offensive attack. The senior ranks third in the sate with 36 rushing touchdowns.
After losing to Bellarmine College Prep in Week 4, the Raiders have rattled off 10 straight wins, most recently surviving a late-game surge to beat Bullard of Fresno 44-41 in the CIF D2-AA NorCal bowl game.
“We just rally the troops now,” Raiders coach Roger Canepa said of his anticipation for Friday’s contest. “It’s one week. ... We’ll be ready to go to LA and play a great game.”
Mater Dei Catholic is one of three unbeaten teams playing for a state title – the others are Mater Dei (Open Division) and Fall River (Division 7-AA).
The Crusaders (12-0) finished first in the Metro-Mesa League and the San Diego Section Division III.
After beating Ramona 37-10 to win the San Diego Section Division III title, Mater Dei Catholic won its CIF SoCal Regional D2-AA championship game against Helix of La Mesa 24-21.
Trailing Helix 21-17 in the third quarter, the Crusaders scored the only points of the second half on an 80-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Dominic Nankil to Jeremiah (Jerry) McClure.
“This win means we have one more week together,” Crusaders head coach John Joyner told the San Diego Tribune after the game. “It took every single player, every single coach to get this done. Now we’re going to state.”
Going into Friday’s contest, the Crusaders have outscored their opponents by an average of 43-to-7 and have four shutouts, including a 51-0 playoff win against El Capitan of Lakeside.
Nankil ranks third in the San Diego Section in passing yards (2,835) and fourth in touchdowns (35). He has thrown just three interceptions.
McClure has only played in eight games, but is the Crusaders’ passing attack’s main threat. The 6-foot-3 junior has hauled in 27 passes for 728 yards and seven touchdowns. He has gained 100 or more yards in half of his games.
The three-star recruit holds offers from Arizona, Michigan, San Diego State and USC.
For the Raiders, Canepa says his team is excited about the travel, but they know what lies in front of them.
“We always tell them it’s a business trip,” Canepa said. “Have fun, but we’ve got business to do, we’ve got to play a game.”
Game Information
Game Location: Saddleback College (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
Game Time: 4 p.m.
Opponent: Mater Dei Catholic High School of Chula Vista (12-0)
CalPreps Projection: Mater Dei wins 27-26
