Sonora football looks to add new section banner to old memory

One of the last links to Sonora’s only section championship walks the sideline with a tablet in hand, his reading glasses clinging to the tip of his nose.

Coach Bryan Craig is a blend of things old and new.

He has equipped the Wildcats’ triple-option offense with high-octane plays and allowed quarterback Sammy Page the freedom to drive it anywhere and at any speed.

While he pushes the Wildcats into the future with small touches of technology and tempo, Craig holds the principles and memories that shape Sonora’s storied past.

As the Wildcats’ season has come into focus ahead of Saturday’s Division V championship game against Bear River, Craig allowed himself a brief moment of nostalgia. He dusted off an old memory.

Craig recalled Sonora’s only Sac-Joaquin Section football championship in 1995: a 24-3 victory over Del Oro, a team led by future Stanford and NFL quarterback Randy Fasani.

Back then, Craig was a member of the Wildcats’ freshman coaching staff. He was standing on the sideline at the University of the Pacific, cheering on his son, Shaun Craig, then a senior on arguably the best team in school history.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Craig said. “It was against Del Oro and they had Randy Fasani at quarterback. We knocked him out.”

Josh Parry flew in from the side as Fasani scrambled – a collision of future NFL journeymen – dealing Del Oro a death blow in the first quarter.

“It was a clean hit,” said Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa, then the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator. “That turned the tide a little bit.”

Sonora would snap the Golden Eagles’ section title streak at three, while sealing the Wildcats’ only unbeaten season.

“That celebration, no one wanted to leave the field. They wanted to turn the lights out, but no one wanted to leave,” Craig said. “It was so euphoric and no one wanted to disconnect from that. It was incredible.”

So incredible, in fact, that Craig has been reluctant to share the details with his players. He doesn’t want the accomplishments of the past to muddle the focus it will take to beat the defending Division V champion on Saturday at Elk Grove High School.

In other words, Craig wants them to create their own memories.

Sonora is appearing in its second straight section final, a first for the program. Last season, the Wildcats pushed Central Catholic of Modesto to the brink in the Division IV final before succumbing to the eventual state champion, 42-35.

“We’re focused on winning the ballgame and letting them discover it on their own,” Craig said. “We haven’t talked about the celebration or anything. We just want them to focus on their own game.”

That focus was on display last Friday in a 62-6 pasting of Orestimba. Sonora scored on its first nine possessions to turn the semifinal into a laugher.

The Wildcats rushed for 467 yards and seven touchdowns, and the defense locked down one of the district’s most explosive offenses. Orestimba turned the ball over twice and scored its only touchdown against Wildcat reserves in the fourth quarter.

“That probably was one of our best performances, in terms of offense and defense,” Craig said. “We’ve talked about playing a complete game, and that was it.”

No. 6 Bear River (9-3) will demand perfection. The Bruins won their first seven games of the season before injuries, and a date with Division III power Placer sent them into a tailspin.

Bear River, of Grass Valley, lost its final three games of the regular season but has returned to championship form as its health has improved.

“Our expectations were high,” Bear River co-coach Scott Savoie said, “but we hit a three-game skid we didn’t count on.”

Kyle Uclaray, who rushed for 991 yards as a junior, thought his senior season was over after suffering a torn ACL in the first game.

He’s returned to the field wearing a brace and sealed a 31-21 upset victory over second-seeded Capital Christian last week with an interception.

“I think they’re back to being that team that was 7-0,” Sonora’s Craig said.

Bear River and Sonora have met once before in the postseason. During Sunday’s Sac-Joaquin Section banquet for small-school finalists, Savoie and co-coach Terry Logue hoped for a better outcome. Sonora whipped Bear River 42-20 in the first round in 2011.

“They’re one of the storied programs, as far as I’m concerned,” Savoie said. “Hopefully, we play a little better than we did the last time.”

Craig is counting on it, but he also understands the purpose with which his team plays. The Wildcats may not talk about the 1995 championship team, but they can feel its presence.

The goal Saturday is to provide an old memory with new company.

“They came so close last year,” Craig said. “They want to bring home that blue banner.”

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Sonora football looks to add new section banner to old memory."