Central Catholic back’s string of 100-yard games ends at 11; surgery may be required on knee

Central Catholic High School junior tailback Justin Rice came out of the locker room for the third quarter dressed in street clothes, meaning his season was over about an hour before his teammates finished theirs.

He ended the first half of Friday’s CIF Division IV State Championship Bowl Game with seven attempts for 50 yards, the bulk of that coming on two carries: a 19-yarder and a 20-yarder.

Not bad for a kid playing on one good knee. Rice tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee during last week’s Northern California regional win over Capital Christian. That was the same night his left shoulder was dislocated and popped back into place.

Rice played with the repaired shoulder against Capital Christian and gained a school-record 307 yards. The meniscus tear occurred near the end of the game, and he was held out for the final series.

Rice had an X-ray and MRI performed and was cleared to play, a decision made jointly by the player, his parents, his doctor and the Central Catholic staff.

Basically, it was a matter of how much pain he could handle.

“I thought it would hurt a lot worse than it did,” said Rice, who may need surgery to repair the tear; the knee will be reevaluated. “I really couldn’t cut too well.”

Rice finished the year with 2,146 yards rushing – the second-highest total in school history behind Matt Ringer’s 2,348 – and 30 touchdowns. Rice did fall short, however, in topping 100 yards for the first time as a starter, ending his streak at 11 games.

Promotion for Central – Now, things get a little tougher for Central Catholic. The Raiders will be promoted to Division III for next year’s Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. Under the section’s Continued Success Rule, any team that wins three consecutive titles is moved up to the next division.

Using the current playoff format, if Central Catholic is to win a fourth consecutive state championship, it must first win the section’s Division III crown. Then, the Raiders would need to win the Division II NorCal Regional (the Sac-Joaquin Section slots its D-III teams into the D-II NorCal title game).

This year’s D-II NorCal champ is Clayton Valley Charter, which handled Oakdale 28-7 last week. Oakdale beat Central Catholic 42-28 on Nov. 7 to claim a share of the Valley Oak League title.

The current format could change next year, though. The CIF’s football advisory board passed a proposal that would send every section champ in the state to a regional bowl game – 12 in the north and 12 in the south.

Under that system, Central Catholic would be slotted against an opponent closer to its size.

Sac State or bust – The CIF announced that Sacramento State will host the CIF State Football Championship Bowl Games next year and through 2017.

Hornet Stadium is no stranger to big events, having hosted the NorCal Regional championships this season and in 2012.

“The CIF is pleased to bring the State Football Championship Bowl Games to Sacramento State,” CIF executive director Roger Blake said. “We are excited to be holding this event at a facility which has hosted events such as the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships and will allow for a memorable experience for our student-athletes.”

Hornet Stadium seats more than 21,000 and features an artificial playing surface.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome the best high school football teams in California to Sacramento,” said Mike Sophia, director of the Sacramento Sports Commission.

Elite company – By winning a third consecutive state title, Central Catholic joins national powerhouse De La Salle of Concord as the only California schools to accomplish the feat.

The Raiders have been to the state final four times (2007, 2012-14), and the Spartans have played for a title every year since the CIF went to the bowl format in 2006. De La Salle won four consecutive state crowns from 2009-12.

Central Catholic broke a tie with St. Bonaventure of Ventura, which beat the Raiders 35-21 in 2007.

Calling her shot – As the Raiders were heading toward their locker room and members of the media were heading back upstairs for Friday night’s Division I title game between Folsom and Oceanside, 21-year-old Ali Canepa, daughter of coach Roger Canepa, delivered a Joe Namath-like guarantee:

“See you next year,” she said, smiling.

“Are you calling it?” she was asked.

“I’m calling it,” she replied.

This story was originally published December 19, 2014 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Central Catholic back’s string of 100-yard games ends at 11; surgery may be required on knee."