Sierra, Sutter have traveled similar roads to regional bowl game

Heavy graduation losses from teams widely considered the best in their program’s history. An uncomfortable post-game talk after an early loss at Ripon High’s Stouffer Field. Maturing fleet-footed quarterbacks. Surprising playoff underdogs.

Yet, here they are, standing shoulder to shoulder with the best football teams in the state.

When Sierra and Sutter get together Saturday evening at River Valley High School in Yuba City, they’ll share more than an end goal.

They’ve traveled similar paths to the CIF Northern California Division IV-A regional bowl, parallel journeys fraught with frustration and uncertainty.

Sutter (9-4) is making its third appearance in a Northern California regional bowl in the last four years.

This season, however, has been a test of the Huskies’ young talent and patience. Sutter lost three of its first five games, including a 28-3 setback to Ripon on Sept. 25.

Huskies coach Ryan Reynolds called up his son, sophomore quarterback Tyler Reynolds, who changed the program’s fortunes with more than 2,000 yards of total offense and 26 touchdowns in 11 games.

Sierra finished fifth in the Valley Oak League at 3-4 and at 5-5 overall was the last team invited to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, making it an easy target for naysayers and pundits alike.

Timberwolves senior Mark Paule Jr. said Sierra (8-5) internalized all that negativity, transforming it into fuel for an unlikely section title run.

The Timberwolves were placed in a wide-open Division IV bracket and eventually pummeled Liberty Ranch 42-0 in the final, clinching the school’s first football banner and a berth in the CIF’s new bowl system.

“We can’t believe that we’ve made it this far, but we have to keep our minds right and stay focused on the opportunities we’ve been given,” Paule said. “We’re not willing to give up now.

“We take what people say, and we just turn it into how we play. People talk down on us but, no matter what, we’ve got each others’ backs. The way we play is our answer back to those people.”

The Timberwolves have been a work in progress since June, when a bulk of the talent on their 2014 Valley Oak League co-championship team flipped their graduation tassels.

Sierra lost linebacker Trevon McCray, the VOL’s Outstanding Defensive Player; wide receiver Hunter Johnson, an all-VOL first-team selection; and standout offensive linemen Lionel Valencia and Conner Melton, among others.

The Timberwolves returned only one starting offensive lineman, 6-foot-6, 335-pound Joshua Fala, making life hard on Paule and first-year quarterback Mark Vicente.

The new-look line features senior center Scotty Teicheira, a back-up last fall; senior left guard Kody Justis, whose prep career has been interrupted by injury; senior right guard Jesse Ochoa, a baseball talent; and senior right tackle Josh Lee, a former all-league soccer player in 2014.

Fala, a third-year varsity player that has been selected to play in the Polynesian All-American Bowl, has been the anchor. His experience and the instruction of coaches Andrew Panigada and Justin Silva have helped galvanize the Timberwolves’ front-line protection.

“The line, it’s what is carrying us right now,” Sierra coach Jeff Harbison said. “We started out raw at quarterback and on the line. Four of the five positions were new. Through experience, we’ve seen a big improvement.”

No one had more to lose with a revamped offensive line than Paule, who rushed for a school record 2,024 yards and was second in the state with 45 touchdowns as a junior.

His production has tapered off with a new cast around him, but he balances that with the only number that counts: one, as in the number of guaranteed games still on Sierra’s schedule.

“There were times I’ve been frustrated, but as the season has went on, I’ve learned to let things fall into place and have faith,” said Paule, who has rushed for 1,238 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

“It’s a whole new line, and I needed to get that through my head. We’ve figured it out. They’ve gotten better, and things have been clicking in this postseason.”

As the line has jelled, Sierra’s spread offense has regained some of its explosiveness.

Shaky and inconsistent early in the season, Vicente has impacted games with his arm and feet. He has thrown for 2,069 yards and rushed for nine touchdowns this season.

In his last six games, Vicente has thrown 11 touchdowns against just four interceptions. He was at his best against Liberty Ranch, finishing 11 of 16 for 199 yards and two long touchdown passes to receiver Daniel Wyatt.

“Mark has come a long way since the beginning of the season. He had to get used to being the head of the offense,” Paule said. “At the beginning of the season, he would make wrong reads and not know when to run or pass. But now with where we’re at in this position, he’s taken control of the offense.”

It starts up front, though.

Sierra is averaging better than 300 yards per game over its last four thanks to an offensive line that has grown stronger as the season has gone on.

Much like the Timberwolves as a whole.

“The offensive line is where everything begins. They set up plays for receivers to catch the ball, for Mark to have time; they open holes for me,” Paule said. “Everything starts with the offensive line. They’re our heart and soul.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Sierra, Sutter have traveled similar roads to regional bowl game."