Benefield: Cardinal Newman facing unexpected foe in state football playoffs

This wasn’t how folks saw it playing out.

In the days and weeks leading up to last Sunday’s selection meeting to determine matchups for this weekend’s CIF regional football championship bowl games, everybody with skin in the game, and even some without, were making their best guesses at who would play whom, in what divisions, and where.

So tonight’s showdown between Division 4 North Coast Section champion Cardinal Newman and Central Coast Section Open Division 3 champion Valley Christian for the Division 2-AA North title?

Most folks didn’t see it coming.

“Almost everybody who was trying to prognosticate this whole thing had us playing Del Oro. It made sense,” Valley Christian Warriors coach Mike Machado said.

Apparently pulling Bakersfield High in as a representative of the northern half of the state for this weekend’s regional bowl games messed with some folks’ dance cards and moved some pieces around.

“I had (Cardinal Newman) playing (Junipero) Serra and I had Valley Christian playing Del Oro,” Gil Lemmon, commissioner of the North Coast Section, told me of his best guess. “I had not had Bakersfield coming into the fray.”

Valley Christian is the highest-rated team from the Central Coast Section and some, including Cal-Hi Sports, had projected that the Warriors would play in the higher-ranked 1-A game, but that slot went to Bakersfield.

And with matchups based on “competitive equity” and not simply enrollment, the selection process was both subjective and complicated. Committee members were analyzing schedules and results well before section championship games were played.

“I know they are individuals who have been looking at this for weeks,” Lemmon said. “I actually got three calls in the weeks leading up to the pairings from state officials asking for my opinion, asking how I thought things would shake out.”

Lemmon, who was part of the conference call but not an official who actually made the brackets, said the final matchups are sound.

It’s the first year that brackets were expanded to include all 50 section champs as well as the top squad from the north and the top squad from the south, which will bypass the regional bowl games and advance directly to the Open Division CIF state championship bowl game at Sacramento State on Dec. 17.

Cardinal Newman coach Paul Cronin didn’t pause to question the process. His team is one win away from vying for a state championship and he likes their chances.

“We are excited about where we got placed,” he said. “I’m happy we get to play some quality competition.”

Cardinal Newman, reigning North Bay League champs and owners of an 11-game win streak, will travel to San Jose to take on the Warriors, owners of a share of the hyper-competitive West Catholic League title, to battle for the right to play in the state championship game.

Newman’s 49-32 early-season loss to St. Mary’s of Stockton, a team picked to play in the 1-AA game - just shy of the open division - impressed the selection committee.

“Our kids played great, super tough against them and I’m glad they did, because it put us in a spot where we get to prove ourselves,” Cronin said.

It impressed Machado, too.

“We watched the film,” he said. “They did a great job. St. Mary’s had all they could handle.”

Cardinal Newman and Valley Christian have a history, but that may mean something only to the coaches.

The last time these two squads played, current seniors were in seventh grade.

The Cardinals prevailed, 35-28, in San Jose.

The meeting before that was the year prior, when Valley Christian handed the Cardinals a 34-0 throttling on Newman’s home field.

But both teams come with an arsenal of weapons.

For Cardinal Newman, none come bigger than quarterback Jordan Brookshire.

The three-year starter has more than 2,700 yards passing on the season, 23 passing touchdowns and a 68 percent completion rate.

Force him out of the pocket at your peril: Brookshire has 1,535 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns on the run.

“They are more of a spread team even though they will run it at you all day,” Machado said. “You watch them on film - they can score.”

Which is why Machado said his tandem of junior R.J. Stone and senior Cole Sanders at defensive end will work to keep Cardinal Newman’s offensive line busy.

“They are going to make sure Mr. Brookshire doesn’t get overly comfortable in that pocket,” he said.

Machado can back up the promise - Valley Christian has allowed an average of 11 points per game while going 12-1 this season.

While Cardinal Newman likes to throw the ball, Valley Christian presents a decidedly different look on offense.

The Warriors average fewer than four completions per game. But behind seniors Javon Sturns and Isaiah Rodriguez, they run, run, run.

“We run tight end sets and we are going to come and pound you,” Machado said.

With rain predicted in San Jose tonight, that offensive formula may play into the hands of the Warriors.

And while the teams present contrasting styles and what was a less-than-expected pairing, both teams promise not only a battle but a fun show.

“I think it’s going to be a great game,” Machado said. “I think it’s what these games are supposed to be - fun to watch.”

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield. Podcasting on iTunes “Overtime with Kerry Benefield.”