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RIORDAN: THOMAS’ TWO-WAY PROWESS TURNS HEADS, DROPS JAWS
Cynai Thomas is best known as a wide receiver, his likely future position in college.
But along with catching two touchdown passes in Archbishop Riordan’s 33-13 Central Coast Section Open Division championship win over Serra on Friday, Thomas showed off his defensive prowess, intercepting a pass late in the fourth quarter with a single outstretched hand in a diving highlight-reel play that sealed the victory and produced an unforgettable moment for the senior.
While beating defensive backs across the field is still Thomas’ bread and butter, the Oregon State commit showed on Friday at San Jose City College that his quick hands translate to the defensive side as well.
“Tracking drills with coach Adhir (Ravipati), bringing what I’ve learned on offense to the defensive side in tracking the ball while the ball’s in the air, turning into the receiver,” Thomas said of how he made the jaw-dropping interception. “Yeah, I don’t know. I just stuck my hand out there and it was there.”
Ravipati wasn’t surprised to see Thomas make the spectacular play. He’s seen that movie before.
“He had this ridiculous interception against St. Francis last year also,” Ravipati said. “There’s nothing that surprises me on a football field with him anymore. He is an exceptional football player. He’s got such great instincts, great competitiveness. He attacks the football.
“I’m really proud of his growth as a leader and the investment he’s made. He’s the type of kid that’ll text you at like 10:30 at night and be like, ‘Hey Coach, play 17 from practice today, if I get this type of coverage look, how should I release this?’ His drive to be great is really special, and he’s gonna have an unbelievable college career because of it.”
– Christian Babcock
DE LA SALLE-PITTSBURG: CHILDHOOD FRIENDS COLLIDE
When it’s game time, De La Salle and Pittsburg are anything but friends.
The historic rivalry between the East Bay schools runs deep, though the Spartans have been utterly dominant for the better part of the last four decades.
But after De La Salle’s 24-17 win over Pittsburg in the NCS Open Division championship game on Friday – the Concord school’s 33rd consecutive section title – there was a lot of love shared between the teams.
“I know a lot of guys up there at Pitt,” De La Salle running back Jaden Jefferson said. “Before the season we were talking about this game and it’s really great to play against your friends from your childhood and compete on the field. It’s all love for all those guys at Pittsburg.”
De La Salle narrowly escaped Friday, and while Pittsburg will go into next season still trying to make history as the first NCS team to beat the Spartans since 1991, there is a mutual respect between the powerhouse programs.
“There’s always been a familiarity with De La Salle. There is nothing new about that,” said Pittsburg coach Ramirez, who was on the 1991 Pirates team that handed De La Salle its last NCS loss. “But it is cool to see them that they know each other, but at the end of the day, that’s always been like that between us. I think that’s what’s made it a rivalry.”
– Nathan Canilao
DE LA SALLE: STAR RB REFUSES TO COME OUT
De La Salle running back Jaden Jefferson apparently doesn’t need any rest.
In the game against Pittsburg on Friday, the University of North Carolina commit played both ways as a running back and cornerback.
California’s reigning 100-meter track champion rushed 106 yards and a touchdown to lead De La Salle to the win.
When De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh tried to get him out for a few plays for a water break, the senior was utterly perplexed.
“We tried to give him a little bit of rest and he looked at me and said, ‘Coach, I’m fine.’ It was more of a displeased ‘Coach, I’m fine.’” Alumbaugh said with a chuckle. “He’s a competitor and he wanted to win tonight. He came through for us and obviously it does not suck coaching a guy like Jaden Jefferson.”
– Nathan Canilao
MCCLYMONDS: COACH HAS MESSAGE FOR CIF
For as talented as Oakland Section champion McClymonds is, one thing is true: The Warriors have no depth.
This is not a new revelation for coach Michael Peters. But after beating Oakland Tech 34-0 on Saturday to capture the program’s 16th consecutive Silver Bowl, the longtime coach made his plea to the CIF.
“We don’t know where we’re going to be seeded at, but for us to be a small school and be put up into Division II or Division III against bigger schools – it’s an honor for us but it’s also a disadvantage,” Peters said. “We got 300 kids at our school and it’s hard for us to play 40 minutes a game with no subs and things like that.”
McClymonds has 30 players listed on its roster, though Peters did say he brought up a good amount of players up from JV for the playoffs. Since 2004, the West Oakland school has never fielded a team with at least 50 players or more and has struggled with depth in recent years.
This season, McClymonds hasn’t ducked anyone as the Warriors have played the likes of Archbishop Riordan and California. McClymonds beat St. Francis in its second game of the season at home.
When asked where he believes his team belongs in the state brackets, Peters said, “I think we should be in the low Division III or high Division IV to make it a competitive game for us and whoever. … I expressed this myself to the CIF, too, same thing. We just don’t have enough to finish.”
The Warriors will be looking for their first state title since 2018.
– Nathan Canilao
SERRA: WALSH TALKS OPEN/D-I FORMAT
Serra coach Patrick Walsh has never had to deal with the consequences of losing in the CCS Open Division championship game.
This year, for the first time in his storied 25-year tenure at the San Mateo school, the Padres reached the Open title game but lost to Riordan.
So Serra will drop down to the Division I half of the bracket and now faces Los Gatos for the Division I championship on Friday at San Jose City College.
It’s unfamiliar terrain for Walsh, who is used to winning Open championships semi-regularly – the Padres won back-to-back Open titles in 2022 and 2023. But he’s excited to break new ground while keeping Serra’s season going.
“It’s an interesting setup, for sure,” Walsh said. “I’ve been coaching for a long time, let’s say that. This is a different situation that I’m glad we got the opportunity to do it. I think the section got it right in the sense that if you put the eight best teams together, then you should probably find two of the best eight. So I’m glad that we have that opportunity to once again buckle up our chin straps and fight for one another.”
– Christian Babcock