ALAMEDA – While sharp cracks were followed by both deafening booms and yellow confetti twirling through the air, and the din of hundreds of fans and Alameda players hooting and hollering further dominated the soundwaves, there was yet a third layer added to the noise at Thompson Field on Friday night.
As the scoreboard read “Alameda 42, Encinal 7” after the Hornets had won the 69th edition of the Island Bowl, a chant filled the frigid November air in front of packed bleachers.
“This is our house!”
The teams had shared the venue and its patchy grass field this season, with Encinal’s stadium being renovated and thus unusable.
The Hornets entered Friday night wanting to prove a couple of points.
Thanks to a dominant defensive effort that featured three interceptions, two Landyn Cole touchdowns and 157 hard-fought rushing yards for Christian DeGuzman, Alameda won the outright WACC Shoreline title and clinched a playoff berth as the undisputed best team in the league.
But for the Hornets, beating their crosstown rivals for the second year in a row and preventing the Jets from sharing the league championship was just as – if not more – important.
“The scoreboard speaks for itself,” Cole said. “This is our house, and we’ve got the trophy still.”
Alameda’s Kirk Humbles III #11 hoists the Island Trophy after defeating crosstown rival Encinal, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The Hornets secured a 7-3 regular season record and a perfect 4-0 league mark. Unlike last season’s 7-3 team, which was not a league champion and missed the dance, this year’s unit is bound for the North Coast Section playoffs.
“That was motivation for us,” lineman Anelka Okello said. “But we also didn’t win league last year, and this year we turned that around.”
Coach Robin Morris hopes that his team will move from its base in Division II down to D-IV in the section’s new format.
“That’s what we’re hoping for with our history being kind of up and down,” Morris said. “Division IV would be nice, because I don’t think we can hang with the really big schools.”
The game was more competitive than the final score indicated, with the Encinal defense forcing a punt, turnover on downs or getting a takeaway on its first five series.
Jets lineman Filisione Vakalahi was unblockable with three sacks and a forced fumble on the dusty field, and fellow senior Marco Garcia also had a sack.
“We worked hard, and I’m glad our program is headed in the right direction,” Garcia said.
Alameda’s Casey Koga-Dean #3 is pursued by Encinal’s Marco Garcia #56, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
But Alameda couldn’t be held down forever, and the Hornets finally broke through when Casey Koga-Dean hurled a pinpoint strike to Kirk Humbles III for a 10-yard touchdown to cap off a five-play drive with 3:39 left in the first half.
“It’s like he’s playing Madden,” DeGuzman said, describing what it was like watching Humbles III, who also had two interceptions, make plays.
After leaving the halftime locker room up 7–0, DeGuzman made sure his Hornets entered the fourth quarter with a larger advantage when he scored on an eight-yard run with 1:48 left in the third period to make it 14-0.
From there, the worn-down Encinal defense gave up two Cole touchdowns, a punt return score by Jayden Sullivan and a short touchdown dive by lineman Hayden Arndt.
Encinal’s fans looking for offensive excitement finally got something to cheer about midway through the fourth quarter when dynamic senior running back Alexander Marston capped his career with a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown.
The Jets finished their season 4-6, 3-2. Alameda will find out who it plays when the brackets are announced Sunday.
“Finally. It’s my first time making the playoffs here at Alameda,” Okello said. “It’s going to be exciting.”
Encinal’s Alexander Marston #5 rushes against Alameda, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda’s Christian DeGuzman #18 is tackled by Encinal’s Alexander Marston #5, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda’s Jayden Sullivan #28 celebrates a fumble recovery by the Hornets late in the fourth quarter against Encinal, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda’s Landyn Cole #8 rushes for a fourth quarter touchdown against Encinal, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda’s Kirk Humbles III #11 runs back an interception in the second half against Encinal, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda’s Kirk Humbles III #11 juggles an incomplete pass while defended by Encinal’s Deji Salaam #7 in the first quarter, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda’s Deon Bier #1 and Connor Stack #16 celebrate during a romp over Encinal in the Island Bowl, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Alameda’s head football coach Robin Morris exhorts his team during the second half against Encinal, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Thompson Field in Alameda, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)