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SERRA: FATHER, SON CHERRISH MOMENT
Long after the final whistle, Patrick Walsh stood outside the Serra locker room blinking back tears. Not because the Padres’ season had ended, but because of who he got to share it with.
Moments earlier, his son, junior receiver Charlie Walsh – no longer the barefoot kid in a Chewbacca suit running down the Serra sidelines – had walked off the field in tears after Serra’s heartbreaking 31-24 loss to St. Mary’s-Stockton in the NorCal Division 2-AA title game on Friday night.
In the quiet of the locker room, father embraced his son, telling him how proud he was that he had the opportunity to coach him this season.
For Walsh, seeing Charlie thrive on the field brings out the dad in him.
“There’s been opportunities for me to move on and coach at other levels, but to be able to coach my son, that is the Super Bowl for me,” Walsh said. “I love these kids, and I have for 25 years. But when it’s my own blood and my wife’s in the stands and we’re sharing stories at home … it just hits different.”
Charlie grew up living the Serra tradition. Every practice, every film session, every game felt like a continuation of a childhood spent darting across the sidelines, soaking in the program’s heartbeat long before he put on the Serra blue and gold.
But getting to experience this season with his father was something Charlie will always cherish.
“He’s just been there for me no matter what. He’s been the best dad anyone could ask for,” Charlie said. “I cried in his arms right after the game, and I’ll never forget that.”
The journey will continue for the Walsh duo.
Charlie was a do-it-all player for Serra, ending the year with 1,066 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns. The 5-foot-6 receiver is slated to be one of Serra’s featured players next season along with quarterback William Orr, running backs Jeovanni Henley and Andrew Takapautolo and highly-touted safety Malakai Taufoou.
“I love that kid and I’m proud that we can build a future around him because he truly loves Serra,” Walsh said of Charlie.
– Nathan Canilao
BISHOP O’DOWD: ‘NO ONE WOULD EVER HAVE THOUGHT’
Bishop O’Dowd coach Hardy Nickerson laughed on Saturday morning when asked about taking his team to a state championship game.
“Well, at Week 4 and Week 5, no one would ever have thought,” Nickerson said, hours after his team returned home on a bus from edging Chico 23-20 on Friday night for the NorCal 5-AA championship. “But I just kept preaching to our kids, ‘Hey, don’t worry about the record. We going to keep playing.’”
Except for a late-season hiccup at James Logan, which cost O’Dowd an outright league championship, the Dragons have sizzled.
They have won five in a row and nine of 10, bouncing back from a 1-3 start that included consecutive losses to Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista, Rancho Cotate and Cardinal Newman.
“We played some really tough opponents early in the season, and it would have been easy for us to just fold up and count the season as it was,” Nickerson said. “But we’ve got a special group of kids, and they really are resilient. They continue to work hard, and they’re looking to improve at every opportunity. It’s just been fun to watch.”
O’Dowd’s season will end Friday against Christian of El Cajon at Buena Park High School Stadium.
At stake: The 5-AA state championship.
— Darren Sabedra
PITTSBURG: PIRATES KEEP HEADS UP
Pittsburg’s season didn’t end the way it wanted.
The Pirates suffered a crushing 55-36 loss to Central East-Fresno on Saturday night in the Division I-A title game, Pittsburg’s worst loss since 2019.
But following the defeat, coach Charlie Ramirez didn’t sulk. He and his team marched into the locker room with their spirits intact.
For Pittsburg, the pain of the moment couldn’t erase the pride it carried.
“As a program, this was mission accomplished in my opinion,” Ramirez said. “We made a NorCal title game for the fifth year in a row. There’s something to be proud of about that because it’s never happened before in this program. We’re here showing everybody that doubted us this year.”
Before the start of the season, there were questions about whether Pittsburg could get to this point again after graduating more than half its roster and a majority of last year’s starters. But with a young team, Pittsburg went on to win a league and section title while making it to another NorCal championship game.
“It’s a tough way to go out, but the Pittsburg Pirates have a lot to be proud of this season,” senior wide receiver RJ Mosley said. “We came a long way from spring ball to get to this point now, so I’m just super proud of this team.”
– Nathan Canilao
MENLO-ATHERTON: HAKA HONORS POLYNESIAN CULTURE
There may be no better way to get ready to play a football game than to perform a pregame haka.
The haka is a traditional dance originating from Māori culture in New Zealand which involves vigorous movements, rhythmic shouting, and powerful expressions of unity, respect and identity.
It is most commonly associated with the dynastic All Blacks rugby team from New Zealand, but a number of football teams featuring Polynesian players have adopted it as a pregame ritual.
Menlo-Atherton is one of those teams. The Bears performed a haka before their NorCal 4-A playoff game against El Cerrito, and it transformed what had been a sleepy pregame atmosphere into a game-ready environment.
“It’s really important for our Polynesian student-athletes to be able to engage with something culturally significant that way,” M-A coach Chris Saunders said. “But also, I think it really embodies something about our school. We are extremely diverse, and you can see that in our football team and coming together in a really cultural thing that way.
“And two, it’s something the football team has traditionally done. So there’s another element and thread of tradition embedded in there for us.”
M-A went on to narrowly lose to El Cerrito 20-16.
— Christian Babcock
BY THE NUMBERS
10: De La Salle will try to win its first state championship in 10 years Saturday night in the Open final against Santa Margarita at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.
7: Number of state championships DLS has won in 16 appearances since the CIF added state games in 2006. The seven state titles are the most all-time, two ahead of Folsom.
4: Number of state championships McClymonds has won in six appearances. The Oakland powerhouse is in the 3-A final.
1: Bishop O’Dowd’s state championship win total. The Dragons will be appearing in their second state final Friday.
0: Previous state championship game appearances for state-bound St. Ignatius, El Cerrito and Lincoln-San Jose.
— Darren Sabedra