Sierra Canyon cements elite status, beats Bishop Amat to earn Mission League football crown

CHATSWORTH — Sierra Canyon needed just 43 seconds to prove why the program is in a class of its own in the Mission League.

Senior Demarco Hernandez threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to junior Lance Brown, and Sierra Canyon overpowered Bishop Amat 56-7 to capture the Mission League title for the fifth consecutive year.

Brown’s touchdown foreshadowed the evening of dominance by Sierra Canyon (10-0, 5-0 Mission League), which guaranteed itself a top-two seed when CIF Section Division 1 brackets are released on Sunday morning.

Sierra Canyon scored 35 points to open the first quarter, getting contributions from the offense and special teams.

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UCLA commit Myles Baker took a direct snap for 49 yards, Hernandez threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Fletcher Taylor, Darren Haggerty took a lateral before flipping a 31-yard touchdown to Sir Homer King Webb, and junior McCoy Browner returned a fumble for 34 yards, all within the opening period. The win came on Senior Night for Baker.

“It’s a great feeling,” Baker said. “Winning the Mission League title is good because it brings us closer to our end goal. But after today it’s over with, and it’s on to the next week and who’s ever next up.”

Bishop Amat (8-2, 4-1 Mission League) mustered 10 yards of offense on its first two drives and didn’t convert a first down until senior Domenico Duran executed a hook-and-ladder play with a throw to senior Jaiden Combal for 8 yards, who lateraled to Justin Clinton for a combined gain of 15 yards.

Coach Kory Minor used the word “timid” to describe how his team started the game and allowed Sierra Canyon (ranked No. 4 in the country by MaxPreps) to jump out to a big lead.

“I’m going to address that when we get back,” Minor said. “We did some things well. We ran the ball here and there. That’s the best front in the country. We’ll get better. We’ll be better, and our guys knew what was at stake. We knew what we were getting into. They’re a good football team. They are well coached, and they do great stuff. At the end of the day, we have to come prepared to play, and we’ll find out who we play on Sunday and take out our frustrations on them.”

Duran was sacked three times with a star-studded defensive line led by Under Armour All-American and Ohio State commit Marcus Fakatou, Texas commit Kasi Currie, sophomore Stephan Harrison, while linebacker Jaxson Davis finished with two sacks.

The 6-foot-5 Harrison had two tackles for loss, including a stop on fourth and 2. Harrison took on two blockers and came up with the football. Harrison credited his uncle, former USC defensive lineman James Boyd, with helping him become a top defensive lineman.

“I just do what I got to do at practice and playing the game,” Harrison said. “I feel like I have a point to prove this year now that I have two years left.”

Baker celebrated his fourth rushing touchdown of the season by dancing as a tribute to his cousin, 7-year-old Julius “Peanut” Washington.

“It was special to do his little dance for him,” Baker said.

Bishop Amat never stopped battling despite struggling to match Sierra Canyon’s speed and physicality. Senior Noah Ojeda rushed for a 2-yard touchdown with 4:04 to play.

“At the end of the day, you don’t want to lose,” Minor said. “You compete to compete to win. We have to get off to a faster start. We played against a phenomenal opponent, and we had a right to the challenge. We are a physical team; they are a physical team. We were hoping to match their energy a little bit more than we did. But we played a phenomenal team.”

Sierra Canyon has created a culture where there’s Division I talent across its depth chart. Junior Jibri Abdullah II scored two rushing touchdowns while playing behind Cal commit Jaxsen Stokes. Abdullah knows his role and believes having a selfless mindset is the secret to Sierra Canyon’s success.

No matter how much time or who is on the field, opportunities to contribute are found.

“It’s a different type of brotherhood,” Abdullah said. “We hold each other to a certain standard. We hold each other accountable, and it’s a blessing to be here at a school like this. I keep my head down, wait for my time, and when it’s my time, I grind.”