Barstow and Sutter are set for the CIF State Div. 4AA championship game
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The Barstow football team is on the verge of making history.
A feat that no football team from the High Desert has ever accomplished. A CIF state championship.
The Aztecs will take on Sutter on Friday, Dec. 12 in the CIF State Division 4AA Championship Bowl Game.
“Talk about trying to stay present where your feet are. This really feels like cloud nine,” Barstow head coach Clayton Leleimene. “The best thing about this is that no matter what, this is the last week of football for all of us. So we are ready to unload the tank. I told everyone after the game, give me just seven more days and you won’t hear from me again until April.”
That’s not entirely true.
Leleimene and his coaching staff will lead the High Desert’s all-star team in the annual matchup against the Antelope Valley, which is set for Jan. 25.
What to know
The championship game will be played at a neutral site, Buena Park High School. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
That’s an hour later than usual kickoff times.
There will be another championship game played at Buena Park High School at 4 p.m. Bishop O’Dowd, of Oakland, will take on Christian, of El Cajon, for the Division 5AA title.
If you can’t make the trip to Buena Park, the game will be streamed on www.nfhsnetwork.com.
A close battle expected
For the second week in a row, Barstow is projected by HSRatings.com to lose. The website predicts a 26-22 victory for Sutter.
Last week, the website projected a 21-17 victory for Immanuel. Barstow pulled off a 13-12 victory.
Barstow enters with a 22.1 rating by the website, while Sutter is just behind at 21.8.
Sutter reached the state championship game by beating Ferndale 21-7 in the Northern California regional title game.
What to know about the Huskies
Sutter ended the season 9-1, losing the regular-season finale 22-9 to Casa Roble.
Sutter then went on a tear in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 155-55 before beating Ferndale 21-7 in the Northern California regional title game.
Offensively, the Huskies are led by Braden Scritchfield. The senior quarterback has thrown for 1,659 yards and 24 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Scritchfield has also scrambled for 655 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The running game is led by Losi Asiata’s 150 carries for 1,574 yards and 18 touchdowns, while Max Bringgold has taken 68 handoffs for 719 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Bringgold is also the Huskies’ leading receiver with 29 catches for 617 yards and eight touchdowns.
“They are a spread system offense, they run a lot of zone read and also have a goal-line heavy package, just like we got done playing against last week,” Leleimene said.
Defensively, the Huskies are led by a pair of defensive ends — Troy Bowens and Gavin Lavoie — which both have nine sacks on the season.
Bowens, a junior, leads the team with 82 tackles, including 28 for a loss of yards, with three caused fumbles and a recovery. Lavoie is at 70 tackles, including 24 for a loss of yards.
“Defensively, it’s not going to be anything that we haven’t seen,” Leleimene said. “They’ve made it this far, they are going to be very good at some things. Between us two, nothing at this point of the season is surprising.”
Road warriors
According to a report by The Appeal Democrat, Sutter boarded a bus on Thursday for the 452-mile trip to Buena Park High School.
But Sutter’s been no stranger to traveling during the postseason. The Appeal Democrat reports that the team’s playoff run has covered over 1,700 miles.
Barstow, in contrast, hasn’t had to travel much during the playoffs. Barstow’s postseason began with a short trip to Serrano High School in Phelan for the first round before a pair of home games in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Then, in the Division 7 championship game came an even shorter trip to Newton T. Bass Stadium at Apple Valley High School.
Last week’s regional championship was also played at home.
“It’s been nice playing closer to home because our fans have shown up for us,” Leleimene said. “I know Barstow is going to continue showing up for us one more time this Friday night.”
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Barstow and Sutter are set for the CIF State Div. 4AA championship game
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