Can M-A rein in penalties in CCS title game?

Yet the primetime play was topped by the one thing that has plagued M-A throughout its two postseason victories — penalties — as Franklin, in the excitement of the moment, jumped to his feet and spiked the ball, provoking a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the process.

“I think we are getting better,” M-A head coach Adhir Ravipati said. “It’s a major point of emphasis. … We want our teams to play with emotional, but we’ve got to learn to control it as well.”

The Bears have in fact gotten better. In their CCS opener — a 45-28 win over Milpitas — M-A totaled 145 yards in penalties, including five combined unsportsmanlike conduct and personal fouls. In the CCS semifinals, a 17-7 win over Palo Alto, the Bears cut that number almost exactly in half with 77 yards in penalties.

As for Franklin’s penalized celebration, the sophomore didn’t even get out of the end zone before Ravipati ran down the sideline to address the issue on the walk back to the sideline. Ravipati said he didn’t say a word before Franklin offered his coach an apology, and immediately owned up to his emotions costing his team 15 yards.

Ravipati’s response?

“First of all, that was an amazing play,” Ravipati said. “But you can’t do that. And he knew it immediately.”

Otherwise, M-A has been firing on all cylinders, especially on defense where the team has dominated this season. The Bears have outscored opponents 373-134. And while defensive tackle Noa Ngalu and linebacker Daniel Heimuli have garnered much of the attention this season, M-A plays 11 deep at all times, meaning the defense, including its talent off the bench, is much deeper than 11 players.

M-A is going to need to summon its best defensive performance of the season in order to stop No. 1-seed Wilcox-Santa Clara, the team the Bears eliminated from postseason play in 2016 in the opening round of the CCS Open Division I tournament.

In 2016, Wilcox finished the season with a 5-6 record. This year, when the Bears and Chargers clash Friday at Independence High School in San Jose at 7 p.m., the Chargers — led by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in junior Paul Rosa (1,292 yards) and senior Gabe Herrera (1,162 yards) — will have a much different look after posting a flawless 12-0 mark in 2018, outscoring opponents 493-127.

“This is going to be a really physical game,” Ravipati said. “They’re very good. … If you beat Valley Christian, you’re a good football team.”

Wilcox opened the year with a 10-6 non-league win over Valley Christian. Meanwhile, M-A dispatched of back-to-back West Catholic Athletic League teams to start the year in Bellarmine 28-0 and Mitty 28-21.

M-A has a much different look since the non-league play, though, having been stabilized by junior quarterback Jack Alexander since joining the team in Week 8 of the regular season. Through four games he has completed 50 of 95 passes for 749 yards and 11 touchdowns, with four interceptions.

Alexander’s emergence — as the fourth QB the Bears have utilized this season — has helped balance an offense that, while it hasn’t always scored with abandon, always seems to answer the call in big situations.

Take the CCS semifinals for example. M-A scored on a season-best 47-yard field goal by Anthony Waller on its first possession. Franklin’s amazing TD reception sent the Bears into halftime leading 10-0.

No sooner did Palo Alto score in the fourth quarter to close it to a one-score game, did M-A fire right back with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive — all seven plays coming via the rushing game of senior Deston Hawkins, who finished with 18 carries for 136 yards — just another of M-A’s many weapons.