Serra rugby state champs

Despite being undefeated in league play, the Padres had to go on the road to Oakland to face a Dragons team that played more regular-season games and thus had more points to host the title game.

It may not have been easy, but the Padres managed to hold on for a 31-29 win.

Like football, the kicking game proved to be the difference for Serra, which finished the season 8-1. With the score tied at 24-all, Serra’s Drew Takapoutolo scored the go-ahead try, and more importantly, Jack Pearlman kicked the 2-point conversion into a strong headwind to put the Padres up 31-24.

With under a minute to play, however, O’Dowd got a try from OC Lehner, to close to 31-29. But the Dragons’ 2-point conversion kick missed wide right and the Padres held on for the championship.

Parker Van Doren gave Serra a 5-0 lead seven minutes into the match, but O’Dowd scored a try and connected on the conversion kick to take a 7-5 lead. But Serra scored the next two tries, one each from Takapoutolo and Paula Tofavaha to lead 19-7 at halftime.

The Dragons scored early in the second half to close to 19-14, but a Payton Thomas try pushed Serra’s lead to 24-14, setting up the dramatic finish.

Takapoutolo was named Man of the Match for backs, while Thomas was Man of the Match for forwards.

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Regardless of what happens in the CIF state championship soccer games, there is really no question that boys’ soccer in the Central Coast Section is the best section in Northern California.

There were CCS representatives in four of the five Northern California championship games and three of them advanced to the state championship games Saturday in Sacramento.

In Division I, Everett Alvarez got some redemption in losing the CCS Division I title by getting the No. 6 seed in the Nor Cal tournament and beating No. 1 Davis, 3-2 to take the Nor Cal DI crown.

Watsonville, the top-seed, won the Division III Nor Cal title, posted a 3-1 win over No. 2 University-SF. Del Mar, the No. 3 seed, beat No. 1 Liberty Ranch 3-1 for the Division IV championship.

The only team to come up short was second-seeded Crystal, which lost to No. 1 Branson 5-4 in penalty kicks in the Division V championship game.

On the girls’ side, CCS teams went 1-1 in Nor Cal finals. Mitty, the No. 4 seed in Division II, dropped a 1-0 decision to top-seeded San Ramon Valley. In Division III, No. 1 Salinas beat No. 2 Oakdale, 2-1.

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The argument could be made that the Sacred Heart Prep and Half Moon Bay have had better boys’ basketball teams. Despite all the years of success in the West Bay Athletic League and Peninsula Athletic League that led to spots in the Open Division, it did not translate to Northern California regional success.

But the stars have aligned for both teams and it seems like it’s cosmic intervention that SHP (19-11) will face off against HMB (19-11) in the Nor Cal Division IV championship game at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Atherton.

This will be the third time these teams have met and each time the stakes have been higher. The two hooked up the first time in the first round of the Burlingame Lions Club tournament, with the Gators securing a 59-45 victory.

The pressure and stakes were infinitely higher in their second meeting, with the the Gators, again, beating the Cougars. This time it was 71-64 with SHP winning the CCS Division IV championship.

Now they will face off for the Nor Cal crown, guaranteeing a San Mateo County team in the Division IV state championship game Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

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There are still four county teams still alive in the regional playoffs, all only one step from state title games.

In addition to the SHP and HMB boys’ teams, the Priory boys will play for the second straight Nor Cal crown. The defending DIV state champs, the Panthers moved up to Division III this year are proving not be out of place. They punched their ticket to the Nor Cal by holding off top-seeded Natomas-Sacramento, 65-63. Priory, the fifth seed, will take on No. 3 Cornerstone Christian at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Antioch.

On the girls’ side, Menl0-Atherton, the CCS Division I champ, beat No. 2 East Union 68-38 in Saturday’s semifinal game and will make the relatively short drive to San Jose to take on No. 4 Valley Christian at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Nathan Mollat has been covering high school sports in San Mateo County for the San Mateo Daily Journal since 2001. He can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.