Serra seals the deal

Then — as Serra head coach Patrick Walsh so eloquently described by taking from the catalog of rock-and-roll behemoth Led Zeppelin — the levee broke.

The Padres (13-2 overall) answered back with two touchdowns within three minutes to rally for a 38-14 victory over Cajon (14-2) in the state championship game, capturing the first gridiron state crown not just in the history of Serra High School, but the first ever for the West Catholic Athletic League.

“I think it was kind of that whole concept of a heavyweight fight,” Walsh said. “They would run the ball down, we’d punch the ball out. We’d run down there, they’d punch the ball out. Oh man, it’s just one of those fights. And then ultimately the levee broke there at the end and the Padres won.”

The Padres defense put on a defensive exhibition despite Cajon winning the overall yardage total. The Cowboys outgained Serra 496-414, including Cajon’s state-leading passer in Jayden Daniels. The junior logged a big night, going 27-of-39 for 340 yards. But Serra had three takeaways, including one interception. More importantly, the Padres pressured Daniels all night long, racking up seven sacks.

And senior cornerback Patrick Nunn led a relentless performance by the Serra secondary, which allowed for plenty of middle-range completions, but were fairly dominant on the long looks. And Nunn broke up several long pass attempts in 1-on-1 matchups with Cajon’s 6-8 junior wide receiver Darren Jones.

“It was [Nunn’s] first game ever playing corner,” Walsh said, “against an NFL potential wide receiver. Well, maybe we have an NFL potential corner out there. He was unbelievable, the effort he put into his trade. He never practiced corner.”

Serra linebacker Malakai Rango belongs in the conversation of defensive stars of the game as well, even though he will be remembered for his game-changer of a kickoff return. It was Rango who responded to Cajon’s game-tying touchdown in the third quarter to deadlock the score 14-14, as the junior took a kickoff return 72 yards to the Cajon 3-yard line.

“That sparked all of us,” Serra quarterback Luke Bottari said. “The whole sideline was up. And then we punched it in right there. So that definitely sparked something. That was awesome.”

Two plays later, junior running back David Coker — 13 carries for a game-high 142 yards — slammed in for a touchdown on what proved to be the game-winning score.

But, what set off the heavyweight fight, as Walsh described it, was another highlight-reel play by Rango. This one came on defense, in the first quarter, to put the Padres in the driver’s seat in the game’s opening minutes. With Cajon taking a snap from midfield on the game’s fourth play, senior running back Joseph Yarber broke a trap play through the middle and had a look at an open field, only to get chased down by the linebacker Rango for a takedown at the Padres 11.

“I was like 10 yards away but I knew I could catch him,” Rango said. “So I swiped his legs and next play we got a turnover. So everything worked out.”

The touchdown-saving tackle loomed large as, two plays later, Serra cornerback Chris Park upended Daniels, forcing a fumble that Serra senior Tevesi Vakalahi pounced on for the first of three Cajon turnovers.

“That’s a great way to start the game,” Walsh said. “There was a lot of turnovers both sides of the ball. And we had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers. But it’s kind of fitting of our season of misery. Everything we did, we did it the hard way.”

But Serra made the ensuing offensive drive look easy. Going to work with four straight run plays — a 4-yard pickup by junior EJ Lahlouh, then gains of 7, 1 and 8 by senior Isiah Kendrick — the Padres set in motion a deliberate attack en route to totaling 297 team rushing yards in the game.

Bottari was as consistent as ever, completing 10-of-13 passes for 117 yards, including a 20-yard- strike to Patrick Nunn, a 13-yarder to Shane Villaroman, and ultimately a 14-yard screen dump to Kendrick for the game’s first score.

The Serra defense kept the lead intact despite a big Cajon threat in the second quarter. The Cowboys drove into the red zone on a 38-yard keeper by Daniels to the Padres 8. But three clutch stops, including a third-down sack by senior defensive back Isaac Jennings, forced Daniels to the air on fourth down, with Nunn forcing a turnover on downs by breaking up a loft pass for Jones in the corner of the end zone.

On the following drive, Serra marched 93 yards on seven plays — highlighted by a 41-yard completion from Bottari to Kendrick — with Kendrick then scoring on a 1-yard dive to up the lead to 14-0.

In the waning seconds of the first half, though, Cajon enjoyed a big swing of momentum. Serra was marching for another score when, from the Cajon 24, Bottari was intercepted by Cajon sophomore Rodeny Robinson. Three plays later, on the half’s final play, Daniels threw up a 49-yard Hail Mary bomb for Jones to outleap four Padres defenders in the end zone to cut the lead to 14-7 going into the break.

“Our heads were down,” Lahlouh said. “But then again, Coach Walsh came in and said we’re up.”

Wasn’t easy

Serra’s rough patch ran deeper though. The Padres had already lost guard Moses Tameilau to a leg injury in the first half. Then the Padres coughed up the ball to start the second half when Lahlouh got stripped on the verge of the goal line to fumble it away at the 1-yard line.

But a 99-yard scoring drive to tie it was as good as it would get for Cajon. Three plays later, after Rango’s explosive return, Serra scored the go-ahead TD on a 1-yard run by Coker.

After a four-play turnover on downs by Cajon, Serra scored again with Kendrick — 26 carries for 110 yards — scoring on a dive to make it 28-14. Sophomore placekicker Damon Lewis later booted a 39-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to make it 31-14. And on Serra’s final drive of the season, Kendrick scored on a 5-yard run.

“Winning 10 straight WCAL games, to even get to the point to get to this game, and beating Tulare (in the Nor Cal title game) with arguably the best players we’ve ever seen in high school football (in state rushing leader Kazmeir Allen) … it’s the story of the year,” Walsh said. “We came through and did it the hard way. These kids should be celebrated. It’s all about them.”

Villaroman personified that ability to do it the hard way. Despite being banged up all season, battling through an ankle and knee injury that forced him to miss the early part of the season, and be hindered by a knee brace upon his return, the senior earned again his way into the Serra record books Friday. With his 13-yard catch in the first quarter on an out route to the Padres sideline, Villaroman broke the record for all-time receiving yards in Padres history.

The previous mark was set by Alex Biddle in 2003, with 1,533 yards. Villaroman’s only grab of the night gave him 1,534 career receiving yards.