The Gardena Serra Cavaliers will take on the Oakdale Mustangs Saturday 4pm at Home Depot Center in Carson for the CIF Division II California State Championship.
The Cavaliers navigated an extremely tough schedule to earn their spot. CLA was on the sidelines in their opener when senior running back Marques Rodgers late touchdown gave Serra a hard fought 26-23 road victory over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks).
Next up on the menu was a clash with Division I champions Long Beach Poly. The Cavaliers caught the Jackrabbits early in the season while Poly was struggling and earned a 20-12 home victory.
Serra dropped consecutive close games to Narbonne and Chaminade but quickly regrouped to run the table with four straight convincing victories.
2012 Season Highlights: Long Beach Poly vs. Serra
In the playoffs, Serra handled business, notching wins over previously undefeated Lompoc and avenging their loss to Chaminade with a dramatic 30-28 victory over the Eagles to take home the Western division crown.
The Cavaliers defeated the Edison Chargers 27-10 last week to capture the regional championship.
Serra rolls into the state title game with an athletic hard hitting defense highlighted by junior standouts Adoree' Jackson and Dwight Williams.
2014 LB Dwight Williams 2 INTs, Pick Six
On offense, the Cavaliers are led by junior quarterback Jalen Greene and a talented backfield featuring Malik Roberson, Marques Rodgers and Anterio "Taz" Bateman.
On the outside, receivers Darrell Fuery and Gregory Webb have been making plays all year. Fuery hauled in 11 touchdown receptions this season.
The X factor on offense is two-way star Adoree' Jackson. The Cavaliers have increased his offensive workload from week to week because of his uncanny playmaking ability. Jackson has scored seven total touchdowns on offense.
The Oakdale Mustangs head into the contest with an impressive 14-1 record that includes a 27-24 victory over Clayton Valley in the regional championship.
The Mustangs lone defeat came early in the season with a 34-14 loss to Oceanside. Since then, Oakdale has rattled off 13 straight victories.
Oakdale relies heavily on their ground game and features two 1,000 yard rushers in senior Marcus Northcutt and senior Nikk Ryan.
At the helm under center is the efficient senior Spencer Thomas, who has 25 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.
The Mustangs playmaker on the outside is senior Austin Jones who has 48 receptions for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
Both teams will surely bring maximum effort and intensity. CLA will be on the field to capture the action and get post-game reactions from the stars of the game.
