California High School Football Game of the Week: Serra vs. Chaminade Preview

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

Photo credit: Raymond Joyce Photography

Twitter: @RJPSports

The battle for the Mission League title is still wide-open with all seven teams having played just one conference game each, but the Thursday night showdown between Serra (Gardena) and Chaminade (West Hills) has a mid-season feel of an end of year conference title game.

Chaminade (4-1) is ranked No. 4 in California, No. 16 nationally, with their only loss coming on the road to St. John Bosco, the No. 8 ranked team in the nation, falling 31-17. Serra (2-2) is ranked No. 34 in the state, but don’t let that fool you. This squad is talented across the board. A two-game stumble out of the gate against Narbonne (17-14) and Punahou (56-42) has led to a two-game winning streak against Dorsey (44-7) and Alemany (38-20).

Both teams have dynamic play-makers that are game changers in all three phases of the game. Serra will not get caught looking ahead with a home game against Loyola (4-1) next week. Ditto for Chaminade; the Eagles have a bye week before seeing the same Loyola team on Oct. 13.

This Mission League game is sure to give fans their monies’ worth as one of the best in the state for Week 6.

Game Information

Location: Chaminade High School – West Hills, CA

Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. PT

Date: Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017

Serra

Blaze McKibbin leads the Cavaliers offense in the pocket. The Class of 2019 rising star has connected on 95-of-154 passes for 1,114 yards, a 62 percent completion rate, with 10 touchdowns. The ground game is a two-headed attack with seniors Mason Bowen and Kalen Thomas. Thomas has 39 carries for 272 yards with two touchdowns while Bowen has carried the rock 44 times for 227 yards with one score.

The Cavaliers passing attack is lethal with seniors John Jackson and Bryan Addison on the outside. Jackson has pulled in 30 passes for 306 yards with one score while Addison has snagged 17 passes for 255 yards with five touchdowns.

On defense, sophomore linebacker Justin Houston is having a breakout season for Serra. The 6-4, 190 pound, linebacker is leading the team with 46 total stops, 18 solo. But make no mistake, this is a Merlin Robertson led team. The four-star linebacker has 37 total tackles with a team-high five tackles for a loss and team-high two picks.

Chaminade

The Eagles are led on offense by Class of 2019 quarterback Ryan Stevens. Stevens has completed 61 percent of his passes covering 1,178 yards in the aerial attack with 10 touchdowns against tough early season competition. One thing that makes the lefty dangerous in the pocket, other than his accuracy, is his ability to spread the ball around. Stanford commit Michael Wilson leads the team with 19 receptions for 480 yards with six touchdowns. Nash Devan is second on the team with 16 balls secured for 174 yards and a score. The third senior in the receiving corps to watch for is Mac Griffin. Griffin is averaging 18.5 yards per reception with 11 passes caught for 203 yards and two touchdowns.

The passing game gets open lanes thanks to workhorse senior running back Andrew Van Buren. The Boise State commit has rushed 81 times for 455 yards with nine trips to the end zone. Stevens is second on the team with 119 yards on the ground.

Chaminade’s defense, like Serra’s, has key defenders at each level. In their linebacker corps, junior Blake Antzoulatos leads the way. The tackling machine has 62 total stops, 24 solo, and 8 tackles for a loss, and 3.5 sacks. Another linebacker coming up with key stops is Shane Scarpace. The defensive front is anchored by Michigan State defensive end commit Parks Gissinger. Gissinger has 24 tackles on the season.

When the ball is in the air, senior Dallas Taylor-Cortez and Chris Rankins are the ballhawks. Rankins has three picks while Taylor-Cortez has two.

Chaminade may have a “leg up” on special teams with five-star kicker Jonah Lipel. Lipel has been perfect this season hitting all 11 PAT tries and has connected on 3-of-3 field goals with a long of 36-yards.

They Said It – Game Preview Quotes from the Players

Blaze McKibbin on Chaminade’s defense: “If we can control the tempo on offense and manage to keep them off the field, we can win the game.”

Ryan Stevens on Serra’ defense: “Playing against a tremendous secondary like Serra has will be tough. Our coaches will have us well prepared for the challenge.”

Serra LB Merlin Robertson: “This is a huge game for us. Best believe my team and I are ready to go to war.”

Chaminade WR Michael Wilson: “Big game on Thursday not much needs to be said about that. They have one of the most talented secondaries in the state, maybe in the country, so it’s going to be a very challenging game but this is the reason why we play football, to compete against the best.”

Inside the Numbers

Offense

Serra

Passing: 293 yards per game

Rushing: 161 yards per game

Points per Game: 34.5

Chaminade

Passing: 243 yards per game

Rushing: 155 yards per game

Points per Game: 36.4

Defense

Serra: allowing 25 points per game on average

Chaminade: allowing 17 points per game on average

2016 Final: Serra 30, Chaminade 28

In 2016, then senior Jalani Eason was a true dual-threat passing for 248 yards with a score and rushed for a game-high 148 yards with two more touchdowns posted.

Ryan Stevens and Brevin White combined to throw for 235 yards with three touchdowns. TJ Pledger (IMG Academy) led the Eagles with 101 yards off 16 carries with a touchdown and caught three passes for 18 with another score.

Featured photo: Ryan Stevens drops back to pass with Andrew Van Buren blocking