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NORWALK — Ugly looked beautiful on Friday night for Clayton Valley Charter.
On the big stage at Cerritos College, the offense could only muster a touchdown and a field goal — its lowest output of the season.
It proved just enough to claim the school’s first California Interscholastic Federation state football title after a 10-7 victory over Aquinas of San Bernardino in the Division 2-AA final.
“It was an ugly game if you think about it,” said Clayton Valley coach Tim Murphy, who finally hoisted the CIF trophy on his third try. “Low-scoring games are always all about defense and playing ugly.”
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The Ugly Eagles (10-5) turned it over on downs four times in a row to open the game but refused to abdicate from their aggressive philosophy on offense.
On its fifth possession, Clayton Valley marched 66 yards on 12 plays and converted a pair of fourth downs, including the 1-yard dive by running back Omari Taylor for a 7-0 lead with 1:24 left until halftime.
“Oh, it’s very stubborn — it’s ugly,” Taylor, who finished with 28 carries for 56 yards, said of the run-first offense. “That’s why we’re called the Ugly Eagles. That’s where we get our name from. We’re going to keep coming at you until you stop us, unless you don’t.”
It’s been an emotional journey for Taylor, a junior thrust into the spotlight after the dismissal of another player from the team, only to find out his older brother died days later on Halloween.
“Honestly, all this was, was love and football,” Taylor said. “I lost my brother and it was one of the hardest times of my life. But, hey, I still had 67 more and they all had my back. They were always there for me and I felt the love.”
Aquinas (13-3), which found itself trailing for a fourth-straight time at intermission, was held to 49 yards from scrimmage in the first half.
The Ugly Eagles forced a pair of turnovers on interceptions by middle linebacker Dylan Seeley and cornerback Rayshawn Jackson as both teams headed into the locker room.
“We’ve been slept on all year,” Clayton Valley defensive tackle Baumgartner said. “Our team just grinded week in and week out. We had a lot of adversity, but this team has too much heart to not bounce back.”
Time of possession proved crucial down the stretch.
Running back Erik Christoffersen, who had eight catches for 88 yards, was deployed in the wildcat formation during consecutive drives in the second half that ate up 15 minutes off the clock.
“We could tell after we started throwing the ball that the defense didn’t know what to do,” said Christoffersen, a junior who rose up the depth chart as the season progressed. “And after we opened them up, they started getting tired in the second half and we just started running the ball on them like we do.”
After the first drive stalled just shy of midfield, Clayton Valley did the unthinkable. It punted for only the second time in the playoffs.
“That whole attitude we try to have, the whole me against the world, the whole, ‘If you’ve got something left in the tank, don’t ever give up,’ ” Murphy said. “We always figure that fourth down is one more down. It’s bit me in the butt a couple of times, but it’s probably helped more often than it’s hurt.”
After forcing a three-and-out, the ensuing drive sputtered just inside the red zone.
The Ugly Eagles turned to sophomore Shane Nelson for much-needed insurance points on a 35-yard field goal that split the uprights with 5:15 left in the game.
“That might’ve been the first field goal I’ve let him kick this year,” Murphy said. “And to do it in that kind of game, that kind of pressure, and he boned it. I still hear the echo of that kick.”
Aquinas kept its hopes alive after a 30-yard touchdown catch by Jalen Cooper with 2:59 to go, but Clayton Valley junior Tanner Maltbie recovered the onside kick and Christoffersen ran out the clock on five straight carries.
A kneel down by quarterback Jake Kern as the final seconds began to expire brought the rest of the Ugly Eagles in a rush of glory onto the field.
“It was completely surreal,” Christoffersen said. “I really couldn’t even put it into words the feeling that I got.”
“I can’t even explain it,” Baumgartner said. “There’s no other team, no other group of people I’d rather win this championship with. It’s a dream come true. There’s only team happy at of the season, I’m just thankful that it’s us.”
Clayton Valley entered its 2014 state final with a 13-1 record — and lost.
It reached the same stage the next year with an unblemished 15-0 mark — and lost.
It finally took a .500 team at the end of the regular season to make sure De La Salle isn’t the only team out of Concord that can call itself a state champion.
Sometimes, ugly turns beautiful indeed.
“History in the making,” Taylor said. “And we’re going to keep making history every year.”
Champions! @cv_football wins 2-AA state championship, 10-7 over Aquinas | @VytasMazeika @leftwich @JensenPhil @EvanWebeck @MarkConley #mercnews pic.twitter.com/3gUBPEQ96u
— Darren Sabedra (@DarrenSabedra) December 14, 2019
