For nearly a century, Stockton waited, hoping one of its high school football programs would finally break through.
There was St. Mary’s in 2008. Brookside Christian in 2010. St. Mary’s again in 2016.
Each run fell short.
Until now. On Friday, Dec. 12, at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, St. Mary’s (13-2) finished the job. The Rams beat Bakersfield Christian (13-1) 27-24, giving Stockton its first-ever CIF Division 2-AA state championship.
“One hundred fifty years of Catholic education in Stockton, and we’re bringing the national — I mean, state — championship back to St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, California,” coach Tony Franks said.
Jaden Galvan added, “We wanted to put on for our city, and we came out and did it. It wasn’t pretty, but we got it done in the end.”
But at this point, what is a St. Mary’s postseason game without one final sweat?
With 2:17 left in the fourth, the Rams were suddenly in unfamiliar territory. After four postseason comeback wins, they were the ones trying to survive a last-minute miracle.
A 40-yard strike to Michael Smith II dropped the Eagles inside the five, but the Rams held strong, forcing a 23-yard field goal try.
From the right hash, with the chance to tie it, the kick sailed left.
A fitting finish for a team that, in the end, felt destined for this.
“I just prayed to God and He delivered,” Moore III said. “Lord and Savior of the world — He was there with us every time. I shed a couple tears. It was pure joy.”
Galvan added, “I feel like I could do a backflip right now, but I can’t.”
Alexander stuffed the stat sheet with two rushing touchdowns, 75 total yards and a pass deflection that helped set up an interception. Even with two fumbles, wide receiver Ivan Huerta finished with 171 yards and a touchdown.
Moore III added 86 receiving yards, a touchdown and three pass breakups, while running back Diego Hernandez rushed for 105 yards.
At quarterback, Galvan kept the offense rolling by throwing for 271 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
Defensively, defensive lineman Luke Lucatello forced a fumble, and both Mason Eagal and Mil Neudeck came away with interceptions.
“Just go out there and be a dog,” Moore III said. “Do whatever your teammates need to win. We put aside all the wear and tear from the season and just go get it. Do whatever you’ve got to do, lay your body on the line, and finish.”
‘Thunderstruck’
Just before kickoff, AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” blasted through the stadium speakers as Franks stepped into the locker room, closing the door behind him for his final pregame address.
His words took a different angle, but the song spelled out the stakes — high energy, electrifying plays and thunderous hits.
Moore III delivered the first of those “thunderstrucks.”
After Huerta’s goal-line fumble and Bakersfield Christian’s opening touchdown to begin the second quarter, Moore III blew past the secondary on a 62-yard post route with nobody waiting behind him, setting up a 5-yard touchdown by Alexander.
Moments later, he struck again, finding space on another post route for a wide-open 15-yard touchdown.
It gave the Rams a 14-7 lead — one they would never surrender, even if they’d be forced to answer again and again.
“It’s definitely a blessing, because I grew up playing with these guys all my life,” Moore III said. “We won a championship in eighth grade, and to be able to finish out and win a championship again — it’s just a blessing, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Then came the third quarter — Alexander’s own version of Thunderstruck guitarist Angus Young’s electrifying solo.
A blocked field goal. A jet sweep that appeared headed for a modest gain before Alexander burst free for a 52-yard run and an 8-yard touchdown. A breakup in the end zone that led to a Mil Neudeck interception.
Up 20-10 after a missed PAT, it was the perfect high-energy lead-in to the fourth quarter’s climax.
“I was just doing my job,” Alexander said. “Whether it’s offense or defense, I’m going to do whatever the team needs. It helps knowing my coaches trust me. When they put me on that field, I know I’m going to give them my all, because everyone on this team does the same.”
St. Mary’s rolled the dice with a fake punt from its own 13, but Bakersfield Christian sniffed it out and scored three plays later.
It ultimately didn’t matter — at least not yet. Huerta, seemingly stopped after a 4-yard pickup, slipped free on the tunnel screen and took it 54 yards for a touchdown, stretching the lead to 27-17.
Despite another Bakersfield Christian score, the Rams had the ball with less than three minutes remaining, up three.
On third-and-7, Galvan dropped back and found Huerta in a familiar spot. He had the first down, but looked for more — fitting for a postseason where nothing had come easy.
What would’ve been the icing one the cake turned into a disaster quickly. Huerta turned upfield for more, fighting through contact, inches from midfield. Then the ball came out. Another Huerta fumble.
Suddenly, St. Mary’s found itself on the wrong end of the kind of late-game swing it had survived four straight weeks.
Two tackles for loss followed. Then Alexander broke up a fade in the end zone. And finally came the kick — the miss that Stockton will remember forever.
“This team showed incredible heart all year,” Moore III said. “We faced so many challenges and obstacles during this playoff run, but we kept persevering and found a way to pull out a tough win every time.”
Alexander added, “It’s just the resilience this team has. We have heart. Whenever someone messes up or makes a mistake, we lift them up — we’ve got their back. Our heart as a team is a big one. We’re all one, and we love each other.”
This story has been republished to include photos from Friday night’s game as well as comments from coaches and players.
This article originally appeared on The Record: St. Mary’s football sneaks by Bakersfield Christian for first-ever CIF State Championship
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
