CCS Division II football finals: Palma, Wilcox look to control game on the ground
SALINAS — There is no record of Palma and Wilcox High of Santa Clara having ever played each other in football
Yet, from 1990 to 2010, the two perennial Central Coast Section football powers would scrimmage each other before opening the season.
“I think we just got tired of traveling that far for a scrimmage every other year,” Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo said. “We weren’t seeing that kind of offense in our league. It’s not conventional.”
Perhaps.
But the veer offense, an option attack that originated in the 1960s, is alive and well for the top-seeded Chargers, who will face Palma at 7 p.m. Saturday at San Jose City College for the CCS Division II title.
“They have a culture in their program that goes back a long time,” Carnazzo said. “Wilcox is a well-coached team that’s disciplined on both sides of the ball.”
Palma’s defense has played well in the first two rounds of the CCS playoffs. (Raul Ebio – Herald Correspondent)The Chargers (10-2) are in the CCS title game for the fourth straight year, having fallen in the Open Division finals in 2022 to Serra of San Mateo and in the Division I championship in 2023 to Los Gatos.
Owners of three section titles, Wilcox won the CCS Division II title in 2021. Champions of the Peninsula Bay Division, it has won 10 or more games in four of the last five seasons, and is currently riding an eight-game winning streak.
Palma, meanwhile, is the reigning Division III champions and have won 12 section titles during its run of 40 straight playoff appearances. The Chieftains are 5-1 lifetime playing section title games at San Jose City College.
Dating back to last season, the defending State Division 4A champion Chieftains (7-5) have won seven straight playoff games – five of them coming on the road, including wins this year at Sacred Heart Cathedral and in Redwood City, where they beat Menlo.
“We have been a different team in the playoffs the last two years,” Carnazzo said. “It’s good for us to play in a division that is fair for us. We’re a small school, no matter what people think.”
Unlike last season when the Chieftains were sitting at 3-7 going into the postseason after they were forced to forfeit three wins, youth slowed progress in a 5-5 campaign.
Carnazzo brought up 13 sophomores this year, all of whom are seeing significant time, including a pair of offensive linemen who have matured as the season has progressed.
“We feel our offensive line has been a big difference maker in the last three weeks,” Carnazzo said. “It’s a group that has come into its own and has a nastiness to them. They’ve developed this saltiness.”
For an offense that is predicated on running the ball, the timing couldn’t be better.
While Carnazzo limited the carries of sophomore tailback Eli Dukes earlier in the season, he’s still closing in on 2,000 yards rushing after a 218-yard effort in the Chieftains 24-23 upset last week over Menlo.
Dukes has rushed for over 600 yards in his past three games, and has piled up over 1,000 yards in seven career playoff games.
“Our goal was to limit his carries in the regular season,” Carnazzo said. “Now because of injuries, he’s playing defense as well. His carries aren’t extreme. He has a high average per carry number.”
Dukes, who also had 40 receiving yards last week, will go into the game averaging 8.5 yards each time he touches the ball, while Izaak Hernandez averaged 4.8 yards a carry last week.
The Chieftains’ ability to control the tempo with methodical time-consuming drives has enabled them to pick and choose when to put the ball in the air.
In fact, Palma has attempted just 17 passes in its past three games, with nine completions for 297 yards and three touchdowns.
“We have to find a way to balance ourselves out a little bit,” Carnazzo said. “We have to have safe passes, bootlegs, screens and see if we can complete some deep balls down field.”
The return of Montana Tech-bound tight end Aidan Williams has enhanced the passing game, as well as adding another blocker for the ground game.
Since Williams’ return five weeks ago, Dukes had rushed for over 200 yards three times, while catching his first touchdown pass of the season against Sacred Heart Cathedral.
“The targets are there,” insisted Carnazzo. “The protection has been good. We’ve taken few sacks. All the elements are there. We just have to complete some balls.”
The strength of the Chieftains in the postseason, though, has been a tenacious defense that has allowed just seven points in the second half in two games.
Palma High’s Dominic Chaidez (2) makes an interception on a pass intended for Menlo School’s Ryan Jabal (7) in the fourth quarter of their CIF Central Coast Section Football semifinal football game in Redwood City on Saturday. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)Linebackers Caden Scherer and Alfredo Novoa have been menacing inside, while Job Barroso and Xaiver Reinhardt have solidified the front seven in stuffing the run.
Carnazzo compared Wilcox’s attack to De La Salle’s in terms of how effective it is. De La Salle, one of the most dominant programs in the country, also runs the veer.
Brayden Rosa has chalked up nearly 1,500 yards and 25 touchdowns for the Chargers, with Elijah Vallejo being a nice complement, adding 701 yards on the ground.
“It’s old school football,” Carnazzo said. “It’s a quick-hitting offense. It’s fast. They get out of the huddle and snap quickly. It’s pretty dynamic. This might be the fastest-played game you will see this year.”
Whether it was due to injury or design, Rosa has also spent some time behind center taking direct snaps, with an occasional pass.
Kai Imahara was effective in throwing the ball for Wilcox in last week’s 10-7 win over Menlo-Atherton, completing 7-of-11 for 111 yards.
“One of their quarterbacks throws it pretty well,” Carnazzo said. “But they want to run the ball, use the clock and limit the opponents’ possessions.”
Dominic Chaidez has been a lockdown corner all year for Palma, along with returning a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns, while Weldon Chisum has added depth in the secondary, while returning two blocked punts for touchdowns this fall.
With Rosa anchoring a defense with a team-high 92 tackles from his safety position this fall, the Chargers have allowed just 10 points in two postseason games.
“He (Rosa) comes down and makes a lot of plays from the free safety position,” Carnazzo said. “He’s very active on defense and, obviously, a very good running back.”
