Each Sierra Canyon football player received a gift after beating Servite in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs: A mallet engraved with their jersey number.
“It means get up, work, do your job, trust the people next to you and just get the job done,” Trailblazers outside linebacker Sean Jones said.
The mallets are a symbol of the blue-collar mentality that the coaching staff wants its players to embody as they head into a 7 p.m. quarterfinal matchup against Mater Dei (9-0) at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, and the linebacking corps has mastered that mindset.
The Trailblazers (8-3) have assembled a swarming position group led by inside linebacker Ronen Zamorano’s 103 total tackles and 9.4 tackles per game. Outside linebackers and three-star recruits Nevada Miller and Sean Jones record 6.2 and 4.7 tackles per game, respectively.
Sierra Canyon’s Nevada Miller and wide receiver Ruben Gamboa celebrate after a touchdown in the first quarter against Orange Lutheran in a non-league football game in Costa Mesa on Friday, September 15, 2023. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Finding a combination of starting linebackers that provides a balance of skills and chemistry came through a process of competition, something that Sierra Canyon emphasizes overall as a team.
“Every year the positions are up for grabs,” defensive coordinator Chris Rizzo said. “I’m not a believer that if you started as a sophomore, you started as a junior then you’re the incumbent the next year. You gotta compete. New people show up. You can’t just rest on what did last year. It’s ‘What did you do for us lately?’”
Zamorano had breakout games against St. John Bosco and Orange Lutheran and had double-digit tackles in each contest. Although he’s at middle linebacker, the Trailblazers rely on what Rizzo calls “obnoxious communication” — a term he borrowed from USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn — to relay plays and observations in the game.
It helps the entire defense stay connected from the secondary to the defensive line, which has allowed the linebackers to thrive and build their own communication system that allows them to quickly make in-game adjustments.
Niles Davis gains yards for Chaminade under pressure from Sierra Canyon’s Sean Jones in a Mission League game Oct. 4, 2024.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
“We definitely have speed,” 6-foot-2 Zamorano said. “We have some smaller guys but we use it to our advantage. I’m kind of the bigger guy; I can go full gas. But our chemistry is definitely what brings us together.”
Sierra Canyon will need all of that against Mater Dei’s big offensive line and balanced offense that features the arm of Washington commit Dash Beierly as well as the legs of Oregon commit Jordon Davison.
The game will be a rematch of last season’s CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals and mark the sixth and final Trinity League opponent that the Trailblazers have played in the last calendar year.
“We play football just as hard as they do,” Miller said. “At the end of the day, it’s just not being afraid.”
In other playoff games Friday:
San Juan Hills (10-1) at Oaks Christian (8-3), CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinals
Bravo League champion San Juan Hills is on an eight-game win streak. Quarterback Timmy Herr has passed for 2,030 yards and 22 touchdowns with just three interceptions this season. Oaks Christian’s defense looks to bounce back from a first-round playoff game against Oak Hills in which it gave up 26 points. Defensive end Hayden Lowe, who missed the Marmonte League championship game due to injury, returned to play last week and continues to lead the defense with 12 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in 11 games.
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La Habra (10-1) at Simi Valley (10-1), CIF-SS Division 3 quarterfinals
Simi Valley coach Jim Benkert has 312 career wins and La Habra coach Frank Mazzotta has 257 career wins heading into this matchup. The Highlanders edged Mira Costa 27-24 in their first-round game and had a balanced running game between Kenneth Saucedo, Kevin Martinez, Bobby Brooks and sophomore quarterback DJ Mitchell. Pioneers running back Brice Hawkins continues his breakout season and rushed for 215 yards and four touchdowns against Notre Dame last week.
Palisades (9-2) at North Hollywood (11-0), L.A. City Division I quarterfinals
Palisades is coming off a three-point win over South East and has three receivers that have over 500 receiving yards this season. Quarterback Jack Thomas has 2,474 passing yards and 34 touchdowns with three interceptions. North Hollywood, the East Valley League champion, relies on its run game. Omar Muhammad has rushed for 1,929 yards and 25 touchdowns in 10 games and Jagger Belson has added 866 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.