HAYWARD – Eriq Fields and all 10 of his Moreau Catholic teammates knew what the old-school three-back Ferndale offense had dialed up 20 yards from the end zone with a little over three minutes to play in the North Coast Section Division VII title game.
So when the visitors dialed up another run between the tackles, Fields belted the ball-carrier with every ounce of strength he had left, jarring the ball loose.
The senior linebacker also recovered the fumble, and then celebrated with his teammates after making the biggest play of the 21-19 victory.
“We had to get that stop, and I knew he was going to get the ball,” Fields said. “I ran straight into him, put my helmet down and hit the ball, and fell on it.”
After Fields’ huge play, Moreau Catholic’s offense burned the rest of the clock with a drive that included a gutsy fourth-and-one conversion on a quarterback sneak by Jeremiah Charles, and a game-ending reception by Miles Moore.
A few seconds later, Moreau Catholic’s overjoyed players celebrated its first ever section title by dousing coach Keith Minor with a Gatorade bath and spraying one another with bottles of sparkling grape juice.
“Like I’ve said before, this was about senior leadership,” Minor said. “We’ve 16 or 17 of them, and they did their thing.”
HAYWARD — Moreau Catholic players celebrate by spraying one another with sparkling grape juice. Moreau Catholic defeated Ferndale 21-19 in the 2024 NCS Division VII football championship game at Hayward High School on Nov. 30, 2024 in Hayward, Calif. (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
Moreau Catholic was the top seed in D-VII, while Ferndale was the defending champion and the No. 2 seed.
Fields may have had the play of the game, but senior wide receiver Jalen Arnold was undoubtedly the Mariners’ MVP. He got the scoring started with a 67-yard touchdown down the right sideline off a nearly-fumbled jet pass on the first play of the game.
After Tanner Pidgeon capped off a 15-play Ferndale drive with a seven-yard touchdown run, Charles connected with Arnold again for an 11-yard score with 1:29 left in the first quarter. Charles completed all 11 of his pass attempts for a Mariners team that went into halftime up 14-7.
Ferndale came out of halftime on a mission, turning two 12-play drives into touchdowns by Luke Dixon and 148-yard rusher Pidgeon to give the visitors a 19-14 advantage. Ferndale ran 65 plays to Moreau’s 27 and dominated the time of possession.
But as Ferndale seemed to gain control, a key point after try block by Seth Evans and a stuff on a 2-point proved critical.
“My goal, no, our goal, was to send these seniors out with a bang,” Evans said. “That’s what we wanted to do, and hey, we got the title.”
HAYWARD — Moreau Catholic receiver Jalen Arnold scores a receiving touchdown in the second quarter. Moreau Catholic defeated Ferndale 21-19 in the 2024 NCS Division VII football championship game at Hayward High School on Nov. 30, 2024 in Hayward, Calif. (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
After making his mark through the air, Arnold gave Moreau a lead it would not relinquish when he returned a kickoff around 90 yards for a touchdown with 8:09 showing on the scoreboard at Hayward High School.
“I told my boys that I was going to take take it to the crib and they believed in me,” Arnold said. “I saw the hole, hit it and I was outta there.”
After a nice return gave Ferndale the ball back at the 46-yard line, a 10-play drive drained the clock and put the guests in position to capture a 14th section crown and make the 280-mile trip back as champions.
Instead, Fields ended Ferndale’s season with the biggest hit of his high school career and put Moreau Catholic in position to play in its first NorCal championship game.
The Mariners won’t be satisfied with just a trip to a regional game. They want a state championship.
“Man, this feels amazing and I can’t wait to do this again at state,” Arnold said.
HAYWARD — A Moreau Catholic player celebrates with sparkling grape juice. Moreau Catholic defeated Ferndale 21-19 in the 2024 NCS Division VII football championship game at Hayward High School on Nov. 30, 2024 in Hayward, Calif. (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
HAYWARD — Ferndale quarterback Tanner Pidgeon looks to hand the ball off. Moreau Catholic defeated Ferndale 21-19 in the 2024 NCS Division VII football championship game at Hayward High School on Nov. 30, 2024 in Hayward, Calif. (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
HAYWARD — Moreau Catholic quarterback Jeremiah Charles looks for a receiver in the first quarter. Moreau Catholic defeated Ferndale 21-19 in the 2024 NCS Division VII football championship game at Hayward High School on Nov. 30, 2024 in Hayward, Calif. (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
NCS Division VI
No. 1 Arcata 28, No. 2 Miramonte 21
Arcata combined a long kickoff return and a 1-yard touchdown run with time winding down in the fourth quarter to edge the Matadors in the NCS Division VI championship game. Miramonte (6-7) had rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to tie the score before Arcata’s (12-1) winning touchdown. Receiver George Gilbert caught a 40-yard pass from quarterback Carson Blair to make it 21-13, but the extra point was no good. Miramonte evened the score on a 4-yard scamper by Derek Youn and Blair’s 2-point conversion run.
The Matadors had one last chance late in the fourth quarter after the Tigers went up by seven. They got the ball back with about three minutes to go and marched to the Arcata 30-yard line, but Blair was sacked attempting to pass on fourth-and-long, and the Tigers were able to run out the clock. Miramonte’s first touchdown came on a 25-yard pass from Blair to Andrew Bjornson.
Miramonte coach Nick Safir said his team played very well on defense in the second half except for the breakdown on the long run back.
“If they don’t have that long kickoff return, I don’t know if they score,” Safir said.
For Arcata, this was its first-ever NCS football title in the MaxPreps era, which dates back to 2004. The Mats were going for their second straight NCS crown and ninth overall. Last season Miramonte won the Division V NCS championship.
While the Matadors lose six key seniors, they should be a force next season with so many players returning. Blair and Bjornson are juniors, and Gilbert is a sophomore. Three starting offensive linemen return, as does most of the defensive backfield, Safir said.
– Mike Lefkow
