McClymonds wins 13th straight Oakland Athletic League title, has work to do ahead of NorCal regional
McClymonds has almost 400 yards rushing in a dominant 45-12 win over Castlemont.
OAKLAND — McClymonds crushed another Oakland Athletic League opponent Saturday night, hoisted the championship trophy, posed for pictures and added another accolade to a list that grows by the year.
While the Warriors indeed smiled for the cameras and seemed content with their hardware, the team’s understated reaction was far from the bedlam one typically sees at the end of championship games.
The Warriors seemed subdued after the program’s 13th consecutive Oakland Section title. Castlemont put up a solid challenge for the first 20 minutes but was ultimately buried 45-12 by a dominant rushing attack led by Jaivian Thomas’ 223 yards and Ferrari Miller’s 156.
Between Miller, Thomas, and Redmani Albert, McClymonds has speed that no team in the OAL can hold down for four quarters. That was on full display in a four-minute stretch where Miller exploded for 45 and 35-yard touchdowns, and Thomas bolted for an 81-yard score to end the first half.
“That speed comes from running hard every day and working on that sled every Monday in practice,” said Miller, who repeatedly gashed Castlemont when he lined up at quarterback and ran option plays.
With yet another section title secured, the question now becomes ‘Are the Warriors fast enough to sprint past California’s other elite teams in a regional or state championship?
McClymonds will find out who their next foe is on Sunday, and which qualification the school will be under is up to debate.
The Oakland school has a non-league resume that few teams can rival, with wins against NCS Division II champs San Ramon Valley and CCS Division II title-winners Bellarmine. Its sole loss was to NCS Division I champion Pittsburg.
Last season’s team also went 9-1 in the regular season, but did so against softer competition. McClymonds was placed in 3-A, beat Campolindo to win NorCal, and then slammed Birmingham 54-7 to win state.
The 2019 team was not as fortunate. McClymonds got put in the tougher 2-A bracket and were hammered 34-6 by Pacifica in Southern California. Following McClymonds’ penalty-filled game against Castlemont, a terse Michael Peters did not exhibit much faith in his championship-winning team’s chances of going very far, regardless of what bracket it is put in.
While McClymonds looks to the immediate future, Castlemont’s coaching staff reflected on and appreciated the journey their team had embarked on this season. The Knights played every game on the road while the school renovated its football stadium, and still won seven games and upset Oakland Tech in the Oakland playoffs. Sophomore Jaidyn West and junior Anthony Ellis both scored touchdowns for a young team that should be even better next season.
“I feel good man, because these dudes fought,” coach Ed Washington said before he set lofty expectations. “The goal is to keep building and go further. We will compete with McClymonds. Trust me on that.”
Catching McClymonds will be quite a task. The Warriors have now won 87 straight games against OAL competition, with most of those by 10 or more points.
The team’s NorCal opponent will certainly present a challenge few of those OAL schools have been able to throw at McClymonds over the last decade. Regardless of who the Warriors are matched up with, one of the team’s star backs is already excited to start preparing for the NorCal playoffs.
“We’re gonna go hard and put everything we can into practice,” Miller said. “I don’t care who we play. I’m just ready to put in that work.”