Chowchilla set to host bowl game against Fairfax

Alex Pittz wasn’t expecting a home game this week. The Chowchilla High School football coach was expecting to make a trip to Los Angeles or San Diego.

So it was a surprise when Pittz found out Chowchilla would host Fairfax of Los Angeles in Saturday night’s Southern California Regional Division IV-AA Bowl Championship.

“I was shocked,” Pittz said. “We were following the matchup predictions on MaxPreps and CalHiSports, and they had us playing Belmont (Los Angeles) or Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista). I was ecstatic to see we were playing at home, and that town is going crazy.

“It’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

“It’s special, not a lot of teams get to be this far,” Chowchilla offensive lineman Dylan Rees said. “This is the first time in Chowchilla history that any team has got to a state playoff game. Our whole town is excited, and we want to put on a show for our town.”

The winner will play for the state championship next week against the winner of the NorCal Regional Championship Game between Sierra (Manteca) and Sutter.

The Redskins (11-2) know they will have their hands full with a talented Fairfax (8-6) team that has caught fire in the postseason.

“They are very athletic and big up front,” Pittz said. “They’re a large school of about 2,500 kids. They didn’t come in the playoffs with a very good record. They were 4-6. But they won their last game and ran off four straight wins in the playoffs.

“They look like a team that has gotten better as the season has gone along.”

The matchup of a bigger inner-city school against a team from the valley is similar to the play-in game last week between Stone Ridge Christian and Mission of San Francisco.

The big difference is Fairfax doesn’t throw the ball as often. The Lions like to run the ball behind their big offensive line, which is anchored by 6-foot-4, 375-pound right guard Maurice Gardin. Gardin also plays on the defensive line along side 6-4, 299-pound Joseph Carter.

Lions running back Ramses Hernandez has rushed for 2,826 yards and 33 touchdowns.

“He reminds me of (Noah Beukers) from Washington Union,” Pittz said. “He’s not flashy, and he seeks out contact.”

Pittz said the preparation for this game is a lot like preparing for the first game of the year. The Redskins don’t know how Fairfax is going to try stop Chowchilla’s shotgun double-wing offense because the Lions have spent most of their season going up against spread offenses.

The Redskins are led by senior Anthony Stewart, who has rushed for 1,602 yards and 19 touchdowns. Senior Alex Gutierrez has chipped in with 763 yards and 12 touchdowns.

One area Pittz feels Chowchilla may be able to exploit the Lions is on special teams.

“If I do see one area of weakness, it’s on special teams,” he said. “They’ve given up two kickoff returns in the playoffs. It looks like they only average about 26 yards per punt. Special teams has been a real strength for us this season.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Chowchilla set to host bowl game against Fairfax."