Chowchilla’s Stewart expects to play against Sierra

Chowchilla High star Anthony Stewart should be good to go when the Redskins host Sierra of Manteca in Saturday’s CIF State Championship Division IV-A bowl championship game.

Stewart injured his shoulder late in the third quarter in Saturday’s 28-16 win over Fairfax when he was tackled to the ground. Stewart played one more series on defense but didn’t return on offense.

Stewart had his shoulder checked out at Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera after the game and was diagnosed with a shoulder contusion.

“I wasn’t really nervous (about getting the shoulder checked out),” Stewart said. “I was going to play no matter what they said. It’s just sore. I can move it more. I’ll be able to play through it.”

Stewart, who was named the North Sequoia League MVP, carried the ball 17 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns against Fairfax and has rushed for 1,702 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

“You always worry about it as a coach,” Chowchilla coach Alex Pittz said. “During the game, you just roll with the punches. You do what you have to do to get through the game. The kid has a bright future, and you don’t want to see any young man get injured.”

After a physical game against Fairfax, Pittz and the Redskins’ coaching staff are going to make it a priority to let the players recover this week. Pittz gave his players the day off Monday, and they’ll watch film Tuesday.

“We have quite a few guys dinged up coming off such a physical game. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t just go helmets all week in practice,” Pittz said.

Respect for Sierra

Pittz was impressed with Sierra’s defense after watching film this weekend on their next opponent.

The Timberwolves have caught fire in the playoffs, winning their last five games after a 4-5 start to the season.

“They look really good on defense,” Pittz said. “They get after it. They run a spread offense. I haven’t completely broken everything down yet, but they’ve got some playmakers. Their quarterback is athletic, and he likes to run.”

Tickets on sale

Tickets for Saturday’s CIF State Championship Division IV-A bowl game will go on sale Tuesday at Chowchilla High or they can be purchased online at www.cifstate.org. The cost is $12 for adults and $8 for high school students (with a valid ASB card), seniors (65 and over) and children.

Tickets also can be purchased at the game.

Merced girls forfeit tournament title

The Merced High girls basketball team forfeited its 67-44 win over Atwater in the championship game of Stagg High’s Delta Queen Classic for using an ineligible player.

One of the Bears’ players was ejected in their previous game, and according to CIF rules, the player is ineligible to play in the team’s next game.

According to Merced athletic director Paul Hogue, Merced coach Rob Pierce was unsure if that rule applied to tournament games.

“We’ve got to have a better understanding of the rule,” Hogue said. “Some of it falls on me. I should have communicated better when I got the information. We’ll learn from it and move on.”

The Bears will forfeit the tournament championship to Atwater, and their record drops to 2-3. The Merced player sat out Monday’s game against Beyer.

This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Chowchilla’s Stewart expects to play against Sierra."