Stewart’s four touchdowns help Chowchilla reach Central Section title game

The night started with two skydivers landing at midfield before the national anthem to the delight of the near-capacity crowd at Henry Massaro Stadium.

Then, Anthony Stewart quickly stole the show.

The Chowchilla High School senior returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown near the end of the first quarter. The Redskins’ star added a 31-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and broke free for touchdown runs of 38 and 35 yards in the fourth quarter to lead fourth-seeded Chowchilla to a 46-27 win over No. 9 Kerman in the Central Section Division IV semifinals Friday night.

“I’ll take him,” Chowchilla coach Alex Pittz said. “I’m going to be sad to see him go. He’s such a special kid. He’s a four-year starter for me. He feels like family.”

The Redskins (10-2) will vie for the title Friday night against No. 3 Washington Union, which scored 14 points in the final six minutes to defeat No. 2 Chavez 31-28 in the other semifinal. It’s Chowchilla’s first Valley Championship appearance since shutting out Kingsburg 20-0 in 2008.

“It means a lot,” said Stewart, who rushed for 133 yards on 18 carries and recovered a fumble on defense. “I’ve been working for four years to try to get this. This is my last year, and we finally did it.”

Stewart was part of last year’s team that suited up as few as 17 players for games as they struggled through a 6-5 season. The shortage of players was because Pittz instituted new requirements holding players accountable for missing offseason workouts. The requirements weeded out players who weren’t committed to the program.

“To missing the playoffs in 2013, and having this group last year with only 17 guys playing, I’m so happy to see these guys get rewarded for all their hard work,” Pittz said. “They worked so hard to get to this level.”

The Redskins took control of the game during a 19-second stretch at the end of the first quarter. It started with Stewart’s punt return, as he raced down the left sideline to give Chowchilla a 7-0 lead.

The Lions fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Chowchilla sophomore Damon Perry pounced on it to give the Redskins the ball at Kerman’s 20-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Ryan Selby scrambled right and found Bernardo Bustillos for a 20-yard touchdown to extend the Redskins’ lead to 13-0 with 12 seconds left in the first quarter.

“Momentum is a big thing in this game,” Pittz said. “Special teams has been a big focus for us all year. It started with onside kicks in the beginning of the season. The last two weeks we’ve been pinning people deep with kicks and letting our defense play. To get a score on the punt return and a turnover was big early.”

Chowchilla held Kerman to 78 yards on 17 plays in the first half.

Meanwhile, Chowchilla scored with 49 seconds left in the first half after Stewart recovered a fumble to stop a Kerman drive at Chowchilla’s 13-yard line.

The Redskins marched, and on fourth and 11, Selby scrambled right and found Stewart open across the field for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give Chowchilla a 19-0 lead.

Selby doesn’t throw often in Chowchilla’s shotgun double-wing offense, but he completed 4 of 5 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

“We made a change in how we blocked the defense to get me out of the pocket,” Selby said. “I got to scramble, and that’s when I’m at my best. I made the right reads.”

Kerman moved the ball in the second half. Lions quarterback Sean Chambers rushed for three touchdowns, including a 66-yard score in the fourth quarter. Chambers finished with 112 yards on 17 carries. He also passed for 199 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown to receiver Mason Layton (four catches for 171 yards).

However, the Lions couldn’t stop the Redskins.

Alex Gutierrez broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Stewart scored on two long runs in the fourth, and Danny Chavez had a 49-yard touchdown run to extend the Chowchilla lead to 46-19 with 2:11 left.

Next for Chowchilla is a third consecutive rematch in the playoffs. After defeating Madera South and Kerman for a second time, the Redskins will try to avenge a 30-12 loss to North Sequoia League foe Washington Union on Oct. 16.

“How about the NSL? It shows the strength of our league,” Pittz said. “Our league has some great teams and great coaches. We’re going to have to cover better than we did the first time. They hurt us. Washington Union is a great all-around team.

“That was the game Alex Gutierrez got hurt for us. We scored two quick touchdowns and A.G. got hurt and we kind of went flat after that. Without A.G., he’s a big part of our two-headed monster (with Stewart). It’s going to be a great game.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Stewart’s four touchdowns help Chowchilla reach Central Section title game."