Chowchilla aims for one more special effort

All football coaches talk about the three phases of the game.

Offense, defense and special teams constitute all that happens between the hash marks. The general belief is that if a team can win two of the three phases, it will come out on top more often than not.

That said, few coaches divide their teams’ preparation evenly over the three. With offense and defense dominating the bulk of the game, special teams can occasionally get overlooked. Those teams aren’t hard to spot. They’re the ones that struggle with blocking on extra points, yield long returns and get confused with the handling of pooch kicks.

It’s an area of the game that Chowchilla (12-2) has successfully exploited time and again during the football season and one that coach Alex Pittz hopes gives his team a leg up in Saturday’s CIF Division IV-A State title game with Sierra of Manteca.

“It’s something that we practice every single day, so I think that helps. But honestly, I think it’s the kids that we have that have made our special teams so effective this season,” Pittz said. “There’s a lot of coaches that use it as an opportunity to rest their kids, but if you’re saying it’s one of the three phases of the game, you have to have your guys out there.

“Obviously we’re blessed having guys like Anthony Stewart and Danny Chavez that can take the ball all the way every time they return one, but the onside kicks and fake punts and things like that come down to attention to detail. Our kids take it serious in practice and you see the results in the game.”

The special teams have shined on the Redskins’ march to the state title game, providing big momentum swings in Chowchilla’s last three victories.

Stewart returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown in a semifinal victory over Kerman. The senior has three returns for a score, two punt and one kickoff, on the season, and has averaged 29.3 kick-return yards and more than 20 punt-return yards per game.

Chowchilla hasn’t been bad on the defensive side of special teams, either.

Bernardo Bustillos’ punt block against Washington Union in the Central Section Division IV title game helped permanently turn the tide in the 20-16 victory. The junior gave his team a short field late in the third quarter, setting up what proved to be the game-winning score.

“You always see maximum effort from us on our special teams,” Bustillos said. “A big play like that pumps us up and gets everybody going. Teams sometimes let down when on special teams, and we’ve done a good job.”

That was the case in last week’s bowl victory over Fairfax. A field goal got the Lions on the board just before the half, but Chowchilla swung the momentum right back as Justin Cantrell took the ensuing kickoff 65 yards for a touchdown. It sent the Redskins into the break with a commanding 21-3 lead and helped propel them into Saturday’s matchup with Sierra (9-5).

“I think our success comes from just maintaining focus,” Cantrell said. “Everybody knows what their job is when we go out there. There’s no confusion.

“We also go into it with a positive attitude. We believe we’re going to make something happen.”

That belief has constantly made a difference as Chowchilla has returned four kicks for touchdowns, blocked two punts and three field goals, routinely converted two-point conversions and recovered a number of onside kicks.

In a game that is expected to be a low-scoring battle against a stout Sierra defense (19 points allowed per game against teams not named Central Catholic, Oakdale and Manteca), where field position will be a key, the Redskins’ attention to detail on special teams could prove the difference.

“I think at the end of the day we have a group of well-rounded kids who grasp concepts well and aren’t afraid to make a play,” Pittz said. “There are numerous times throughout the course of a game where the other team can let their guard down, and a lot of times they happen with special teams. A lot of the things we’ve done well come down to feel.

“It’s all about being able to capitalize when the other team isn’t ready. We’ve done a pretty good job with that this season.”

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Chowchilla aims for one more special effort."