Chowchilla football on verge of making history with CIF State Bowl appearance

The Chowchilla High School football team knows it has a chance to do something that has never been done in school history.

That’s why there’s no way senior Danny Chavez won’t be on the field Saturday night when the Redskins (12-2) host Sierra of Manteca in the CIF State Division IV-A Championship Bowl Game at Henry Massaro Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Chavez has been held out of practice this week with knee and shoulder injuries after a physical 28-16 win over Fairfax-Los Angeles last weekend.

“He tried to sneak on the field (Wednesday),” Chowchilla coach Alex Pittz said. “We’ve tried to be smart about it and give him rest, but nothing is going to keep him from playing.”

Chavez plays a big role for the Redskins on both sides of the ball – at running back and linebacker. He leads the team with eight sacks and has rushed for 587 yards and nine touchdowns.

“I can hurt the next day,” Chavez said. “I love football, and nothing is going to keep me from playing.”

The Redskins face a Sierra team that has caught fire in the postseason. The Timberwolves (9-5) were the last of 72 teams to earn a playoff spot in the Sac-Joaquin Section with a 5-5 record.

Sierra is led by an athletic quarterback in Mark Vicente, who has passed for 2,361 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also has run for nine touchdowns. Mark Paule Jr. has rushed for 1,452 yards and 17 touchdowns, and Chowchilla can expect plenty of bubble screens to receiver Daniel Wyatt, who has 69 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Timberwolves have impressed Pittz on the defensive end with their physical play.

“I don’t want to diminish one side by saying the other side is better,” Pittz said. “They do have some playmakers on offense. Their quarterback is quick. But I’m happy with our level of play on defense, and I feel our team speed matches up well.

“They do stick out on defense watching film. They’re tremendously physical, but I like our speed on the offensive side, too.”

The Redskins’ top rusher, Anthony Stewart, banged up his shoulder against Fairfax but is expected to play. Stewart has racked up 1,700 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. Alex Gutierrez has also been a big part of Chowchilla’s shotgun double-wing offense with 899 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

With the team preparing to play the biggest game in school history, coming out too hyped up can be a problem for teams playing on the big stage for the first time.

“That’s why we tried to keep the schedule this week as close to normal as possible,” Pittz said. “As coaches, we have to remain calm and hope the kids feed off your positivity and calmness. When we finish drives and don’t put the ball on the ground, there hasn’t been a team that we couldn’t beat. We have to take care of ourselves.”

It’s not as easy with a state championship on the line.

“The special thing is, there have been section championship teams in the past for us, but they never had this opportunity,” Pittz said. “Going forward, there will be teams that will have the opportunity. If we win this game, we’ll be state champions, and that’s the best anyone can do. In the future, the best any team can do is tie us. This team has the opportunity to be the best of all time.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Chowchilla football on verge of making history with CIF State Bowl appearance."