High School

California high school football team wins first CIF State title attempting just four passes

Sonora High wins first California state championship with dominant running game — attempts just four passes.

Tarek Fattal

Sonora running back Tommy Sutton runs against St. Pius in the CIF State Division 4A final at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, Calif. on December 14, 2024.
Sonora running back Tommy Sutton runs against St. Pius in the CIF State Division 4A final at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, Calif. on December 14, 2024. / Donn Parris

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - It took Sonora just three plays to score on its opening drive. It was a microcosm of what was to come — an unstoppable run attack, literally.

Sonora High of Northern California pounded the rock to the tune of 362 yards in a 52-34 victory over St. Pius to claim the CIF State Division 4A championship at Veterans Stadium Saturday night.

The dominating effort gave Sonora the program’s first-ever California state championship, and the historic feat came by passing just four times.

Quarterback Eli Ingalls completed all three of his pass attempts for 153 yards and two touchdowns. The lone pass that fell incomplete was from running back Cash Byington on a trick play attempt.

The running stats from the Wildcats is like something out of a video game.

Tommy Sutton rushed for 161 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. Eli Ingalls ran for 64 yards and touchdown. Cash Byington rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

The team totaled 59 carries on the night and scored touchdowns on eight of its 10 possessions — kicking a field goal on one possession and punting once.

Sonora finishes the year 13-2, while St. Pius finishes the 2024 campaign 6-10 after a magical postseason run to win the CIF Southern Section Division 8 final after earning an at-large berth to the playoffs going just 1-9 in the regular season.

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Published
Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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