High School

STATE BOUND: Central East Roars Past Pittsburg to Win CIF NorCal Division 1-A Regional Championship

Offense rolls, defense forces 5 turnovers as Bengals pull away in dominant road victory Saturday at Pittsburg; check out the live scoring recap

Levi Payton

There's no looking back at last season's failure in the state finals, the Central East (Fresno) Bengals are now looking straight ahead to their state-title date at Saddleback College on Dec. 13. Bayon Harris had touchdown catches of 49 and 30 yards on Saturday night in Pittsburg and now has 25 on the season.
There's no looking back at last season's failure in the state finals, the Central East (Fresno) Bengals are now looking straight ahead to their state-title date at Saddleback College on Dec. 13. Bayon Harris had touchdown catches of 49 and 30 yards on Saturday night in Pittsburg and now has 25 on the season. / Photo by Dennis Lee

Pittsburg  (11-2) entertains Central East-Fresno (12-1) Saturday evening in the CIF NorCal Division 1-A Regional Championship. The winner earns a trip to the state final on Dec. 13 at Saddleback College, where either Pacifica-Oxnard or Granite Hills-San Diego will come out of Southern California.

Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m., bringing two programs back to the stage where each suffered heartbreak a year ago. Both teams enter with unfinished business after claiming section and NorCal titles last season before falling in state championship games at Saddleback.

The Pirates dropped a 28-26 Division 1-AA thriller to Lincoln-San Diego, while the Bengals gave up a 54-yard touchdown in the final seconds of a 21-14 Division 1-A loss to Edison-Huntington Beach.

For Pittsburg — now 101 years into its football history — a state championship is the one box left unchecked. Ranked No. 14 in California by High School on SI, the Pirates have long produced top Bay Area talent and have narrowed the gap on De La Salle under third-year head coach Charlie Ramirez.

Their recent Open Division finals tell the story: losses of 30-23, 10-7 and 24-17 after years of lopsided margins. Last month’s near-miss included outgaining the Spartans 392-340 and doubling them in first downs.

Central East brings one of the state’s most explosive offenses into the matchup. The state’s No. 18 team averages 49.1 points and 541 yards per game behind junior quarterback Jelani Dippel, who has thrown for 4,096 yards and 52 touchdowns. Arizona commit Brandon Smith powers the ground game with 1,790 rushing yards and 27 scores, while wideout Bayon Harris leads a deep receiving corps with 1,499 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Three other Bengals receivers have topped 600 yards and seven scores, including recent signees EJ Morgan (Cal) and Zeb White (Northern Arizona).

Pittsburg will counter with its own firepower, whether senior Carlos Torres — the team’s statistical leader with 2,387 passing yards and 29 touchdowns — or sophomore JaVale Jones, who took every snap against De La Salle. Arizona signee RJ Mosley headlines a productive receiving group alongside Ward and King Wade, giving the Pirates the balance they’ll need against a Central East team built to score in bunches. Pittsburg has been close on the state stage before; getting back there will require slowing one of California’s most dangerous attacks.

Follow this page and refresh your browser often once the game begins for updated live scoring and highlights throughout the game.

Players to Watch

For Central East

Brandon Smith, RB-DB, sr. — Four-star recruit, Arizona signee; 192 carries, 1,790 yards, 27 TDs; 22 receptions, 371 yards, 5 TDs; 4 INT, 13 pass breakups

EJ Morgan, WR, sr. — Three-star recruit, California signee; 55 receptions, 803 yards, 8 TDs

Bayon Harris, WR, jr. — 72 receptions, 1,499 yards, 23 TDs

Kevin Cooks, WR, soph. — 42 receptions, 662 yards, 7 TDs

Titus Thomas, WR, soph. — 35 receptions, 616 yards, 7 TDs

Jelani Dippel, QB, jr. — 223 of 343, 4,096 yards, 52 TDs, 4 INT

Chris Perry, S, sr. — 102 tackles, 4 INT, 13 pass breakups, 1 fumble caused

For Pittsburg

RJ Mosley Jr., WR, sr. — Four-star recruit, Arizona signee; 75 receptions, 1,211 yards, 12 TDs

Kenneth Ward, WR, soph. — Three-star recruit; 41 receptions, 707 yards, 9 TDs

Carlos Torres, QB, sr. — 157 of 229, 2,387 yards, 29 TDs, 7 INT

Javale Jones, QB, soph. — 106 of 149, 1,338 yards, 15 TDs, 3 INT

Truly Bell, CB, sr. — Three-star recruit, Fresno State signee; 26 tackles, 2 INT, 7 pass breakups

Japeth Tofaeono, LB, sr. — 93 tackles, 21 TFL, 2 sacks, 18 QB hurries, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

Live Scoring

1Q

2Q

3Q

4Q

Final

Central East

14

20

14

7

55

Pittsburg

7

7

0

22

36

1st Quarter

Pittsburg received the opening kickoff and opened possession at its own 46 after a nice return by Kenny Ward.

PUNT! Pittsburg missed on a potential 50-yard touchdown pass on a dropped ball to a wide open receiver and then was forced to punt on fourth down. The punt pinned Central East on its own 2 with 10:43 left in the first.

TOUCHDOWN! Central East quarterback Jelani Dippel tossed a 22-yard pass to Andrew Garcia, his first touchdown reception of the season, to cap a 98-yard drive that took just over 2 minutes off the clock. The PAT made it 7-0 with 8:21 left in the first.

Pittsburg's second drive began at its own 17.

BIG PLAY! On the first play of Pittsburg's second drive, sophomore quarterback Javale Jones, on his first play from scrimmage, took a keeper 33 yards to midfield.

INTERCEPTION! With 7:10 left in the first, Central East's Jontae Della picked off Jones's first pass attempt to set up first down at the Bengals' 41.

TOUCHDOWN! Bengals wide receiver Bayon Harris blew past the Pirates' defense and caught a 45-yard strike from Jelani Dippel with 5:37 left to take a 14-0 lead.

BIG PLAY! Kenny Ward caught a 39-yard strike from Carlos Torres on a crossing route to set up first-and-goal at the Bengals' 3.

TOUCHDOWN! Pittsburg four-star wide receiver RJ Mosley Mossed a Central East defensive back with a tremendous one-handed catch for a 7-yard touchdown, cutting the Bengals' lead in half, 14-7, with 2:43 remaining in the first. The catch would've made Randy proud.

PUNT! With 9 seconds left in the first quarter, Central East punted it to Pittsburg's 31.

End 1: Central East 14, Pittsburg 7

2nd Quarter

On the first play of the second quarter, pre-snap confusion led to post-snap confusion for the Pirates, and a swing pass to receiver RJ Mosley resulted in an 11-yard loss.

PUNT! Following the big loss, Pittsburg booted the ball back to Central East's 46 with 11:01.

TOUCHDOWN! On the second play from scrimmage after the punt, Central East's Xavior Jones, who is part of a 4x400 relay team that placed in state, swept around the left end on a reverse and raced 52 yards untouched to make it 21-7 with 10:42 left in the half.

PUNT! Pittsburg's drive stalled near midfield and punted it back to the Bengals with 8:08 left in the half. Central East began its fifth possession at its own 45.

TOUCHDOWN! The Bengals needed only three plays, as Bayon Harris came back on an underthrown pass, caught it, and walked into the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown with 7:28 left in the half. It was Harris's second TD of the night and 25th of the season. Central East's lead swelled to 28-7, quieting the Pittsbug crowd.

FUMBLE! On a short pass, Pittsburg coughed up the ball and the Bengals jumped on it at the Pirates' 23 with 6:48 left in the half. It didn't appear the receiver ever fully possessed the ball, but Central East got the call and the ball.

TOUCHDOWN! Off the turnover, the Bengals needed only three plays to get into the end zone again. Brandon Smith scored easily on a 4-yard run with 6:29 left in the half. The PAT failed, but Central East extended the lead to 34-7.

BIG PLAY! Kenny Ward caught a pass from Javale Jones and raced 79 yards before being tackled by Brandon Smith at the Bengals' 1.

TOUCHDOWN! Pittsburg senior running back Caleb Smith scored on a 1-yard run with 5:43 left to cap a 2-play, 80-yard drive to make it 34-14.

INTERCEPTION! On fourth-and-10, Jelani Dippel was in the grasp of a defender when he spun and heaved a pass into the end zone, but Pittsburg sophomore Jeremiah Edwards picked it off with 3 minutes left in the half. It was only the fifth interception of the season for Dippel. It was a key stop for the Pirates.

INTERCEPTION! The Pirates were driving fast, but Central East took the ball right back when junior outside linebacker Lonzo Jenkins jumped in front of a Pittsburg pass with 1:36 left in the half and picked it off at the Bengals' 22.

SACK! Pittsburg defensive lineman Xavier Fatu sacked Dippel with 6 seconds left in the half at the Pirates' 38.

INTERCEPTION! On the final play of the half, Jeremiah Edwards picked off Dippel for the second time of the night on a great catch in the end zone. Dippel entered the game with only 4 interceptions all season, but he has two in the Bengals' last two possessions of the half; both coming on desperation heaves.

HALFTIME: Central East 34, Pittsburg 14

3rd Quarter

Pittsburg attempted an onside kick to start the second half, but the Pirates touched the ball before it went 10 yards, giving Central East possession at the Pittsburg 49.

TOUCHDOWN! Pittsburg sold out on a blitz and Jelani Dippel lofted a pass to EJ Moran for 35 yards. It was Morgan's ninth touchdown reception of the season, giving Central East a 41-14 lead with 9:45 left in the third.

FUMBLE! King Wade fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Central East recovered at the Pirates' 27 with 9:37 to go in the third.

TOUCHDOWN! Despite being hobbled two plays earlier, Bengals star running back/defensive back/punter Brandon Smith came back in and scored on a 2-yard run with 6:07 left to make it 48-14. Pittsburg's offense had yet to touch the ball in the second half, while Central East already had two possessions and scored two touchdowns.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Central East got the ball back with 4:18 left in the third at its own 49 after stopping Pittsburg about a football shy of a first down on a fourth-down play.

INTERCEPTION! Antjuan Holly picked off Dippel at the Pirates' 24 with 2 minutes left in the third. It was the third interception of Dippel for the Pirates' defense in the game.

The third quarter ended with the Pirates driving at the Bengals' 18.

End 3: Central East 48, Pittsburg 14

4th Quarter

TOUCHDOWN! On the second play of the fourth quarter, Pirates receiver Kenny Ward caught an 18-yard pass from Carlos Torres on fourth-and-8 to make it 48-21 with 11:47 left in the game.

Pittsburg attempted another onside kick after the touchdown, but the Bengals recovered it at the 50.

FAKE PUNT! TURNOVER ON DOWNS! Central East attempted a fake punt from midfield with 10:15 left, but they were stopped well short and gave the ball back to the Pirates at the 50.

TOUCHDOWN! RJ Mosley scored again, hauling in a 42-yard pass from Carlos Torres to cap a 4-play, 50-yard drive to pull within 20, 48-28, with 9:41 left.

Central City recovered an onside kick at the 50 with 9:41 left, but the Pirates' defense quickly forced the Bengals to go three-and-out.

PUNT! Central East punted it back to the Pirates' 30 with 8 minutes left.

INTERCEPTION! On Pittsburg's first offensive play after getting the ball back at their own 30, Torres was picked off by Central East linebacker Juan Ochoa at the Pirates' 41 and returned it to the 34. The turnover was Pittsburg's fifth of the game.

TOUCHDOWN! Jelani Dippel pulled in an option read and raced 10 yards off the right end for a touchdown to make it 55-28 with 4:41 left in regulation.

TOUCHDOWN! Pittsburg quarterback Carlos Torres hooked up with Kenny Ward on a 58-yard touchdown pass and then completed a conversion pass to RJ Mosley with 3:03 to go to make it 55-36.

FINAL: Central East 55, Pittsburg 36

Central East (13-1) claimed the CIF NorCal Division 1-A regional title and is headed back to a state championship game for the second consecutive season. The Bengals forced five turnovers in the game and dominated on offense with another impressive showing.

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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.

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