Live Updates: Pittsburg vs. Central East in CIF NorCal Division 1-A Regional Championship; Preview, Scoring Plays

Follow along for live scoring, highlights, key plays and other updates as Pittsburg takes on Central East-Fresno at 6 p.m. Saturday in a regional championship matchup of the CIF playoffs

Pittsburg (11-2) takes on Central East (12-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday in a CIF NorCal Division 1-A Regional Championship at Saddleback College. / Lizeth Lafferty

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.

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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

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Live Scoring

	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Central East
Pittsburg

1st Quarter

Live scoring and updates will go here once the game starts.

2nd Quarter

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3rd Quarter

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4th Quarter

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