Serra (Gardena) rolls to 31-3 victory against Apple Valley in Southern Section Division 3 finals: 5 takeaways

APPLE VALLEY– Serra cruised to its fourth CIF section championship in program history on Saturday on the road at Apple Valley. The Cavaliers controlled the game from wire-to-wire in their 31-3 victory in an outstanding defensive showing. Here are five takeaways from the game:

CAVALIERS DEFENSE OWNS THE GAME

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Serra struck first with three minutes left in the first quarter on a field goal by Kai Honda. Apple Valley responded with a Brady Weinberg field goal 91 seconds into the second quarter to tie the game at three. A mere 3-3 was the score with under five minutes left in the first half, and it seemed that a true defensive duel was upon us.

However, once Serra took its first lead with 4:29 left in the second quarter, coming on another Honda field goal, that might as well have been it. Even if the Cavaliers never scored again, two field goals would've been enough to hold, as they became the first team since 2013 to hold Apple Valley under six points.

SUN DEVILS' DEFENSE ALSO STRONG, BUT SERRA WAS UP TO THE TASK

Overall, Apple Valley had a very good night defensively too. Far better than 31 points allowed would indicate, as a result of some other miscues and major trouble maintaining offensive possession for some of the game.

With 3:08 left in the first half, Serra blocked a punt into the back of Apple Valley's end zone for a safety. Rodrick Pleasant returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to Apple Valley's seven, and Cincere Rhaney ran it in for a touchdown shortly thereafter. That extended Serra's lead to 15-3.

On AVHS' next drive, the Cavaliers forced a fumble around midfield on one of theirs foe's lone completed passes of more than 20 yards, and they returned it all the way to Apple Valley's red zone only for Apple Valley to force a fumble and get it right back. On the very next play, Apple Valley snapped the ball into the end zone and recovered it for another safety, extending the deficit to 17-3. Serra was just inches away from adding another touchdown just before halftime after a catch was made inside Apple Valley's one-yard line. However, the Cavs couldn't get a spike off in the 3.6 seconds they had left in the second quarter.

Heading into halftime, the Sun Devils were only down two scores, but they already seemed to be out of the game in terms of momentum, and perhaps, a little out of gas overall. Things didn't get better for them despite continued stretches of strong defensive play. Rhaney found the end zone again with 5:24 left in the third quarter, and Serra led 24-3. Less than a minute into the final frame, Maalik Murphy finished off a touchdown drive with a 22-yard bullet to Matthew Coleman. A good PAT made the score 31-3, and it would hold. A turnover on downs in their red zone and a late interception would both be icing on the cake for the Cavs.

Unlike nearly every team Apple Valley beat this season, Serra was able to hold off the Sun Devils' consistently dominant front seven, with the O-line's pass protection at the center of it. The Cavaliers also ran the ball effectively for much of the night, and even when AVHS swallowed up some rushing attempts for no gain, they at least forced Apple Valley's defense to respect the run. Murphy only finished with one touchdown pass, but he orchestrated a very steady aerial attack throughout the night. Rhaney finished with two rushing touchdowns and roughly 100 rushing yards.

"We gotta run the ball well. When we run the ball well, we force them to concentrate on that, and then we open up our passing game," said Serra head coach Scott Altenberg.

"I think that's been the key this year, 'run the ball to pass the ball', and we have such a great quarterback that if we just keep them off us a little bit, we're going to be successful."

Senior OG Marion Miller said toughness and patience were the keys to the offensive line's success. Miller helped St. Paul reach the CIFSS Division 5 finals in 2019 as a sophomore, and transferred to Serra as a junior to win a CIF championship.

"It feels great," said Marion. "I told my boys in June, we're gonna go to state, and that's been our goal... we fought hard, did what we had to do."

WAR OF RESILIENCE AND ATTRITION

Both of these teams have been underdogs throughout this postseason as a result of injuries. Serra had very promising seasons derailed early on by injuries in 2018 and 2019, and neither ended up with a finals run or a Mission League championship despite massive potential. After a healthy spring season turned into a Mission League co-championship, the Cavaliers again spent much of this season – including from before it even started – with starters missing. Some came back, some didn't. Then, Murphy got injured early in a non-league game against Warren, and Serra couldn't even get on the board in that 14-0 loss.

However, when Murphy and Serra's other injured starters came back able to play at a high level, the Cavs got rolling, and they entered the division championship game having won seven of their last eight.

"They're resilient kids," said Altenberg. "It really started back in the COVID year, that senior class from last year, they fought through so much. And this is kind of the reward, for them and for this team, because of what they had to do. We would tell them, you're going to be here at 11 o'clock on a Monday in pods of 10, and that's what they did. And now we're CIF champions."

"When you only have 40 guys on your team, and 180 boys in the school, injuries are doubly impactful. This year, we've been able to overcome it because they happened early, we had a lot of new guys get reps early, and by the end, we were set to go."

"It's been wild," said Murphy. "This group of seniors, we've been through a lot. Honestly, a lot of guys at Serra haven't won anything in our high school careers, so this was huge. We had nothing but grit and fight in us. I wouldn't want to spend this moment with anybody us else – this is my team, my squad, my brothers."

"We're really just a brotherhood," he continued. "We stuck together through everything, we went through quarantine and all those hard times together... we never gave up, basically. We kept fighting, we kept pushing, and we got the job done at the end."

"That's the Serra heart, to do what we got to do," said Miller. "I'm proud of my boys."

SERRA'S NEXT GENERATION OF STARS SHINE ON THE BIG STAGE

It's no secret that with the senior class Serra has, this was one of its best years to contend for an upper-division championship. With so many starters graduating, mostly on offense, there's a chance the team will take a small, temporary step back next season. But the window rarely closes for this Cavaliers program, and the heavy impact of underclassmen on this game serves as an exciting reminder.

Rhaney, who already has Power-5 offers as a sophomore, was one of the best players on the field, as he usually is. Tre Harrison forced a fumble, and Markell Slaughter grabbed an interception, and both of those defensive backs are freshmen. If the Cavs keep this core together and healthy, then by the fall of 2023, they'll have a substantially higher defensive ceiling than they already did this season, and plenty of time between now and then to reload offensively.

APPLE VALLEY WILL REMEMBER THE BEST YEAR IN PROGRAM HISTORY

If you know Apple Valley football, it hardly needs to be said that this loss doesn't change the significance of this season, and calendar year, to the program: 2021, with its two seasons, was unequivocally the best in Sun Devils history. Their rampage in the spring through the Mojave River League capped off with an eye-opening win against Culver City, their win against Murrieta Valley in non-league play this fall, and of course a finish in the CIFSS Division 3 finals that blows AVHS' entire playoff history out of the water.

As a result, Apple Valley football will never be the same, and they'll return a litany of good players in the fall. There will likely always be a sense of what-if, given that they made this entire postseason run without 4-star Michigan commit QB Jayden Denegal, who is one of the best players and arguably the top college prospect in High Desert history. And how close they came to going all the way might make it sting even more than flaming out early would've. But the Sun Devils' 2022 class instantly leaves an incredible legacy.

MORE: WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS | INTERVIEW WITH MARION MILLER | INTERVIEW WITH MAALIK MURPHY

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