SILVER BOWL SCRAMBLE:
Mack players Michael Joseph and Terron Johnson block Fremont's Roydon Fonua and other players just before pulling ahead of the Tigers in the first quarter of the Nov. 26 Silver Bowl. Mack won 42-26.
December 10, 2010
PAMELA TAPIA, RICKEY McLANE & MARCUS ROBINSON
After a close first half, McClymonds High School won the Oakland Athletic League Section championship title by a score of 42 to 26 over the Fremont Federation of High Schools, the defending champion.
The Warriors’ win in the Silver Bowl, held Nov. 26 at Laney College, finished off a perfect 12-0 season. The stadium was packed mostly with Mack and Fremont parents and alumni, as tickets cost $7 for students.
“We played as family,” said McClymonds senior receiver Marcus Peters, talking about the team of just 22 players, all seniors except for two sophomores and five juniors. “Everybody doubted us. They said we couldn’t beat Pittsburg, and then we did. They said we couldn’t have a perfect season, and then we did. They said we couldn’t win the Silver Bowl, and we did.”
McClymonds is only the second team in league history to finish the season undefeated.
The game started off with the Warriors declining the ball and kicking it off to the Tigers. On the opening drive, Tigers quarterback Dionicio Espinoza threw an interception, shifting the momentum the Warriors’ way. And they scored.
Then Espinoza threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to running back Sione Moli and followed it up with a 32-yard touchdown pass to running back Calvin Fritz, who carried a defender five yards before breaking loose on his way to the end zone.
The two scores helped the Tigers to a 14-12 lead midway through the second quarter.
Mack ended up taking back the lead 18-14 with 1:46 left in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Eddie Heard. On the first drive after halftime, Mack scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion, making it 26-14. They scored again to bring it to 34-14, with a Denzale Johnson touchdown and another two points.
However, the Tigers didn’t back down. Jordan Sanford, Fremont’s running back/cornerback and the East Bay’s leading rusher during the regular season, scored on a 26-yard run with 9:10 left in the third quarter. The Tigers struck again when quarterback Espinoza hit Moli on a 31-yard touchdown pass to make it 34-26.
Mack recovered the ensuing onside kick, and the drive ended as Peters took an end around 51 yards. The conversion was good and the score stuck at 42-26.
Some fans said this was their first championship game.
McClymonds art teacher Rosemary Marr helped football players create “bling” in Mack’s orange and black colors.“It’s disappointing that more students didn’t show up because of the lack of transportation and the price of tickets,” she said.
Mack’s success did not come overnight: The team endured a summer of harsh drills, weight lifting and unpredictable weather along with injuries.
But hard work paid off in the Silver Bowl as Mack rushed for 300 yards, including 185 yards and two touchdowns by running back Ernest Marshall. Heard had three touchdowns and Mack forced four turnovers.
Denzale Johnson,17, said this year’s team had “better defense and a strong sense of school pride.”
Meanwhile, Fremont is already looking forward. “Although we lost, I feel the season was good and we have a young team, so we have a lot of experience for next year,” said Majerle Taugarau, a Tigers linebacker/fullback.
Some of the play-by-play reporting in this article came from the Oakland Tribune.
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