First in a series this week on San Diego Section Southern California playoff matchups.
DIVISION 1-AA
Two of the state’s most successful coaches will square off at Cathedral Friday night at 7:30 in this repeat of a Southern California playoff in 2016, when Cathedral defeated the Narbonne Gauchos, 35-28, en route to a 15-0 season and the Dons’ second state championship.
Harbor City Narbonne coach Manuel Douglas is 110-32 (.775) since taking over the Gauchos’ program in 2009 and has two state titles, 28-14 over Concord Clayton Valley in 2015 and 28-21 over Pittsburgh in 2017.
Douglas was 8-6 and 6-6 in his first two seasons, but his teams have won at least 10 games every season since 2011 and three times have won 14. Narbonne is located in one of the most fertile football areas of Southern California, approximately 7 miles west of Long Beach Poly and about 3.3 miles southwest of Carson High, which for many years ruled the L.A. City Section.
Cathedral’s Sean Doyle, who played for the Dons when they were known as University of San Diego High and has coached them since 1996, posting a 193-92 (.677) record, parlayed the 2016 win over Narbonne into a state championship, 38-35 over Stockton St. Mary’s. The Dons also won a title in 2009, when they measured St. Mary’s, 37-34.
Narbonne is named after Nathaniel Narbonne, who came South from the Sacramento gold rush in 1852 and eventually owned more than 3,500 acres of land as a cattle rancher in the area around Lomita and Harbor City. Narbonne passed in 1881 and the school opened in 1925.
Cathedral opened in 1957, a year after the nascent University of San Diego played its first football game.
The Dons are led by Shawn Poma, who played a significant role in Cathedral’s 2016 championship, was injured for much of last season as the Dons fell to 5-7, and returned to rush for 1,413 yards, a 10.2-yard average, and has scored 17 touchdowns this season.
Junior quarterback D.J. Ralph, son of Jerry, the longtime San Diego-area head coach, has passed for 1,194 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Narbonne’s sophomore quarterback Jake Garcia has completed 76 per cent of his passes for 1,802 yards and 13 touchdowns. Sophomore Marceece Yetts is averaging 5.9 yards for 114 carries and scored 6 touchdowns.
TRUE GRID
Cathedral (11-1) is ranked 11th in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and 16th by Max Preps…the Dons’ Cal-Preps.com rating is up to 65.7…the three rating systems have the Gauchos at 13th, 25th, and 54.2, respectively…this will mark Narbonne’s third appearance here…the Gauchos defeated host Mount Miguel, 25-7, in 1971…movie director Quentin Tarentino attended Narbonne, as did Bo Derek, who was an international sensation in the movie Ten…Paul Pettit, major league baseball’s first 100,000 bonus baby, also attended Narbonne…Cathedral lists golfer Phil Mickelson and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton among its graduates…Cathedral came from a 14-0 deficit to overcome Torrey Pines for the San Diego Section Open Division championship, 28-17 in Week 14…Narbonne defeated Los Angeles Garfield, 55-7 for the L.A. City Open title….
