Central, Bullard avoided each other in regular season. Now they’ll clash in D-I semis
When the Central Section high school football Division I playoff bracket came out, it showed Bullard on the same side with two-time defending section champion Central.
The longtime northwest Fresno rivals haven’t met the past two regular seasons. All they needed to do was advance to the semifinals for their first meeting in two years.
Mission accomplished in quarterfinal games Friday night.
Top-seeded Central (11-0) rolled to a 56-10 victory over No. 8 Ridgeview at Koligian Stadium, while No. 4 Bullard raced out to a 41-point lead en route a 47-21 victory over No. 5 Clovis at McLane Stadium.
That sets up the Bullard vs. Central at Koligian Stadium on Nov. 22.
The Grizzlies and Knights haven’t played since 2017 when Central opened the season with a 44-0 win, then won again 35-7 to start the playoffs.
The programs have played common opponents this season.
Bullard (9-2) lost to Buchanan (28-14), defeated Clovis twice (19-7 and 47-21), beat Clovis West (26-13) and defeated Edison (32-7).
Central defeated Edison (47-12), Buchanan (41-20), Clovis (56-14) and Clovis West (55-21).
In other D-I games, No. 2 Buchanan defeated No. 7 Bakersfield 43-7 and No. 3 Liberty-Bakersfield rolled past No. 11 Clovis West 38-14.
The Bears will host the Patriots in a rematch from earlier this season when Buchanan won 19-17.
An upset in Division III
Higher-seeded teams mostly held serve Friday night – with one huge exception.
Eighth-seeded Central Valley Christian beat undefeated and top-seeded Kingsburg 29-22 in the Division III quarterfinals.
Kingsburg’s 10-0 regular season included a 34-20 win over CVC on Oct. 11.
But the Cavaliers (8-4) scored first and kept slugging the rest of the way with the Vikings, taking a 29-22 lead on Tyce Griswold’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Logan Jacobi with 10 minutes 14 seconds left in the game. Griswold, The Bee’s Player of the Week from the first round of the playoffs, sparked the winning drive with a 60-yard run.
Then with Kingsburg driving late, Dirk Nelson got an interception to help preserve the victory.
CVC led 19-14 at halftime thanks to TD runs by Griswold and Jacobi. The Cavaliers struck first in the game by blocking a punt, then Griswold hit Jake Bouwman for a 13-yard TD pass on the ensuing play.
Fifth-seeded Golden West won 40-15 at No. 4 Highland to set up an all-Visalia semifinal.
Division II rematch
Top-seeded Hanford and No. 4 Tulare Western advanced to a rematch in the Division II semifiinals.
Hanford (11-0) beat Garces 33-20 and Tulare Western (10-2) beat Dinuba 47-10.
Hanford beat Tulare Western 36-28 in late September.
Against Dinuba, the Mustangs threw only one pass and rushed for 493 yards.
Tulare Western set two school records: Tairyn Johnson became its career leading rusher with 4,087 yards. Coach Ryan Rocha, in his seventh season, set the school career wins record with his 62nd.
Big-play Panthers
Washington Union, top-seeded in Division IV, showcased all its big-play talent in a 42-13 win over No. 8 North in Easton.
Asonii McDowell scored two touchdowns and had a 66-yard kickoff return, Darius McCray scored on a 35-yard run and a 40-yard pass, receiver Tory Horton scored on a 10-yard pass and both quarterbacks, Lawrence Stell and Jayden Green, had TD passes for the Panthers (10-1), who next play No. 4 Porterville.
Small-school royalty
Two of the section’s top small-school teams advanced to a Division V semifinal matchup.
Bobby Staley scored four touchdowns to lead top-seeded Caruthers (11-1) past Immanuel 43-7, and No. 4 Strathmore (11-1) beat Arvin 42-21.
Caruthers has been in the past two D-V finals, losing to Kennedy last year and beating Firebaugh in 2017. Strathmore stepped up a division after winning three straight D-VI titles.
Anthony Galaviz: 559-441-6042, agalaviz_TheBee
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 10:36 PM.
