By Tony Ciniglio, Staff Writer
Serra junior star Adoree Jackson caught a pass in the middle of the field, darted away from several defenders and saw the goal line ahead of him.
Jackson took off and soared through the air, somersaulting over an Oakdale defender and landing in the end zone in one stunning move for a 27-yard touchdown catch just before halftime.
"It felt like I was floating in the air. It was a great feeling," Jackson said.
Serra was floating right along with its playmaker, cruising to a 42-15 victory over Oakdale on Saturday at Home Depot Center to capture the CIF State Division II Bowl for its second state crown in three appearances.
Serra (14-2) dazzled with its speed. It overwhelmed Oakdale (14-2) with its athleticism.
The Cavaliers used a dream start from running back Marques Rodgers, who scored three touchdowns on three touches in the first quarter.
Then Jackson provided the out-of-this-world moments with three touchdowns of his own, all of the spectacular variety. They included a 50-yard catch of a pass from Jalen Greene, the somersaulting 27-yard scoring catch and a 78-yard fake punt on a fourth-and-31 play from the 22.
Ultimately, Jackson said he had one favorite play.
"It was the final knee," Jackson said. "This is just a blessed feeling.
We came out and played football. To see everyone else so excited, that was so overwhelming for me."
Serra players charged the field after the final kneel-down, charging toward one end zone in a moment of jubilation.
They chest-bumped, high-fived and hugged. They roared when coach Scott Altenberg hoisted the championship trophy, then they each took had their moment with the trophy, individually posing for pictures.
"It feels like we're on top of the world," Serra linebacker Dwight Williams said. "It doesn't get any better than this."
Greene said he was so excited, he rushed the field looking for a teammate with whom to share the moment.
"I just wanted to find someone to chest-bump, and I found Adoree," Greene said. "This is a state championship. This is fun. Hopefully we can make it back here."
Home Depot Center officials tried to quell the traditional celebratory ice water shower of the head coach by dumping the water coolers.
But the jubilant Serra players called an audible and used their water bottles to soak Altenberg.
Not that Altenberg minded.
"That's the best way to do it. Your team works hard from January until now, and all you ask for is to be playing at Home Depot Center and win your last game," Altenberg said.
A drenched Altenberg hugged his two sons, Luke and Nate, and his wife, Amy, as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"I have such a supportive family, and it's great to see them there, especially at that moment," Altenberg said. "They understand this is not just a job for me. This is my passion. My vocation. A calling almost. I couldn't do this without them."
Rodgers, the son of former NFL player Anthony Rodgers, put his stamp on the game with three touchdowns on three touches for a 21-0 lead.
"Last night I had a dream about the state game and that I scored, but it was not three touchdowns. I can tell you that," Rodgers said, laughing. "The first quarter was just a blessing. The line opened up some great holes, and I did what I could do."
Rodgers scored on a 27-yard run at the 8:31 mark in the first quarter, breaking to the outside and showing his speed.
When Serra snuffed out Oakdale's Statue of Liberty play on fourth down, Rodgers broke a 57-yard scoring run on the next play at the 4:45 mark.
Then for good measure, Rodgers plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. His first quarter line: three plays, 85 yards, three touchdowns.
"He came out with a bang," Jackson said. "That's something you'd see in a video game."
Then Jackson came out with his own super-sized video game display.
Jackson hauled in a 50-yard catch for a 28-0 lead at the 7:18 mark in the second quarter.
His somersaulting, 27-yard TD catch gave Serra a 35-0 lead with 30 seconds left in the first half.
Then there was the 78-yard fake punt in the third quarter for a 42-0 lead on fourth-and-31, a daring, ambitious play that only Jackson might be able to pull off. And one that only Jackson might even consider.
Jackson burst down the sideline, high-stepping the final 20 yards and slowing down just as he was crossing the end zone. He was going to enjoy it.
"I just want to make plays," Jackson said. "No one blitzed. Talking to my coach, if no one blitzes, I can take off and run."
Greene went 7 of 13 for 141 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and added nine carries for 105 yards.
Jackson had three catches for 82 yards and a TD. Rodgers had five carries for 96 yards and three touchdowns. Malik Roberson had seven rushes for 52 yards.
Blake Walls added two interceptions for Serra.
Marcus Northcutt led Oakdale with 158 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
Altenberg warned his team not to let Oakdale hang close like Marin Catholic did in 2009.
"I told them not to give Oakdale any opportunities because they play hard," Altenberg said. "In 2009, we had Marin Catholic and we allowed them to wiggle out of it. We couldn't do that with this team because they work so hard."
It was a fulfilling moment for Serra playmaker Anterio Bateman, who was thought to be lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 6.
But Bateman worked hard on his recovery and worked his way back last week in the CIF State Regional Bowl.
On Saturday, Bateman had six carries for 35 yards, added one catch for 7 yards and had a 14-yard kickoff return.
Bateman said linebacker Malachi Mageo gave him encouragement during his recovery.
"I should've been done. But Malachi always told me I was going to make it back, even when the doctors said I was finished this year," Bateman said.
"I'm kind of sore, but it feels good to be on the field with all my teammates.
"This tops it off for sure."
Serra junior star Adoree Jackson caught a pass in the middle of the field, darted away from several defenders and saw the goal line ahead of him.
Jackson took off and soared through the air, somersaulting over an Oakdale defender and landing in the end zone in one stunning move for a 27-yard touchdown catch just before halftime.
"It felt like I was floating in the air. It was a great feeling," Jackson said.
Serra was floating right along with its playmaker, cruising to a 42-15 victory over Oakdale on Saturday at Home Depot Center to capture the CIF State Division II Bowl for its second state crown in three appearances.
Serra (14-2) dazzled with its speed. It overwhelmed Oakdale (14-2) with its athleticism.
The Cavaliers used a dream start from running back Marques Rodgers, who scored three touchdowns on three touches in the first quarter.
Then Jackson provided the out-of-this-world moments with three touchdowns of his own, all of the spectacular variety. They included a 50-yard catch of a pass from Jalen Greene, the somersaulting 27-yard scoring catch and a 78-yard fake punt on a fourth-and-31 play from the 22.
Ultimately, Jackson said he had one favorite play.
"It was the final knee," Jackson said. "This is just a blessed feeling.
We came out and played football. To see everyone else so excited, that was so overwhelming for me."
Serra players charged the field after the final kneel-down, charging toward one end zone in a moment of jubilation.
They chest-bumped, high-fived and hugged. They roared when coach Scott Altenberg hoisted the championship trophy, then they each took had their moment with the trophy, individually posing for pictures.
"It feels like we're on top of the world," Serra linebacker Dwight Williams said. "It doesn't get any better than this."
Greene said he was so excited, he rushed the field looking for a teammate with whom to share the moment.
"I just wanted to find someone to chest-bump, and I found Adoree," Greene said. "This is a state championship. This is fun. Hopefully we can make it back here."
Home Depot Center officials tried to quell the traditional celebratory ice water shower of the head coach by dumping the water coolers.
But the jubilant Serra players called an audible and used their water bottles to soak Altenberg.
Not that Altenberg minded.
"That's the best way to do it. Your team works hard from January until now, and all you ask for is to be playing at Home Depot Center and win your last game," Altenberg said.
A drenched Altenberg hugged his two sons, Luke and Nate, and his wife, Amy, as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"I have such a supportive family, and it's great to see them there, especially at that moment," Altenberg said. "They understand this is not just a job for me. This is my passion. My vocation. A calling almost. I couldn't do this without them."
Rodgers, the son of former NFL player Anthony Rodgers, put his stamp on the game with three touchdowns on three touches for a 21-0 lead.
"Last night I had a dream about the state game and that I scored, but it was not three touchdowns. I can tell you that," Rodgers said, laughing. "The first quarter was just a blessing. The line opened up some great holes, and I did what I could do."
Rodgers scored on a 27-yard run at the 8:31 mark in the first quarter, breaking to the outside and showing his speed.
When Serra snuffed out Oakdale's Statue of Liberty play on fourth down, Rodgers broke a 57-yard scoring run on the next play at the 4:45 mark.
Then for good measure, Rodgers plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. His first quarter line: three plays, 85 yards, three touchdowns.
"He came out with a bang," Jackson said. "That's something you'd see in a video game."
Then Jackson came out with his own super-sized video game display.
Jackson hauled in a 50-yard catch for a 28-0 lead at the 7:18 mark in the second quarter.
His somersaulting, 27-yard TD catch gave Serra a 35-0 lead with 30 seconds left in the first half.
Then there was the 78-yard fake punt in the third quarter for a 42-0 lead on fourth-and-31, a daring, ambitious play that only Jackson might be able to pull off. And one that only Jackson might even consider.
Jackson burst down the sideline, high-stepping the final 20 yards and slowing down just as he was crossing the end zone. He was going to enjoy it.
"I just want to make plays," Jackson said. "No one blitzed. Talking to my coach, if no one blitzes, I can take off and run."
Greene went 7 of 13 for 141 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions and added nine carries for 105 yards.
Jackson had three catches for 82 yards and a TD. Rodgers had five carries for 96 yards and three touchdowns. Malik Roberson had seven rushes for 52 yards.
Blake Walls added two interceptions for Serra.
Marcus Northcutt led Oakdale with 158 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries.
Altenberg warned his team not to let Oakdale hang close like Marin Catholic did in 2009.
"I told them not to give Oakdale any opportunities because they play hard," Altenberg said. "In 2009, we had Marin Catholic and we allowed them to wiggle out of it. We couldn't do that with this team because they work so hard."
It was a fulfilling moment for Serra playmaker Anterio Bateman, who was thought to be lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 6.
But Bateman worked hard on his recovery and worked his way back last week in the CIF State Regional Bowl.
On Saturday, Bateman had six carries for 35 yards, added one catch for 7 yards and had a 14-yard kickoff return.
Bateman said linebacker Malachi Mageo gave him encouragement during his recovery.
"I should've been done. But Malachi always told me I was going to make it back, even when the doctors said I was finished this year," Bateman said.
"I'm kind of sore, but it feels good to be on the field with all my teammates.
"This tops it off for sure."
http://www.dailybreeze.com/preps/ci_22203226/high-school-football-serra-overwhelms-oakdale-win-cif
Source: The Daily Breeze - Tony Ciniglio