Cathedral Catholic outlasts St. Mary's as talented back rushes for 329 yards and five touchdowns; Game changes lead four times in the fourth quarter and features 1,051 yards.

Saturday, December 20, 2008


Bowl Championships

Division II: Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 37, St. Mary’s (Stockton) 34

CC stars: Tyler Gaffney 329 yards rushing, 5 TDs; QB Parker Hipp 9 of 11, 191 yards

SM stars: Cody Vaz 31 of 46, 336 yards, 4 TDs; WR Louie Lechich 15 catches, 157 yards, 2 TDs


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By Mitch Stephens

MaxPreps.com


CARSON, Calif. – The TV, radio and newspaper crews swarmed Cathedral Catholic senior running back Tyler Gaffney and asked him to sum up his feelings.

“It was amazing…it was perfect… there was nothing more I could ask,” he said.

He was, of course, describing his own state championship game that could be only drummed up in a fictional novel.

But he could have also easily been describing the game itself, Cathedral Catholic’s 37-34 thriller of St. Mary’s in the CIF State Bowl Division II championship Saturday at the Home Depot Center.

The game featured 1,051 yards and four lead changes in a 4 minute, 53-second span of the fourth quarter, the last time on a 51-yard touchdown gallop by Gaffney with 4:45 remaining.

It was a fitting the game-winning score came from the 6-foot, 215-pound senior, who rushed 33 times for 329 yards and five touchdowns.

Gaffney also threw a halfback option pass that set up a late touchdown. He blocked an extra point that was key. And then he cinched the win with a third-down 17-yard reception that ran out the clock.

The five touchdowns gives him 56 in 2008, which, according to the Cal-Hi Sports record book, ties him for fourth all-time in state history.

Gaffney, whose college finalist are USC, Stanford and Notre Dame, also scored on runs of 36, 1, 18 and 1 yard and he finished the season with 2,872 yards rushing. His team finished 15-0 and won his school’s second state title in two weeks (The girls volleyball team won a state title on Dec. 7).

St. Mary’s (12-3) piled up 26 first downs and 461 yards but they couldn’t contain Gaffney, a shifty, strong and relentless runner.

“There’s nothing more that I can say about the young man,” Cathedral Catholic coach Sean Doyle said. “That’s what he’s been doing his whole career. But to do it on this stage, in this game for a state champion. …Amazing.”

There were many superlatives to go around.

St. Mary’s senior quarterback Cody Vaz couldn’t have done any more. He was poised in the pocket and razor sharp and completed 31 of 46 for 335 yards and four touchdowns.

His favorite target Louie Lechrich, who caught everything within reach, hauling in 15 balls for 157 yards and two scores of 5 and 8 yards. Teammate Alex Michaels added five catches for 74 yards and TDs of 28 and 9 yards.

“I couldn’t ask any more of my team or of a state championship football game,” St. Mary’s coach Tony Franks said.

Said Doyle: “I think the fans got their money’s worth.”

The best sequence occurred after Vaz completed his second touchdown pass to Michaels with 9:38 remaining to give the Rams a 27-23 lead.

The Dons, who finished with 590 yards, took the ensuing kickoff and after a 31-yard completion from senior quarterback Parker Hipp to Brad Harrington, the drive stalled. On 4th-and-9 from the St. Mary’s 33, Hipp called for a halfback option and the play worked to perfection.

Gaffney swept right and fired across back field to Hipp, who last year was the team’s leading receiver. Hipp was all alone, caught the pass and motored all the way to the 1. On the next play, Gaffney scored his fourth TD, making it 30-27 with 6:10 remaining.

“Coach wanted to run the play earlier, but I thought there might be a bigger situation,” Hipp said. “That was it. Tyler gave me a perfect pass. It was a great play.”

The Cathedral lead lasted 16 seconds.

St. Mary’s junior Chad West took the ensuing kickoff and thought he was one-yard deep in the end zone, which would have been an automatic touchback. West delayed a full second, then realized he caught it at the 4. He zoomed left, cut up the sideline and outraced everyone for a 96-yard touchdown, giving the Rams the lead back, 34-30 with 5:54 remaining.

“What a play,” Vaz said. “(West) hasn’t brought one back all year but we knew he would at some point. What a time.”

West was a hero, but not for long. It took just three plays for the Dons to get the lead back for good 37-34 as Gaffney broke loose off the left side for a 51-yard touchdown with 4:45 remaining.

He followed blocks of massive offensive linemen Everett Benyard (6-7, 325), headed to Oregon, and junior Alex Crosthwaite (6-5, 290) to the end zone.

“We love blocking for Tyler,” Benyard said. “He’s just magic man. When he touches the ball, great things happen.”

Look for much more on this game later tonight.


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Cathedral Catholic 37, St. Mary’s 34

St. Mary’s 14 0 6 14 - 34
Cathedral Catholic 14 6 3 14 - 37



First quarter

C – Gaffney 36 run (Ferreira kick), 10:25

SM – Michaels 28 pass from Vaz (Villareal kick), 6:58

C – Gaffney 1 run (Ferreira kick), 4:53

SM – Lechich 5 pass from Vaz (Villareal kick), 0:36



Second quarter

C – Gaffney 18 run (kick failed), 6:45



Third quarter

C – FG, Ferreira 37, 5:19

SM – Lechich 8 pass from Vaz (kick failed), 2:44



Fourth quarter

SM – Michaels 9 pass from Vaz (Villareal kick), 9:38

C – Gaffney 1 run (Ferreira kick), 6:10

SM – West 96 kickoff return (Villareal kick), 5:54

C – Gaffney 51 run (Ferreira kick), 4:45




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Cathedral Catholic survives scorefest

December 21, 2008 2:02 AM


San Diego school tops St. Mary's of Stockton, 37-34, behind five more touchdowns from Tyler Gaffney and overcomes record-breaking night from Rams' QB Cody Vaz.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Two Catholic schools with long-standing athletic traditions and high-powered offenses, both making their initial appearances in a state football title contest, clashed in the Division II Bowl game and the offenses certainly lived up to their acclaim.

In the end, it was too much Tyler Gaffney as the record-breaking running back led Cathedral Catholic of San Diego to its first CIF state football title with a 37-34 triumph over St. Mary's of Stockton.

Cathedral Catholic (formerly University High) came into the contest with the No. 5 rusher and No. 1 scorer in the state according to Maxpreps.com, Tyler Gaffney, and his 2,543 yards rushing and 51 total touchdowns.

St. Mary's countered with Oregon State-bound quarterback Cody Vaz, who started the game with 3,512 yards passing and 28 touchdowns.

The result was a track meet that turned into an all-out barnburner with both teams going over the state bowl record 456 total yards of offense set by Lutheran (Orange) in 2006.

Back and forth they went with long runs by Gaffney and crucial fourth down conversions by Vaz, both setting high water marks for rushing and passing respectively in the state bowl games.

The game's outcome was in doubt until a 4th-and-4 pass from Vaz to Louie Lechich fell incomplete with 2:03 remaining and the Rams were out of miracles.

Cathedral Catholic (14-0) struck first on its opening drive to start the game, and it was faster than the blink-of-an-eye, and of course it was Gaffney who did the damage.

Four plays and 60 yards in less than two minutes with Gaffney blowing past defenders 36 yards to paydirt made it 7-0 Dons.

St. Mary's came right back driving 79 yards in 11 plays culminating in a 28-yard pass from Vaz to Alex Michaels. On the play, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller threaded the needle to Michaels, who tippy-toed down the sidelines for the equalizer.

It would be the first of several times in the game Vaz acted like a diamond cutter with his precision passing.

But as was the case all night the Rams couldn't stop Gaffney, only this time he got some help from quarterback Parker Hipp.

The second Dons' scoring drive wasn't quite as quick as the first but it still only took five plays and covered 76 yards with a mere 2:05 elapsed time off the clock.

After a 48-yard pass from Hipp to Chance Early got the ball to the 1-yard-line, Gaffney went in on a 1-yard plunge for a 14-7 lead.

It would be the second of five runs to paydirt by Gaffney, who with his performance, etched his name into the CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac.

"The coaches put me out there to make plays and as an athlete that's what I try to do, said Gaffney, who finished with 329 yards on 33 carries and five touchdowns to give him 56 total touchdowns on the season and move him into a tie with Chad Kackert (Grace Brethren, Simi Valley, 2004 season) for No. 4 on the all-time list for most touchdowns in a season.

Tyler Ebell of Ventura holds the record with 64 touchdowns in 2004. DeShaun Foster of Tustin is second with 59 in 1997, and Jermaine Marshall of Camp Kilpatrick of Malibu is third with 57 accomplished in 1999.

Gaffney also moves into the No. 2 spot for this year's state rushing leaders. His 2,872 yards only trails Deontae Cooper of Citrus Hills (Perris), who finished with 2,948.

Once again, the Rams came right back after Gaffney's second TD to tie it up just before the end of the first quarter.

This time they marched 80 yards in 13 plays with Vaz once again throwing a perfect 5-yard strike to Lechich, releasing the ball before the receiver even turned around in the end zone.

Not to be outdone, Cathedral Catholic made it three straight scoring drives to open the contest when Gaffney went for his third score on an 18-yard run.

The kick by Roman Ferriera went wide right, however, which ended a state record 115 straight extra points for the senior placekicker and left the score at 20-14 to end the first half

The second half was as much back-and-forth as the first two quarters only with more offense, more exciting plays, and more scoring.

With Gaffney slowed for a few plays after taking a hard hit, a Dons' drive stalled and Ferriera atoned for the missed extra point by booting a 27-yard field goal that gave Cathedral Catholic a 23-14 lead.

Vaz, however, wasn't finished. He took the Rams 60 yards in eight plays and when he found Lechich in the right corner of the end zone from 8-yards out the lead was cut to 23-20 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.

The Dons looked to be moving on the ensuing series, moving from their own 20 to the Rams 15-yard line when Gaffney committed the game's only turnover with a fumble after an 18-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"That [the fumble] was my bad and I knew I had to pick up my team, said Gaffney. "I felt like crap because it was a bad time in the football game to do that.

St. Mary's (12-3) took immediate advantage of the miscue, going 85 yards in eight plays. When Vaz placed another perfectly thrown pass to Michaels between two defenders from 10 yards out, St. Mary's had its first lead at 27-23 with 9:38 remaining in the game.

From there it became a mad scramble to the finish.

With the Dons facing 4th-and-10 from their own 33-yard-line, Coach Sean Doyle went to his bag of tricks and the Rams bit.

Hipp handed off to Gaffney, then slipped into the left flat where Gaffney threw him a perfect pass and the quarterback turned wide receiver raced toward the post before being pushed out of bounds at the 2-yard line.

A facemask penalty on the run moved it to the 1-yard-line where Gaffney took it in for his fourth score and a 30-27 Cathedral Catholic lead with 6:10 left.

"We've been working on that all year, said Gaffney about the pass play to Hipp. "We used it and it worked.

Just as amazing as the fourth-down flea-flicker by the Dons was what happened next.

Thinking he was a yard deep in the end zone and waiting for the officials' whistle, St. Mary's Chad West hesitated, then realized he better run it back.

When he stopped running he was in the end zone 96 yards away and after the extra point the Rams had retaken the lead at 34-30 with 5:54 remaining in the contest.

Just like they had done all game, the Dons wasted little time striking back.

After a 3-yard run by Gaffney and an 11-yard run by Hipp, Gaffney, who is being pursued by Southern California, Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA and San Diego State, made the run of the game that gave the bowl championship plaque to the Mission City school.

His 51-yard touchdown run with 4:45 left in which he broke three tackles and outraced several defenders to paydirt was more than St. Mary's could overcome.

"Gaffney was just terrific. He lived up to all the hype, said Rams' head coach Tony Franks. "I knew it was going to be two real good offensive teams on the field out there and that we had to get a few defensive stops. Our kids are still absolute champions.

Vaz ended his career with an outstanding game and season, finishing with 336 yards passing on 31 of 46 attempts with four touchdowns in the game and 3,848 yards and 32 TDs on the overall campaign. He ends up as the No. 4 leading passer in the state this year.

"Winning league, CIF and a state title in the same year? asked Gaffney rhetorically. "I couldn't ask for anything more in my senior year.

With the game concluded, Doyle reflected on the outcome as the Long Beach Poly and Grant players took the field to warm up prior to the Open contest.

"Wow. What a track meet, said Doyle. "I thought these guys [Grant, Long Beach Poly] were going to be the track meet.'

Most Touchdowns (Season)
64 - Tyler Ebell, Ventura, 2000 (14)
59 - DeShaun Foster, Tustin, 1997 (14)
57 - Jermaine Marshall, Malibu Camp Kilpatrick, 1999 (14)
56 - Chad Kackert, Simi Valley Grace Bretheren, 2004 (12)
56 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic, 2008 (14)
54 - Kenny James, Dos Palos, 2000 (13) Jr.

Courtesy of CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac

Note: Gaffney came into bowl game with 51 touchdowns

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com



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Rams second to one

Shootout not decided until final minute in a classic in Carson


By Stephen Roberson
Record Staff Writer
Stockton Record Newspaper
December 21, 2008

CARSON - St. Mary's quarterback Cody Vaz and receiver Louie Lechich both had record-setting performances during Saturday's CIF State Division II Championship Bowl Game.

It just wasn't enough.

Cathedral Catholic, the San Diego Section's Division III champion, set a number of records as well in a 37-34 victory at The Home Depot Center, giving the Dons their first state championship.

Cathedral running back Tyler Gaffney - who has narrowed his collegiate choices to USC, Notre Dame and Stanford - rushed for a bowl-game record 329 yards on 33 carries with five touchdowns, also a record.

Vaz completed 31 of 46 passes for 336 yards with four touchdowns, setting the bowl game record for both completions and yards while tying the mark for touchdown passes.

Lechich finished with a bowl-game record 15 catches for 157 yards with two touchdowns. Alex Michaels also caught two Vaz touchdown passes.

"We just wanted to come out and prove we belonged here, and I think we did that," Vaz said. "We played our tails off. We played a great game. It's just unfortunate we came up a little short."

Cathedral finished with 590 yards of total offense, another bowl-game record. With the 451 yards the Rams put up, the teams combined for 1,041 yards of total offense.

Gaffney, who missed one play with an injury during the third quarter, gave the Dons (14-0) the lead for good, 37-34, with a 51-yard touchdown run with 4:45 remaining.

"He's a great running back," St. Mary's Jon Sanguinetti said. "Everything they say about him is real. It's not hype. He's good, he's fast, he's big. We made a couple mistakes where we lined up wrong. We played hard; we just came up short."

Gaffney didn't limit his production to running. After St. Mary's took its first lead of the game, 27-23, on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Vaz to Alex Michaels with 9:38 remaining, Gaffney went to the air.

On the ensuing drive, he completed a 30-yard pass to quarterback Parker Hipp on fourth-and-9 from the St. Mary's 32 on a flea-flicker play called "58 Parker". A facemask penalty moved the ball from the 2 to the 1, and Gaffney punched it in on the next play to give the Dons the lead again, 30-27.

Cathedral coach Sean Doyle considered calling the play earlier in the game, but Hipp convinced him to save it.

"I didn't think it was the proper moment," Hipp said. "But on fourth-and-(9) ... I finally said, 'Coach, this is the time.' "

St. Mary's countered right away on what was initially a gaffe.

Rams return man Chad West caught the kickoff at the 4-yard line and looked down at the 5 and thought it was the goal line. He stopped, realized he wasn't in the end zone - which in high school football is an automatic touchback - and started running.

He didn't stop until he reached the end zone 96 yards later with a touchdown that put St. Mary's in front, 34-30.

Gaffney's 51-yard touchdown run gave the Dons the lead once again and set the stage, potentially, for a game-winning St. Mary's drive.

With nearly 5 minutes to play at the start of the drive, Vaz drove the Rams into Cathedral territory. Then on fourth down, he threw a fade to Lechich near the left sideline that fell incomplete.

Both Franks and Lechich said Lechich was interfered with, but both the junior receiver and the coach took the no-call in stride.

"I thought the (defender) had our receiver's arm, but it didn't happen that way," Franks said. "We didn't get (the flag)."

Said Lechich: "I think we called the right play. We were beating them inside all day, and we wanted to go with a fade right there. I couldn't get my arm up there to grab it, but the (officials) aren't going to decide the game. It just didn't work out."

The resiliency from St. Mary's wasn't lost on Gaffney.

"You have to give them credit," he said. "Third-and-long, fourth-and-1, they kept getting the first downs. ... It definitely made the game fun. As much fun as it is to beat up on a team, it's even more fun to win a game 37-34."

Contact reporter Stephen Roberson at (209) 546-8272 or sroberson@recordnet.com.