Will history repeat itself Friday at Nevada Union when No. 3 seed Bear River faces No. 1 Colfax for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V football championship?
If the answer is “yes” then the Bruins will take home the championship for the second year in a row. They claimed the title last year after losing their league game to Colfax, the same thing that happened this season.
Colfax beat the Bruins handily on their home turf, 41-14, for BR’s only loss of the season. The outcome surprised me: I had the Bruins 5-point favorites in the game.
Since then, the schools have become almost even in my calculations, mainly because the Falcons had an easier path through the first two rounds of the playoffs. With the game on a neutral field, it is basically a toss-up.
I think the outcome will be more one-sided when the third member of the Foothill 4 to make the playoffs, No. 2 seed Placer, takes on No. 1 Capital Christian for the Division III title at Whitney High School on Saturday.
My predictions for the two games:
–Colfax by 1.5 points over Bear River
–Placer by 8.5 points over Capital Christian
The picks: I went 4-0 in the last week of the regular season to finish with a 15-3 record (83 percent). I should do that well in Reno.
Colfax won the game 31-28 in overtime thanks in part to a late penalty, something that would be difficult to figure out if you were listening to the game on KNCO.
We were driving home shortly before 10 p.m. when I turned on the radio to find out how the game was going. I tuned in just as Bear River was about the run the penultimate play of the game, a fourth-and-21. If the Bruins score, they win the game.
So what happened? Good question. Play-by-play announcer Tom Fitzsimmons became speechless when the ball was snapped. All you heard was cheering and yelling, then a conversation about what a penalty flag might mean. At no point did Fitzsimmons explain what happened on the play. BR was penalized 5 yards and tried another pass, which failed.
I had to go to TheUnuion.com when I got home to learn that the Bruins completed a pass for a TD and an apparent win that was nullified by the penalty. Great job, guys.