INSTANT ANALYSIS: NCS Div. 5 Championship

  Salesian 14, St. Helena 7

  After a scoreless first quarter, Salesian was first to get on the board after an impressive drive was capped off by a 1-yard connection from QB Jaylen Tregle to Alex Hutchison with 23 seconds left in the half. The Pride never trailed and pushed its lead to 14-0 on a 9-yard Charles Hillary run late in the third quarter. A late fourth-quarter score by St. Helena couldn’t mask the dominant effort by Salesian’s defense as the Pride repeated as Div. V champs and won its fifth title overall. 

  WHY SALESIAN WON: Being the more aggressive team, Salesian was able control the line of scrimmage on both sides. That effort allowed Hillary to rush for 125 yards and a touchdown, and gave Tregle plenty of time in the pocket to make some crucial game passes. The defensive line was in the Saints’ back field all night, causing QB Jack Preston to scramble all night while also shutting down the running game to 60 yards. 

  WHY ST. HELENA LOST: The Saints were never able to keep their momentum going, despite stringing together some good drives. The offensive line couldn’t manage the stellar defensive front of Salesian, and never allowed for Preston feel comfortable in the pocket to throw accurately down the field. 

  PLAY OF THE GAME: At the end of the third quarter “” still nursing just a 7-0 lead “” the Pride started in excellent field position before Tregle threw a rocket to Prentiss Reid who managed to fight through tackles for a 35-yard gain. The play set the Pride up with 1st-and-goal at the 10. Hillary eventually scored what would be the game-winning TD from nine yards out.

  SALESIAN PLAYER OF THE GAME: Charles Hillary got the Pride on track offensively after a rocky start and a scoreless first quarter. Hillary rushed for 125 yards on 25 carries. Despite getting shaken up in the second half, Hillary proved himself to be a workhorse by returning to finish off the game.  

  ST. HELENA PLAYER OF THE GAME: Preston’s stat sheet won’t reflect his overall effort for the Saints. His ability to keep plays alive with his legs led to some critical first downs. After leading St. Helena down the field with his arm, Preston scored the Saints’ only TD on a 5-yard scramble late in the fourth quarter. 

  QUOTABLE: “It feels great to win back-to-back championships. I just want to share the moment with my teammates because we knew it would be hard, but we came in here and got the W. Just like we worked for” “” Hillary on winning another NCS title.

  WHAT’S NEXT FOR SALESIAN: The Pride now wait to see if they will be selected for the a CIF Div. IV Northern Regional berth. Sac-Joaquin Section small school powers Central Catholic-Modesto and Capital Christian-Sacramento were both ranked above the Pride, so Salesian will need some other dominoes to fall before the CIF selection committee meets on Sunday, Dec. 7.