Good Sports: Central East Bengals capture second state football championship

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Central East Bengals shot squad claimed its 2nd authorities title this past weekend, capping a play marked by alteration and redemption.

After rebranding from the Central Grizzlies to the Central East Bengals, the squad repeated arsenic Central Section champions down standout moving backmost Brandon Smith, an Arizona perpetrate who acceptable schoolhouse records for rushing yards and touchdowns successful some a azygous play and a career.

"We didn't travel this acold to conscionable triumph one," caput manager Kyle Biggs told Action News aft the 70-35 triumph implicit Clovis successful the D1-AA conception last .

Smith reflected connected the team's ascendant show successful the conception rubric game. "Knowing that we enactment 70 up. I don't spot cipher other doing that successful the vale game," helium said.

The Bengals entered the play focused connected returning to the authorities last aft a heartbreaking 21-14 nonaccomplishment to Edison of Huntington Beach successful the closing moments past year.

"Since we mislaid it's conscionable been successful my caput conscionable getting backmost to authorities and winning," inferior receiver Bayon Harris said.

A 55-36 triumph successful Pittsburg sent Central East backmost to the D1-A title game, this clip against undefeated Pacifica.

"We truly conscionable started locking successful and focusing connected what we needed to do," said inferior wide receiver Xavior Jones.

Harris delivered a breakout show with 11 catches for 174 yards. While the Bengals relied heavy connected discourtesy passim the season, their defence made the quality late. In the 4th fourth of a one-score game, Andrew Garcia broke done for a sack and forced a fumble.

"Once I seen my extracurricular linebacker spell successful I seen him (QB) crook astir truthful I knew I had to marque a play for the ball," Garcia said.

That turnover acceptable up the play of the night: a fourth-and-three over-the-head drawback by E.J. Morgan that sealed the victory. The gutsy telephone added to Biggs' legacy, who present has 107 wins successful 10 years astatine Central East.

"He watches a batch of film. I don't cognize if helium sleeps," Harris joked.

The schoolhouse celebrated its 2nd authorities rubric and archetypal since 2019, erstwhile existent Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy was connected the roster.

"We are portion of that bequest present and we're going to get mentioned to the adjacent generation," Jones said.

Despite the sanction change, the Bengals proved Central East remains a perennial powerhouse successful California precocious schoolhouse football. Saturday's 42-28 triumph implicit Pacifica clinched the D1-A CIF rubric and the Bengals finished the play with a grounds of 14-1.

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