NCS football finals preview: What to know heading into championship game

NCS football finals preview: What to know heading into championship game
By Mike Lefkow, Bay Area News Group
November 29, 2024

NCS DIVISION VI: NO. 1 ARCATA VS. NO. 2 MIRAMONTE

Records: Arcata 11-1; Miramonte 6-6

Kickoff: Saturday at McKinleyville High School, 1 p.m.

Series history: First meeting between the teams in the MaxPreps era that began in 2004.

Storylines: Miramonte has had two very different games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Matadors rolled up 489 yards of offense in a 43-23 win over Newark Memorial in the first round. In the semifinals on a rain-drenched Friday night, they beat Benicia 7-0. … Junior quarterback Carson Blair burned Newark Memorial for 286 passing yards and three touchdowns. … The Mats have a receiving corps any coach would envy in seniors Jack Quinnild (6-2, 205) and Mitch Reichenbach (6-1, 200), junior Andrew Bjornson (6-4, 190) and sophomore George Gilbert (5-10, 160). All four caught well over 300 yards worth of passes. Through 11 games, Quinnild had 53 catches for 942 yards and 10 TDs. Reichenbach had 55 receptions for 670 yards and four scores. … Junior Derek Youn was the rushing leader after 11 games with 474 yards. … Miramonte averages 324 yards per game in total offense, with 217 of that coming through the air. … Arcata is a little more balanced, averaging 195 rushing yards and 185 passing. … QB Luke Lemke is the Tigers' No. 1 threat. He's passed for 28 TDs and leads the team with 1,124 rush yards and 13 TDs. … Dayquan Dunn isn't the team's leading receiver, but he's the most dangerous at 6-5, 195. He has 28 catches for 588 yards. … Lemke is good at looking for matchups, especially if the opponent stacks the box. First target is often Dunn. … Lemke likes to run behind a big offensive with three players weighing at least 240 pounds. … Arcata is seeking its first NCS title. It plays in the Humboldt-Del Norte Little 4 Division. Each of the four teams play each other twice. Arcata went 5-1, losing only to Ferndale. … Miramonte is going after its second straight NCS title and ninth overall. The Mats won four in five years from 1997-2001 under current Acalanes coach Floyd Burnsed. … The Matadors will travel on Friday, being that it's a six-hour bus ride to McKinleyville. … The game will be played on grass, a surface the Mats aren't used to.

Computer projection: Calpreps.com predicts Pittsburg to win 28-19.

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Players Mentioned

Jack Quinnild: Junior

Carson Blair: Sophomore

George Gilbert: Freshman

Derek Youn: Sophomore

Andrew Bjornson: Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jack Quinnild
: Junior

Carson Blair
: Sophomore

George Gilbert
: Freshman

Derek Youn
: Sophomore

Andrew Bjornson
: Sophomore

Miramonte High School

NCS football finals preview: What to know heading into championship game

Players Mentioned

Jack Quinnild

Carson Blair

George Gilbert

Derek Youn

Andrew Bjornson

Players Mentioned

Jack Quinnild

Carson Blair

George Gilbert

Derek Youn

Andrew Bjornson

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