KENTFIELD — A few moments after a desperation pass by McClymonds hit the turf and Marin Catholic celebrated its 35-28 victory in the NorCal 3-A title game Saturday, Michael Peters took a few minutes to stand by himself and reflect upon his 11 years as the Warriors’ head coach.
Peters’ career, one that included four state titles and six NorCal championships, did not have a storybook ending. As he thought about his tenure at his alma mater, which began as an assistant coach in 1992, Peters said he was ready to enjoy retirement, but couldn’t help but feel like it could have been delayed by one more week.
“It’s over … my career is done,” Peters said, adding after a sigh, “I know we should’ve played better than that.”
McClymonds trailed 21-6 at halftime but got rushing touchdowns from Tajir Golden (61 yards) and Redmani Albert (5 yards) and a fumble recovery for a score by Jajaun Hudson.
But on two occasions in the second half, when McClymonds (8-3) made it a one-possession game, Marin Catholic (13-1) would again widen its lead to two touchdowns.
Down by seven points, McClymonds got the ball back with 40 seconds left, but the final drive fizzled out.
Charles Williams led Marin Catholic with 171 yards rushing.
Two weeks ago, Peters announced he planned to step down at the end of the season after spending 32 years at the school. As head coach, he captured 11 Oakland Athletic League titles.
Peters spent his career lording over the other schools in The Town, but his Warriors could not slow down Marin Catholic.
The Wildcats jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead, with Peter Macauley throwing one touchdown to Braiden Bachich-Dixon and running for another seven-yard score.
On defense, the Wildcats controlled the line, giving Mack an unfamiliar feeling, at least in recent games. In OAL play, the Warriors outscored league opponents 307-0 and cruised to another Silver Bowl championship.
Saturday, McClymonds finally created some positive momentum when one of Troy Hill’s three first-half sacks forced a fumble recovered by a teammate. From there, Albert and Golden alternated carries, with Albert finishing the eight-play drive by running it in from two-yard out with 5:16 left in the first half to make it 14-6.
Golden led the team with 121 rushing yards, and Albert had 64.
Marin Catholic immediately answered by putting the ball in Williams’s gut and sending him out on a sweep play. He made multiple players miss before cutting back across the grain and outrunning the rest of McClymonds’ secondary to score a 61-yard touchdown.
Marin Catholic walked into the halftime locker with a 21-6 lead and had held the Oakland champs to nine passing and just 82 rushing yards.
Marin Catholic held on in the second half and advanced to its second state title game in three years, where the Wildcats will play the winner of Saturday’s late game between Mt. Miguel and Mayfair.
