San Clemente‘s run to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship game has included wins over top-seed Heritage and fourth-seed Valencia. Friday night, the Tritons will face second-seed Murrieta Valley for the right to play for another weekend.
San Clemente, ranked #16 in the latest High School Football America Southern California Top 25, brings a 10-3 record into the game, while Murrieta Valley, which is playing in its first CIF Southern Section championship game is 11-2 and ranked #8 in the SoCal Top 25.
Under head coach Jaime Ortiz, San Clemente is playing in its third straight CIF Southern Section title game. The Tritons are looking for their first-ever title.
USC-bound Jack Sears leads a balanced attack that 214 yards a game on the ground and 170 through the air. Sears has completed over 65-percent of his passes with 31 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Sears is also the teams second leading rusher with 836 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
On Monday, I spoke with Ortiz about what he was telling the team through the week about how they should approach the title game. You can listen to his answer and more below.
Murrieta Valley is averaging over 51 points a game led by senior running back Lika Palmer, who has rushed for over 2,200 yards and 28 touchdowns. Defensively, the Nighthawks are allowing over 32 points per game.
