Great one handed grab by Del Oro’s Mason Hurst helps send Golden Eagles into California Bowl Championship Game

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by Jeff Fisher

What a season this has been for Del Oro High School.  The Golden Eagles were 2-6 through eight regular season games, but seven straight wins later, Del Oro will play for a state championship next week.

As remarkable as the team’s run to the state title game was the one-handed catch by junior wide receiver Mason Hurt in Friday night’s 28-24 win over Bakersfield Liberty in the NorCal Division II-AA championship game.  Hurst’s TD tied the game 7-7, but midway through the third quarter, the Golden Eagles trailed 21-7.

Del Oro tied the game up at 21, before Liberty retook the lead at 24-21.

Late in the game, it was Hurst and quarterback Stone Smartt, who worked more magic, connecting on three passes for 34 yards during Del Oro’s game-winning drive that ended on a 2-yard TD run by Smartt.  Hurst finished the game with seven catches for 104 yards.

Friday, Del Oro (9-6) will play Camarillo (15-0) for the Division II-AA state championship.

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.