Football: Berean Christian Loses League Championship to Salesian

Salesian 46, Berean Christian 18

The star: Eagles running back Logan Lisle rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns. He also kicked a successful onside kick.

The quote: "We feel like we can get a chance to play them again. We want to play them in the NCS finals," Berean Christian coach Mark Barcelon said.

The turning point: After the Eagles had scored two quick touchdowns to pull within 26-18, Salesian's Marcial Malic busted a 65-yard touchdown run to help the Pride pull away.

What's next?: The Eagles now await their playoff matchup.

Bottom line: Berean Christian still has a chance to make a playoff run, but Salesian left little doubt as to who the best team in the Bay Football League really is.

--------

Berean Christian had its chance.

With a championship on the line, the Eagles had an opportunity to beat Salesian, win the Bay Football League and enter the NCS Division IV playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the region. 

But on Saturday afternoon, Salesian showed the Eagles that they still have a ways to go before reaching the Pride's level.

On the strength of an opportunistic defense and a dominating running game, Salesian cruised past Berean Christian on Saturday, clinching the BFL championship. The Eagles now have to settle for second in the league, but afterwards, coach Mark Barcelon was hoping for a rematch.

"We feel like we can get a chance to play them again," Barcelon said. "We want to play them in the NCS finals."

Possible, but both teams will have a difficult road to reach that point. And other Division IV powerhouses — — will have plenty to say about whether either the Pride of the Eagles advance to the section finals.

But Saturday was less about the NCS than it was about the Bay Football League. And Salesian left little doubt as to who deserved the championship. The Pride rushed for 305 yards and forced four turnovers on their way to a blowout victory over the second-place Eagles. And afterwards, in a joint postgame huddle of both teams, Barcelon offered kind words to his opponents.

"Salesian, you make us better," he said. "You are the standard we are trying to reach."

The Eagles aren't there yet, but they still figure to make a run when the playoffs start next week. And though they were beaten soundly, they still showed flashes of what will make them a tough out.

Loan Lisle rushed for 156 yards, carrying an Eagles defense that finished with 255 yards on the ground. Berean Christian took an early lead on an 18-yard touchdown run by Lisle in the first quarter, before allowing Salesian's offense to get going. The Pride surged to a 26-6 lead in the third quarter, but for a moment, it looked like Berean Christian might crawl back into the game.

First, Lisle scored on a 9-yard touchdown run. Then, Lisle made a surprise onside kick that the Eagles recovered. (Yes, Berean Christian's starting running back is also its kicker). Lisle scored on the next play from scrimmage on a 34-yard run, and suddenly, Berean Christian trailed only 26-18.

But from there, Salesian took over, and by the end of the day, the Eagles were licking their wounds.

"We knew they were this good," Lisle said. "We knew they would play this way. But we still fought."

And now, the Bay Football runners-up will hope to represent their league well in the post-season.

"This league has good football teams," Salesian coach Chad Nightingale said. "We're going to do some damage in the playoffs."

Salesian 46, Berean Christian 18

Berean Christian 6 0 12 0 — 18

Salesian 0 20 13 13 — 46

Scoring summary

0:05, 1st — B: Logan Lisle 18 run (kick failed)

8:03, 2nd — S: Ikaika Woolsey 1 run (kick good)

2:46, 2nd — S: Marcial Malic 34 run (kick good)

1:01 2nd — S: Michael Page 21 pass from Woolsey (try failed)

9:18, 3rd — S: Travis Earby 16 pass from Woolsey (try failed)

4:12, 3rd — B: Lisle 9 run (try failed)

4:01, 3rd — B: Lisle 34 run (kick blocked)

3:47, 3rd — S: Malic 65 run (kick good)

5:05, 4th — S: Malic 15 run (try failed)

1:48, 4th — S: Earby 90 interception return (kick good)

Individual statistics

Rushing (car-yards): B — Logan Lisle 19-156, Luke Minor 12-80; S — Malic 9-171, Aaron Prier 10-77, Woolsey 6-38.

Passing (comp-att-yards-int): B — Anderson 5-15-70-3; S — Woolsey 7-13-102.

Receiving (rec-yards): B — Matt Morgan 1-6, Lisle 2-20; S — Page 1-21.

Team offense (rush-pass-total)

Berean Christian 255-70-325

Salesian 309-102-411

Fumbles/lost: B — 2/1. S — 0/0

Records: Berean Christan 7-3, 4-1 Bay Football League; Salesian 8-2, 5-0.