The Serra football team has entered a realm few ever reach, attaining a level of performance that has seen the Padres put together one of the most dominant seasons in West Catholic Athletic League — and by extension, Central Coast Section — history.
The Padres have managed to put together one of the most dominant teams in the last 20 years. Their defense of 8.2 points per game allowed this year ranks second to just the 6.3 points the 2019 Valley Christian squad allowed in the last two decades.
The Serra offense, which achieved juggernaut status years ago, had its best output of the last two decades, averaging 46 points per game against WCAL opponents.

 
 
But none of that matters until the end of the season, as far as Serra head coach Patrick Walsh is concerned.
“I think you wait until you make that determination (about all-time status),” Walsh said. “If you want to say that now, that’s fine. But now is not the time to make that decision.”
Ideally, the top-seeded Padres are looking at two more games — Friday’s CCS Open Division championship game against seventh-seeded Wilcox and the CIF Open Division state title game.
Slip up in Friday’s game and the 2023 season is going to have a whole different look to Padre Nation.
Walsh brought up the 2007 New England Patriots team. One that won its first 18 games, only to be undone in the Super Bowl by David Tyree’s helmet catch and the New York Giants’ 17-13 victory. Walsh said that team, in his opinion, was the greatest NFL team of all time, but are looked at differently because, “They lost their last game,” Walsh said.

Wilcox certainly won’t catch the Padres by surprise, however, because the Chargers have proven to be one of the top public school team’s in the CCS this season. They bludgeoned all Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division teams, save division champion Los Gatos, and put on a clinic as they ran over second-seeded St. Francis, 52-28, in an Open Division semifinal game.
Walsh said he scouted that game in person and had a succinct observation.
“It was frightening,” Walsh said. “Wilcox is a very strong opponent, with a strong belief system. When I go to scout opponents, I never sit on the WCAL (team’s) side. I always sit on the other team’s side. I had an opportunity to sit there and listen to the (Wilcox) crowd gain confidence and believe (in their team).”

 
 Wilcox (8-3) ran roughshod over a St. Francis squad that had won its last five games and allowed 21.8 points per contest. The Chargers rushed for nearly 500 yards and scored six touchdowns on the ground. Wilcox features a 1-2 punch of Elijah Walker and quarterback Tyson Bonilla, who rushed for 220 yards and 171 yards, respectively, as the Chargers racked up 485 yards rushing.
“They ran the split-back veer option to perfection. It’s really well-done execution of an old-school offense. It’s what I used to run at De La Salle,” Walsh said. “I know it works.”
Serra (11-0) will counter with a team that lived up to its reputation on both sides of the ball in their 47-7 win over No. 8 Salinas in the Open Division semifinal last week, the sixth time this season they held an opponent to under 10 points.
The Padres’ 21 points scored on defense was more than enough to beat the Cowboys as Serra showed its versatility in Jaden Green — who scored on a 53-yard pick-6, a 3-yard rush and a 68-yard punt return.
Serra scored all 47 points in the first half before taking their foot off the pedal in the second half.

The Padres — and Chargers — do have a little leeway in the playoffs. With the new system employed, CCS is using a hybrid Open Division/Division I modified bracket. The loser of Friday’s game will still have a shot at a state bowl game appearance as that team will play for the Division I title next weekend. The Division I winner would then have to win a Northern California regional game to advance to the state championship game.
A Serra win in the Open championship would all but automatically vault the Padres into the Open Division state game. The Padres are the No. 1 ranked team in Northern California and that would not change with a win over Wilcox Friday.

 
But all of that is the story still being written for the Padres this season. Walsh said the story started four years ago with a core group of freshmen who have guided the Padres to the upper echelons of high school football in the state of California now in their senior seasons.
Now, they just hope to have a happy ending.
“The final chapter has yet to be written,” Walsh said Thursday. “Tomorrow night, it could be the final chapter written.”