The Golden Valley Grizzlies will make school history tomorrow night when they host No. 1 Bishop Diego in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 Championship game. It will be the first time the Grizzlies set foot on a championship stage in their time as a program.

Golden Valley needed a full ten years to win its first Foothill League game. They needed only their second playoff appearance to reach a CIF SS final. It’s a D6 1 vs 2 matchup Friday night at Canyon HS, with the lower seeded Grizzlies winning the coin flip for the crucial homefield advantage.  The benefits of playing within the friendly confines of Harry Welch Stadium should prove to be a huge boost against a powerful Bishop Diego team.

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With an overall record of 12-1, the Bishop Diego Cardinals have maintained their status as the top team in the division from the start of the season to finish, eight consecutive weeks ranked No. 1. Their only loss of the season came in OT (31-24) at the hands of Grace Brethren, in what was essentially the Tri-Valley League title game. Grace Brethren is on a nine game winning streak and will play Antelope Valley for the Division 9 championship.

The Cardinals do their damage running the football, averaging just over 300 yards per game on the ground, Led by senior running back, John Harris. The 6’2 208 pound Harris has put up gaudy numbers, averaging 11.1 yards per carry to the tune of 1,811 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has a scholarship offer from Cal Poly, where he is likely to sign. When Harris takes a play off, sophomore Adrian Soracco takes over and has scored 10 rushing touchdowns on 70 touches. It is an offense that won’t beat itself, with only six turnovers on the year. 

Defensively, the Cardinals have shutout five of their opponents this year and allowed a total of 11.7 points per game, the top scoring defense in the division by a wide margin. It is an experienced group with several standout seniors.

Anchoring the defense is senior linebacker Ashton Borgeson, who has over 140 total tackles along with 6 sacks and a pair of senior defensive backs, Dylan Streett and Isaiah Veal, who have five interceptions each. 

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There was a point in the season when it didn’t appear the Grizzlies were capable of reaching their preseason goals of capturing a CIF championship ring. Weeks 3-7 were as rough a stretch for any Foothill League team, as Golden Valley lost four of five games and lacked an offensive identity (average of 15 points per game during that time).

Incredible highs and painful lows came after that stretch, with a commanding 38-0 win over Canyon followed by a gut wrenching loss to Hart, 34-27, the week after. The loss to Hart stands as the wildest Foothill League game of the decade.

Time and again, the Grizzlies found ways to pick themselves up and recover, in large part due to the strong leadership of senior captains Ahvie Harris, Jalin Lewis, DJ Turner, and CJ Ravenell. They know what it’s like to go so far but come up short, evidenced by last season’s loss in the Division 7 Semifinal, and that experience has pushed them to the brink of a championship as seniors.

Offensively, Head Coach Dan Kelley’s balance (172 pass yards and 162 rush yards per game) has been pivotal in helping the Grizzlies hang tough in games. They were only beaten by double digits twice, by Saugus and Valencia, respectively.

DJ Turner has proven his toughness to everyone who has watched the GV play this season, battling through some midseason injuries to put up 755 yards on 5.4 yards per carry. He’s gained 66% of those yards in the second half of the season. The addition of junior transfer and USC commit  De’Gabriel Floyd proved to take some pressure off of Jalin Lewis, as Floyd leads the team in total touchdowns with 12, despite playing hurt for much of the season as well.

Golden Valley’s identity will always come from its defense, where the hard hitting unit is 2nd in Division 6 behind only Bishop Diego. One of the team’s most pleasant surprises has been the emergence of junior linebacker Derrese Morganfield. Morganfield recorded just one tackle his sophomore year. As a junior, he leads the Grizzlies with 104 tackles with 14 tackles for loss, and in on nearly every snap of the season. CJ Ravenell has punished opposing quarterbacks with 13 sacks, and if he can get seven on Friday he would reach his preseason goal of 20. He would surely win the MVP award as well.

At 8-5, Golden Valley comes in to the championship game on a four game winning streak, facing Bishop Diego and it’s own three game streak.

It’s a matchup fit for a championship, the classic 1 versus 2. Bishop Diego and Golden Valley, squaring off for the Division 6 championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. this Friday at Canyon High School.

KHTS Sports will have extensive coverage of the CIF SS Division 2 and Division 6 Championship games, tune in to KHTS Radio starting with the Vargo PT Pre-Game Show at 6:45. For live scoring updates follow @KHTSSports on twitter or text “KHTS Football” to 90360 for text alerts.