Pacifica football team needs one more road win to reach CIF Division 10 championship

Pacifica players James Anema (No. 11) and Joey Pham (No. 10) prepare for a game this season with Coach Kyle Murphy in the background. (PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

Pacifica High School’s football team is looking for one more road victory Friday night to reach the CIF Division 10 championship game.

The Mariners (6-5) face top-seeded St. Anthony (7-5) Friday night in Long Beach in the semifinals. The winner moves on to meet the winner of the other semifinal between South Pasadena and Silverado in the championship game of the division either Friday, Nov. 29 or Saturday, Nov. 30

“I’m thrilled for our team,” said Pacifica’s second year head coach Kyle Murphy. “The players and coaches have dedicated themselves to being the best versions of themselves everyday. They’ve weathered a ton of adversity and come out the other side because of their willingness to live up to a standard they set: discipline, consistency and accountability. They’ve reached this point because it’s their team. They play for each other.”

Murphy said he expects a battle from St. Anthony. 

“St. Anthony is a difficult opponent,” he said. “They have some fantastic football players. They will be a challenge to stop and score against. It’s easy to see why they’re in the semifinals.”

Pacifica, which captured the Omicron League title, opened the playoffs with a 7-3 victory over La Canada. The Mariners then defeated Brentwood 27-23 on the road in the quarterfinals. 

In the win over Brentwood, wide receiver Armando Torres had two receiving touchdowns for the Mariners.

Wide receiver Dave Carlsson had eight catches for 74 yards, quarterback James Anema had 236 yards passing and two touchdowns and running back Ma’kai Brown rushed for 84 yards on eight carries and one touchdown. Brown also had one reception for 25 yards.

On defense, lineman Jayden Leneker had two sacks, defensive back Eli Sandoval had seven total tackles (six solo), linebacker Ryan Armenta had 11 total tackles (five solo) and one tackle for a loss; linebacker Tyler Alvarado had 10 total tackles (five solo) and one sack and lineman Hayden Hodges had nine total tackles (five solo) and one tackle for a loss.

St. Anthony. the No. 2 team from the Del Rey League, opened the playoffs with a 31-14 victory over South Hills before defeating Shadow Hills 20-13.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com