Woodbridge wide receiver Jalen Webb runs for a gain after a fourth quarter catch as Redding Christian’s Collin Matos chases him in the CIF State Division 7-AA championship. (PHOTOS: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).
Woodbridge football players and coaches wanted one more victory Saturday to cap a very memorable 2025 season.
But Northern California champion Redding Christian took control in the first half and went on to defeat the Warriors 16-0 in the CIF Division 7-AA championship game at Fullerton High School.
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
Woodridge was going for its first state crown and a large contingent of Warrior fans, along with the band and cheerleaders showed up for the game that started under slightly foggy conditions at 11 a.m.
“Obviously it was not the result we wanted,” said first year Warrior Coach Connor McBride, who led the Warriors to the CIF Division 13 Southern Section crown two weeks ago. “It’s emotional to end the season with everything we’ve been through. I spoke to my kids that they have so much to be proud of and obviously their heads are going to be hung because we lost a game and we felt that we could have won it.
“But we should still be proud of ourselves, we’ve done so much to prove so many people wrong this year. It’s a mix of sadness but also being proud of the guys.
Redding Christian (15-0) was relentless on defense from the start pressuring Woodbridge’s freshman quarterback Waylon Stone. Stone, who helped lead Woodbridge to the CIF title and a CIF Division 7-AA South crown, completed 7 of 25 passes for 80 yards with three interceptions. Stone rushed for 25 yards.
The Warriors (7-9) weren’t able to get much going on the ground. The team’s leading rusher Kayjahn Pitts, was held to 59 yards on 17 carries.
“That first half kind of looked like our 0-7 team making mistakes,” McBride said. “But we still fought until the end, that’s been the message and theme this whole year. Waylon is my guy and that’s not Waylon, those happen, right? We were just trying to be aggressive on offense and it didn’t work in our favor.
“I’m going to 100 percent give props to them, they come down here and they have 24 kids, props to them shutting us out and putting out a great product.”
Redding Christian, which came into the game averaging 47 points a game, was led by quarterback Wyatt Shaw, who completed 15 of 27 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Levi Putnam rushed for 98 yards on 17 carries.
Micah Skinner, David LaBabera and Collin Matos had the interceptions for the Lions.
Redding Christian converted two of the interceptions into touchdowns in the first half.
“I’m just so happy for these boys,” said Redding Christian Coach Gerald Piper, who celebrated the program’s first state title. “It’s a great group of boys who have been working so hard all year. They’re great football players, great athletes, they’re high character guys.
“We had some big stops and some big interceptions, which led to scores and I felt that set the tone and I was proud of our quarterback and our receivers.
The Lions took the lead on the final play of the first quarter when Shaw connected with Micah Skinner on a 7-yard TD pass. Redding Christian also made a 2-point conversion.
Redding Christian added to its lead later in the quarter when Wyatt hit Brodie Ogen on a 7-yard TD pass. The Lions again made a 2-point conversion to move ahead 16-0 at halftime.
Woodbridge’s defense gave the team a chance for the comeback by shutting out the Lions in the second half.
Woodbridge showed some life offensively on its final drive of the game. Stone connected with Jalen Webb on a 33-yard pass play. But on a fourth and 3 from the Redding Christian 23, Mattos of Redding Christian intercepted a pass on the 1-yard line to seal the win with about three minutes left.
“It’s a tough one, I think we battled,” said Stone. “It’s a feeling I wouldn’t wish on anyone, it’s the toughest thing, it’s one of the hardest things for my seniors. We definitely battled but it just didn’t end up in our favor. I’ll give it to them, they had a good scouting report, they played their tails off, they’re a pretty good team.
“It wasn’t our day today. I wish we could have finished this out, but this is definitely a memory I’ll never forget. I wish I could have done it for them (the seniors).”
Woodbridge senior David Bosley, who McBride said is probably the team’s most valuable player, was disappointed with the final outcome but proud of what the team had accomplished.
“It would have felt a lot better to win today, but I think we exceeded a lot of expectations, after going 0-7 no one really expected us to win CIF or even go to state, we never gave up and that was what really shined throughout the season, 0-7 doesn’t define you,” said Bosley, who hauled in five catches. “We kept on pushing even when they were up 16, our defense decided not to let them score in the second half, we stuck together as a team and that’s what we ‘ve done all year.
“Of course, it would have been a lot better to win but sticking together as a team, that’s the cornerstone of Woodbridge. I love my brothers here, I love my teammates, I love my coaches. This loss hurts, but I’m glad I got to play Woodbridge football.”
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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