Oceanside pulls way to beat Novato, 28-14, in Division II bowl game

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Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton came by the press box to say hello. Eric Sondheimer went through his list of complaints and Martin Henderson and I just wondered where Staunton got that nice-looking Vootage jacket. Where do I get mine, I thought.

Even though Staunton and Sondheimer kept yapping in my ear, I was able to concentrate long enough to see Oceanside pull away for a 28-14 victory over Novato in the state Division II championship bowl game.

Novato had every chance to get back in the game. The Hornets were stopped on third down with about seven minutes remaining, only to have a face-mask penalty on Oceanside keep the drive alive ... for three more plays, anyway, then Novato really punted the game away.

Oceanside receiver Lamont Enyard followed with the best catch of the day, a 40-yard over-the-shoulder juggling grab with about five minutes remaining. That set up a four-yard touchdown run by Armani Taylor, giving the Pirates a 28-14 lead with 1:25 remaining.

The injured left ankle of Novato quarterback Jeff Stephens appeared to be loosening up as the second half wore on, or maybe he was just tolerating the pain better, hard to tell from my vantage point. He was intercepted three times after tweaking the ankle, so maybe the Hornets should think about having a backup quarterback next season.

Anyway, gutsy efforts by Stephens and Novato. However, it takes more than guts to beat a SoCal team. The score after two years: SoCal 5, NorCal 0.

Bring on De La Salle.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image by www.piratemerch.com