There’s a powerhouse football program in East Contra Costa County that has flown under the radar this year.
Cornerstone Christian High School has a 21-game winning streak that stretches over two seasons. It won the North Coast Section eight-person football title with a 64-48 victory over Branson on Nov. 29 at Rio Vista High School. Cornerstone achieved the win with only 12 players available.
Coach Logan Heyer points to a senior class that helped bring back the team to the school of 90 students.
“This class really wanted to play,” said Heyer, who has coached the team for the past three years. “That group of seniors has been incredibly hard-working and their determination to be the best helped them stand out.”
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One of those seniors is quarterback/cornerback Caed Miner, who had a fantastic championship game. He rushed 32 times for 443 yards and eight touchdowns. He also completed three of his six passes for 80 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and also returned an interception 22 yards.
Heyer said that Miner helped pick up the slack when senior running back/free safety Michael Valle, the Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player last season, broke a leg earlier this season. Miner rushed for 1,489 yards and passed for 1,130 with 45 total offensive touchdowns.
“To replace a league MVP and step in and do what Caed did, that’s special determination from him,” Heyer said. “Our team didn’t miss a beat.”
Matthew Broad, another senior, added 80 yards rushing and an 18-yard touchdown reception in the NCS title game. He also had two sacks. Valle returned from the injury to lead the defense with eight tackles.
Cornerstone Christian (12-0 overall) plays in the PCL eight-man division, a Central Coast Section league that includes Anzar in San Juan Bautista and Trinity Christian in Monterey. “Our typical trip is two hours at least,” Heyer said.
The Cougars’ double-wing offense surely is powerful. They scored at least 40 points in every game this season, and more than 60 points seven times in 12 games.
But high-scoring games are not uncommon in eight-man football. The offense only lacks the two tackles and a receiver from an 11-man offense, and the field is 40 yards wide and 80 yards long in California high school play.
“The defense is at a disadvantage,” Heyer said. “Scoring is much higher at eight-man. You can’t run a zone defense to cover all the field.”
That’s what makes Cornerstone Christian’s defense so amazing – it allowed 14 points or less in nine games this season. Miner, Broad and Dominic Tsukerman, another senior, led the Cougars’ defense.
In the NCS tournament, No. 1 seed Cornerstone Christian had a first-round bye, then easily defeated host Calistoga 46-8 in the semifinals before its championship victory. Branson was the only team that scored more than 28 points on the Cougars; in addition to their title win over the Bulls, Cornerstone Christian edged Branson 66-62 on Sept. 14.