Central Valley Christian cruises to playoff win over Stockdale
The Central Valley Christian football team remembers last season’s loss in the Central Section Division II championship game well.
It’s a big reason the Cavaliers are leaving everything on the field.
That was put on display on Friday night at Cavalier Stadium.
No. 1 CVC started fast and cruised to a 43-7 win over 16th-ranked Stockdale in the first round of the Division II section playoffs. The entire second half was played with a running clock.
The Cavaliers (10-1) will now host undefeated and ninth-seed Tehachapi (11-0) next week in a quarterfinal game. The Warriors defeated No. 8 Bakersfield 35-14.
Cavaliers senior quarterback Brent Kroeze threw four second-quarter touchdowns, including two each to Fresno State verbal commit Bryson Donelson and junior receiver Gunnar Piepgrass.
Did head coach Mason Hughes expect that type of all-around dominant performance from the Cavaliers?
"No," Hughes said. "I mean that's a good team. I think our kids were ready to go, man. They were ready to go. I think we got on them early and when you're on the road and things aren't going your way, you know, they really just couldn't stop our passing game, really to be honest. We were throwing the ball all over the place.
"I don't think that score is indicative of that team. But I'm really proud of our guys. When you win a playoff game, man, it's the first time in the whole season where you go, 'OK, I hope this isn't it.' I think being a dad adds a little more emotion to that, too. I'm just proud of our guys that we get to coach them one more week. We get to love them up for one more week. It's very cool."
Kroeze was efficient in just one half of play, hitting 14-of-18 attempts for 306 yards. He threw 17- and 78-yard touchdowns to Donelson and capped off an outstanding outing with 21- and 28-yard strikes to Piepgrass in the second period. Piepgrass totaled five catches for 100 yards.
Kroeze has now thrown for more than 2,000 yards on the season and has a 28-to-2 touchdown-interception ratio.
With the Cavaliers up 43-0 at halftime, CVC inserted most of its reserves on offense and defense. Backup sophomore quarterback Christian Jones even got some playing time, completing all six passes for 54 yards.
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"It was amazing being able to take care of business in the first half and let the kids, the newcomers, have some fun out there," Kroeze said.
Kroeze directed CVC to six touchdowns on all six of its offensive possessions in the first half. He marched the Cavaliers on scoring drives of 66, 78, 65, 78, 60 and 63 yards.
CVC also surpassed 40 points or more in a single game for the eighth time this season.
"When we play like this, nobody is going to stop us," Kroeze said.
Donelson put on another spectacular show. He made a statement immediately, scoring on a 15-yard run to help the Cavaliers grab an 8-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Then in the second stanza, his back-to-back touchdown receptions stretched CVC’s advantage to 29-0 with 8 minutes and 30 seconds before the break.
On his 78-yard touchdown snag, he caught an intermediate pass down the Stockdale sideline and outraced the Mustangs defenders for six.
Donelson finished with 85 yards rushing on just 10 carries. He also caught four passes for a game-high 132 yards.
What's it like to have a player as explosive as Donelson?
"It's like a dream come true," Kroeze said. "You can just throw it up to him or give it to him any time, and at any time, he can just break it off for 70 yards or 80 yards."
The CVC defense was outstanding.
Stockdale didn't score until CVC's second-team defense was on the field to start the third quarter. Logan Godspeed put the Mustangs on the board with a 72-yard touchdown.
Aside from that one play, only four other Stockdale plays netted a gain of 10 yards or more.
CVC also intercepted three passes, receiving one each from Caden Ritchie, Max Benson and Teague Brandenburg. The Cavaliers' defense was led by seniors Benson, Drew DeGroff and Trent Greidanus.
More: Tulare County Football: Top games to watch, Week 12 predictions
The Mustangs registered just 191 yards of total offense and punted five times.
"I think our defense played well," Hughes said. "I was happy with that. I think we were banged up on defense and our kids were still chugging away. ... Those dudes are playing really hard and they're getting better."
Central Valley Christian 43, Stockdale 7
Stockdale 0 0 7 0 - 7
CVC 15 28 0 0 - 43
First quarter
CVC – Bryson Donelson 15 run (Donelson pass from Brent Kroeze), 8:45
CVC – Drew DeGroff 4 run (Teague Brandenburg kick), 3:14
Second quarter
CVC – Donelson 17 pass from Kroeze (Brandenburg kick), 11:53
CVC – Donelson 78 pass from Kroeze (Brandenburg kick), 8:30
CVC – Gunnar Piepgrass 21 pass from Kroeze (Brandenburg kick), 2:35
CVC – Piepgrass 28 pass from Kroeze (Brandenburg kick), 1:08
Third quarter
S – Logan Goodspeed 72 pass from Christian Dalton (Ricardo Zamora), 5:12
Individual statistics
RUSHING – Stockdale: Elmo Whitten 4-10, Christian Dalton 1-8, Logan Gonzales 1-2, Bradley Taylor 1-2, Joaquin Whitten 1-4, Athan Pena 1-3. CVC: Bryson Donelson 10-85, Drew DeGroff 1-4, Trent Greidanus 1-(minus) 2, Kaden Saltzman 2-4, Jared Griffith 1-(minus) 1, Wylan Bouma 1-0, Team 2-(minus) 2.
PASSING – Stockdale: Dalton 14-31-3 162. CVC: Brent Kroeze 14-18-0 306, Christian Jones 6-6-0 54.
RECEIVING – Stockdale: Logan Godspeed 6-94, Charles Young 5-47, Elmo Whitten 1-3, Carson Steen 1-7, Pena 1-11. CVC: Bryce Crook 3-32, Donelson 4-132, Gunnar Piepgrass 5-100, Caden Ritchie 1-15, Ryan Lewis 2-45, Griffith 1-(minus) 4, Teague Brandenburg 3-16, Keanu Kennedy 1-24.
Records – Stockdale 4-7, CVC 10-1.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Central Valley Christian cruises to playoff win over Stockdale
