ATHERTON — A moment 15 months in the making came to fruition on Saturday night at Menlo-Atherton High.
El Cerrito, which just over a year ago was banned from the North Coast Section playoffs for playing ineligible players, beat M-A 20-16 in the NorCal 4-A championship game.
The dramatic fourth-quarter victory sent the Gauchos through to the 4-A state title matchup next week in Southern California, marking the first time in school history El Cerrito will play for a state championship.
“It means a lot,” said sophomore wide receiver/cornerback Cannon Jenkins, who scored the game-winning touchdown and snatched a fourth-quarter interception. “We worked hard over the offseason. We had ups and downs over this season. But we worked hard, came through practices every day. And why not EC?”
El Cerrito’s Gary Youngblood (1) catches the ball against Menlo-Atherton in the third quarter during the NorCal Division 4-A championship at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)El Cerrito (12-2) will face Beckman in the state title matchup next week.
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There would be no such outcome this time around. The disappointment of previous seasons – especially the last one – was washed away with a new wave of SoCal euphoria.
“When I came back from junior college coaching, when I came back in 2022, the mission was to get to state,” said coach Tim Johnson, who took over El Cerrito last year after coach Jacob Rincon was placed on leave. “And we did our thing.”
Check back for updates to this story.
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