CIF STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL FINALS
DIVISION 4-A
Hillcrest (9-5) vs. Beckman (11-3)
Where, when: Tustin High, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Live coverage: NFHS Network (stream)
Outlook: Beckman won its first CIF-SS championship last week when it beat Brea Olinda 30-24 in overtime for the Division 8 title. This is Beckman’s first appearance in the regional finals and the Patriots are at home for the third time in four weeks.
Makhi Czaykowski has rushed for over 100 yards in each of Beckman’s four playoff games and has eight rushing touchdowns. He ran for 113 yards with three touchdowns against Brea Olinda, including the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Quarterback Noah Nam has thrown seven touchdown passes and just one interception in the playoffs and he has two rushing touchdowns. Julian Rosa led the Patriots in receiving in the championship game with 75 yards and a touchdown.
Beckman’s defense allowed 223 rushing yards against Brea Olinda but got some key stops at the end of the game. Nathan Garcia led the Patriots with 18 tackles. Nathan Tuttle had 12 tackles with a sack and Skyeler Knight had 10 tackles. Xavier Musselman-Cano had an interception in the end zone against Brea. His nine interceptions this season are the second most in the Southern Section.
Beckman’s defense faces another strong running team in Hillcrest of Riverside. Hillcrest routed Tahquitz 63-34 in the Division 10 championship game. The Trojans ran for 453 yards with six touchdowns in that game. Quarterback Matthew Ramos ran for 238 yards with three touchdowns and had three passing touchdowns. Reyez Ortiz ran for 212 yards with three touchdowns.
“They are fast, really well-coached and aggressive in all phases of the game,” Beckman coach Marcello Giuliano said of Hillcrest. “They put a lot of pressure on their opponents to execute flawlessly on every play and when there’s a mistake they capitalize with takeaways and explosive plays.”
The winner of this game plays the winner of the Northern California Regional final between El Cerrito and Menlo-Atherton in the state championship game.