Clovis North beats Central to claim CIF Central Section DI football championship

As usual, the Broncos grind it out with more than 300 rushing yard and defense gets three turnovers — the key one by Darius Storey — in hard-fought victory

The Clovis North Broncos scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Central Grizzlies 24-14 in the CIF Central Section Division I high school football championship.

It's the Broncos’ first Central Section Championship since 2012 and their third title in program history. They are now 13-0 overall and await their placement in the CIF State playoffs, which will be announced Sunday.

“I love these guys, they played their tails off,” Clovis North coach Mike Jacot said. “I love them.”

McKay Madsen led the No. 1 seed Broncos with six carries for 110 yards and three touchdowns.

"Our line does an amazing job blocking so I just trusted that they would do their thing," Madsen said. "It's so special, we got 24 seniors and I've been playing with them since the fourth grade. We have all grown up together and it is just so special to be able to do this with them."

McKay Madsen (3) was on the loose for three big touchdown runs in Friday's 24-14 win over Central at Buchanan High School.  / Photo: Bobby Medellin

Clovis North was down 14-7 at halftime before the Clovis North defense held the No. 7 seed Central Grizzlies offense scoreless in the second half and their running game took over.

Jackson Cinfel had 23 carries for 93 yards, while Andrew Chavez finished with nine carries for 86 yards. Central was led by receiver Noel Felix III who finished with five catches for 87 yards.

The Broncos defense forced three Grizzlies turnovers, including an interception by Darius Storey as the Grizzlies were driving inside the Broncos 10-yard line with nine minutes left.

• GAME VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Central took an early 7-0 lead, with 8:30 left in the first quarter, after taking the opening drive of the game and scoring when David Marquez connected with Zeb White on an 11-yard touchdown pass that capped a nine-play 68-yard drive.

Clovis North got on the board five minutes later when Madsen raced into the end zone from 33 yards away to tie the game at 7-7.

The Grizzlies took a 14-7 lead late in the first half after a one-yard touchdown run by Brandon Smith.

Madsen tied the game up midway through the third on a 47-yard touchdown run. 

The interior play was ferocious between the two squads / Photo: Bobby Medellin

Clovis North’s Montrell Beasley intercepted Marquez on the ensuing drive at the Broncos' 40. As they've done all season, they capitalized as Madsen scored again, to give Clovis North a 21-14 lead after three quarters.

The Grizzlies weren't going down without a fight. They came in having already knocked off second seed Frontier and two-time defending champion Liberty on the road. 

They drove 70 yards from their own 25 to the Clovis North 5 with Storey made the defensive play of the game. 

He tipped a Marquez pass, grabbed it and raced about 20 yards before Marquez knocked him out of bounds. It was the last big chance for Central. 

“They like to throw these short passes and I practiced it all week and I kept batting down passes," Story said. "I knew that was my moment when I saw the pass go up. I just put my hands up and it ended up right over me and I caught it and started running.”

The Broncos, known for their ball control offense, went to work. 

Central QB Dave Marquez finished with more than 1,200 passing yards and 15 touchdowns alone in the postseason.  / Photo: Bobby Medellin

They chewed up more than seven minutes on the ensuing drive and kicked a field goal to take a 24-14 lead with 1:51 left. The Grizzlies couldn't muster another rally and finished 10-4. Their head coach Kyle Biggs was proud of how his team fought until the end.

“No one thought that we would be here. It is a testament to the kids and how hard they worked,” Biggs said. “I can’t say enough how proud I am of them for battling and competing and just doing anything they can to win the game. That was a dogfight.”

The Broncos defense forced three Grizzlies turnovers, including an interception by Darius Storey as the Grizzlies were driving inside the Broncos 10 yard line with nine minutes left in the game.

Look: Photos of Clovis North's 24-14 victory Central in the Central Section D1 championship

Pregame: Central comes in scorching hot, defeating No. 2 Frontier and No. 3 Liberty on the road and will play in their sixth D1 title game in the last seven years under coach Kyle Biggs. Senior QB Dave Marquez is playing lights out football with 958 yards and 13 TDs in three playoff wins and Braylon Hall is as tough as they come, catching 11 passes for 197 yards and 2 TDs in the semifinal win over defending champion Liberty and the game-winner with 11 seconds against Frontier. The run game is solid with sophomore Brandon Smith and junior David Bell combining for 1,451 yards and 11 TDs. However, turnovers for the Grizzlies have been an issue all season with 13 INTs and 7 fumbles lost compared to Clovis North, who has only two give-aways, both on lost fumbles in garbage time.

No one has been able to solve the Broncos physical rushing attack all season, and those 3,472 yards and 50 TDs are paved by big-dudes James Cazares, Ayden Gumm, Preston Fletcher, Davit Boyajyan and Gus Gomez. Explosive RB Jackson Cinfel (1,771 yards, 17 TDs and only a junior) ran for scores of 75 and 86 in the first quarter against Clovis East last Friday and at 185 pounds can bench an impressive 330 lbs. RB/LB McKay Madsen (2nd place finisher at the 2022 CIF State Track and Field in discus) and WR/S Vincent Cordoba are two of the top two-way players in the section and will be tasked on defense to spy Marquez–who has 11 rushing TDs–and the talented Central receivers. The Broncos are one of the most physically imposing teams in recent memory, a tribute to their dedication to the weight room. And remember–three years ago the Broncos went 0-3 in the COVID shortened season and was trounced 69-0 by Central.

Paul Meadors contributed to this report