Berell Staples took the kneel down, jolted towards the McClymonds side of the crowd, jumped into the air and rose both his arms in unison.
His teammates quickly pulled him back because they needed one more kneel down to officially end this ballgame. But this was pure excitement, jubilation, everything sinking in, the culmination of everything paying off as the McClymonds senior quarterback and company ticked the final seconds and plays off the clark.
This was their night. Their moment. Their opportunity to show the world what McClymonds football is all about. To show the world the pride of West Oakland. The toughness of the community. Of the city. Of the neighborhood.
The Oakland powerhouse did it again, and their path blazed to this moment – particularly Saturday evening – was everything.
McClymonds (11-2) staved off a furious late Roseville comeback to win a 42-34 ballgame over the Roseville Tigers (11-3) in the CIF Northern California Division 3-A championship game, securing the program’s seventh-ever regional title.
“I just know that we faced so much adversity as a team,” Staples said. “We worked so hard for this moment right here. To be able to celebrate that and do something I set out in eighth grade I wanted to do, it means the world to me. This is everything I ever wanted to do.”
And it was all three phases rising to the forefront to book the trip to state.
It was not until 3:58 remained in the first quarter when McClymonds took its first snap under center, yet it was already ahead 14-7. Because of Jessie King Jr. taking a kickoff back to the house to even the score at 7-7 after Roseville took a quick lead courtesy of senior Mason Susnara’s 12-yard strike to senior Jack Walker, then the hometown McClymonds Warriors snagging the ultimate play defensively.
An Irshad Miles pick six, making it a 14-7 McClymonds lead with 6:38 left in the opening quarter.
While Roseville forced a three-and-out on McClymonds’ first offensive possession – holding it to minus-one yards – the Warriors’ quickness, elusiveness and explosion – all staples in the legendary Michael Peters era – blitzing the world not long after
After Roseville got back within one at 14-13 on Colton Wolfe’s 1-yard scamper, the Warriors were driving. Justin Fischer did pick off a pass in the red zone – his ninth of the year – yet they were finding their rhythm, their groove that many opponents find seemingly impossible to stop.
The next possession said it all: Dominic Davis exploded to 123 rushing yards before the first half ever ended, and Staples scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to push the Warriors up 21-13 with 49 seconds left in the half.
“We have no offseason. We take no days off,” McClymonds junior Prince Staten said of this team’s explosion. “We go straight to track after football season. It translates.”
Staples is the ultimate gamer, winner who dreamt of this very moment since he was back in eighth grade.
A dual-threat quarterback tabbed a consensus three-star prospect and bound for Cal Poly put his body on the line every drive to extend this season into the season’s final week in mid-December next week. Staples scored three times on the ground – twice on 1-yard runs – and another a 32-yard run that looked to be the dagger, keeping the ball on the read-option and darting left for the touchdown that extended the advantage to 42-20 McClymonds with 9:35 left.
“We were working all summer,” Staten said. “He was the one out here with me, throwing the ball, lifting. He’s a dog.”
Staples also fired one touchdown pass to King Jr., whose open field speed is perhaps quicker than a bolt of lightning. King saw a crease, delivered a move and went into the end zone for a 52-yard score and a 27-13 McClymonds lead in the third quarter.
That team speed is everywhere on the McClymonds field. King is a lightning rod. Staples is a true dual-threat signal-caller. And Davis sprinted to 232 rushing yards on 22 carries, with eight of his touches going for at least 10 yards.
Davis needs just one cut to break everything open. Once he’s past one defender, he speeds past another – the McClymonds way.
“It’s the hard work in the offseason,” Staples said. “We had the same feeling with a bitter taste in our mouths last year. Everybody came back and just knew what we wanted. The juniors that were coming back – we knew exactly what we wanted to do.”
But McClymonds still had to fend off a valiant Roseville group that proved all postseason – and year – it is best with its back against the wall.
The week prior, Roseville trailed 29-28 to East Union before driving down the field and kicker Austin Chang hitting the game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining to lift the Tigers to their first Sac-Joaquin Section title since 1987.
Once down 42-20, Roseville scored twice in a row – and recovered back-to-back insides courtesy of perfectly executed Austin Chang kicks – to nearly stage the ultimate comeback. Susnara and 6-foot-4 senior Oreste “JJ” Yong connected on a 13-yard pass on a corner route to cut the deficit to 42-27.
Then, Chang’s onside kick was recovered by Roseville, who scored again after as Susnara and Yong found each other for a third touchdown between the two as Yong hauled in a difficult catch between defenders to get within 42-34 with 4:41 left.
Chang had one more onside kick, the latest masterpiece in a multi-sport career filled with them – the game-winning section championship field goal, the game-winning hit to win the section baseball title, the section water polo crown – and Roseville was driving, inside the 35 on a Susnara to Yong pass.
McClymonds forced a fourth down to Roseville, who thought it had the look. However, Staten and the Warriors had other plans.
Staten – a national prospect in the 2027 class with nine Division 1 offers – broke up the fourth-down pass, turned towards the crowd and let out the yell heard around the world. Staples’ first down run shortly thereafter sealed it.
And those plays were especially needed – like Staten’s game-sealing pass breakup – as the Roseville Tigers were right there. Yong – a bonafide Division 1 talent still waiting on an offer at that level – snagged nine passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns and drew two pass interference calls. Susnara tossed for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Wolfe bulldozed his way to 122 rushing yards.
“I just had to stay patient, telling me it was going to come,” Staten said. “They threw it up the seam. We had seen it a lot on film. I just stayed patient. It finally came.”
Now, McClymonds embarks to Southern California, where it will face Kennedy-Delano in the championship on Saturday, Dec. 13 as it competes for a fifth state crown (the time and location are to be announced by the CIF soon).
Its playmakers across the field embody the heart of this program. Staten broke up passes. So did Miles, who added a pick six. Four-star Washington-bound cornerback Rahsjon Duncan is physical with elite speed and tackling ability. San Diego State-bound defensive lineman Koi Taiese is a monster who totaled two tackles for loss. Edge rusher Marshawn Blackshear is another standpoint who forced one fumble and collected two tackles for loss.
They all wear McClymonds, West Oakland and the entire city proudly on their back – just like the community does with them.
“We’ve got 18 players, but they are all dogs,” Staten said. “They call come to practice every day hungry.”
“We represent well,” Staples added. “We played hard today knowing everybody in Oakland was coming out to watch us and support us.”
