Willows to host Hamilton in Div. III finale

The Hamilton varsity football team hopes to follow up last year's Div. IV title with an undisputed dominion over Division III teams, and all that stands in the Braves' way is top-seeded Willows.

The Honkers, whose only loss this year was to Division II Corning, are coming off an impressive 31-21 victory over East Nicolaus in the semifinals. Willows warded off the Spartans' acclaimed aerial attack, behind a defense that got better as the game went on, and a pair of 100-yard rushers: Tyler Kormos and Fabian Gutierrez.

Gutierrez scored three times and rushed 21 times for 154 yards while Kormos had a touchdown and ran 20 times for 104 yards. Both boast nine trips to the promised land this season.

The Braves will ambush with a balance of ground and air attacks.

Quarterback Brad Lohse  has thrown for 10 touchdowns and averaged 119 yards per game, while completing nearly 60 percent of his passes (87-for-151).

Lohse's top targets are Drew Knight (23 catches, 400 yards, 1 TD), Joey Van Houtte (13-174, 1), Kyle St. Louis (11-123, 1) and Omar Diaz (10-159, 2). Erik Smith has also snared three touchdown passes, proving Hamilton has an array of offensive weapons.

On the ground, the Braves infantry has averaged over 200 yards per game, led by Diaz (92.4 yards per game, 10 TD) and Peter Knight (76 ypg, 6). When it counts, Lohse is also a lethal option runner, with seven rushing touchdowns to his credit.

Honkers passer Will Enos is also a superior athlete, connecting with his receivers corps for 15 touchdowns and 103 yards per game. Cody Pastorino, the Honkers' speedy wide receiver, is the main threat with 38 catches for nearly 1,000 yards. He has 13 scores under his belt, teammate Michael Chappell has three and Lane Taylor one.

Hamilton's ace in the hole is All-State kicker Oscar Pineda, who was the difference-maker in the Braves' 18-15 semifinal victory over Rio Vista with a late field goal on Friday. He has cleared 50 yards with his iron boot in games this year and last year as a junior.

If Hamilton is within firing range, they bring out the cannon. He has kicked 38 extra points and 12 field goals this year, averaging over seven points per game.

Kick-off for the Northern Section's Division III finale will take place at 7 p.m. tonight at Willows High School.