Two years ago, McClymonds High School made local history, becoming the first football team from the Oakland Section to win a California Interscholastic Federation state bowl game title.

Last season, the Warriors were unstoppable. They outscored their opponents by an average of over 36 points per game, went 14-0 and captured their second straight state crown.

McClymonds will be looking to win its third straight CIF title Saturday as it plays Garfield-Los Angeles in the Division 4-A championship bowl game at Laney College at 6 p.m.

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But this year’s Warriors team has formed its own identity, one that revolves around a punishing run game and an experienced, suffocating defense.

In 13 games, McClymonds (11-2) registered nine shutouts, including seven straight against Oakland Athletic League opponents. The ground game, led by 226-pound Jarmar Julien and the 190-pound Adi Anderson, a San Jose State commit and the OAL’s Most Valuable Player, helped the Warriors overcome the loss of quarterback K’aun Green to a season-ending injury midway through the OAL schedule.

“This year’s team, never thought, probably, it would get back this far,” McClymonds coach Michael Peters said. “But they overcame everything and put it together. They’re doing a great job.”

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The tone was set right from the start of the season.

McClymonds’ defense had 10 returning starters, but the offense was nearly starting from scratch with just a couple starters coming back.

The Warriors shut out Marin Catholic-Kentfield, a team that later advanced to the North Coast Section Division II title game, 26-0 on Aug. 24, holding the Wildcats to 65 yards passing and extending their overall winning streak at the time to 26 games. Julien and Anderson combined for almost 220 yards on the ground, but the passing game needed work.

The win streak ended the following week in a 42-14 loss to Liberty, the eventual Northern California Division I-A champion. But the performances of Mack’s defense over the last three-plus months have rarely waned.

“We gave them 28 points on turnovers,” Peters said of the Liberty game. “But I think we played them pretty well on defense. That was our strength going in. Couldn’t move the ball that well. Our line has changed since then.”

The Warriors returned six players on defense this season who were all-OAL selections in 2017, when they had five shutouts and captured the state 5-A crown.

This year, McClymonds had 10 players on defense who were selected either first- or second-team All-OAL.

First team selections include linebacker Ja’Vanz Dornners and defensive linemen Mark Hoching and Green and linebacker/defensive back Semaj Sims.

Second team selections included defensive linemen Islee Cassidy and James Willoughby, linebackers Levy Davis IV and Jaylyn Williams and defensive backs Monte Smith, Montrell Smith and Edward Woods.

McClymonds needed everybody in the NorCal Regional title game last week at Aptos.

The Warriors faced an Aptos team that had averaged over 360 yards rushing per game, with its lead running back, Marcos Reyes, putting up an average of roughly 140 yards on the ground.

But the Warriors’ defense, which has imposed its will most of the season, held Reyes to 81 yards rushing on 24 carries. McClymonds held Aptos to six points in the second half as it came back to earn a 28-20 win.

Slowing down Garfield will be no less of a challenge.

“They’re a very good team. It’s going to be a game,” Peters said.

The Bulldogs (13-1) are more balanced on offense than perhaps run-first Aptos was, with sophomore quarterback Jonathan Bautista throwing for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in 10 games this season. Angel Hidalgo is the team’s leading receiver with 68 catches for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.

On the ground, Garfield is led by Peter Garcia, who enters Saturday with 1,778 yards and 22 touchdowns on 197 carries. Garcia had three touchdowns in the first half and 119 yards in 14 carries in Garfield’s 42-10 win over Kennedy-Delano on Dec.1.

“Garfield runs some stuff that we’ve pretty much seen all year,” Peters said, “and I think we should be able to handle that if we do what we’re supposed to do.”

Few small school teams around the state have tested themselves as vigorously as McClymonds. Besides playing Marin Catholic and Liberty, the Warriors took on Palo Alto, Downey-Modesto and San Leandro, all teams that won at least one game in their respective section playoffs.

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Friday Night Lights off: How these Bay Area players are handling a fall without football A win Saturday would put McClymonds in rarified air, as only two other teams in the state championship’s modern era have won three straight CIF crowns. De La Salle won four straight Open Division titles from 2009-2012, and Central Catholic won three straight Division IV titles from 2012-2014 and the Small School Open Division crown in 2015.

That experience could be a factor Saturday, as Garfield, the Los Angeles Section Open Division finalists, is competing for its first state crown.

“It helps a lot,” Peters said. “Most of the guys can get the other guys relaxed, just come out and play ball like we’ve been playing. We’ve been in this atmosphere for two years now, so, it’s to our benefit. Garfield … they’ll probably come out a little nervous themselves. Hopefully we can take advantage of that.”