How Bellarmine went from 3-6 to playing for a state football title

Bellarmine goes into Saturday’s state 3-A championship game on a roll.

The Bells were 3-6 after a loss to St. Francis on Oct. 29, but have won five in a row since.

They’ve averaged 28.8 points per game over that five-game winning streak as the team’s offense has come together and played at a level comparable to how the defense has played all season.

A couple of big reasons for the late-season run was the return to health of running back Ben Pfaff and the development of Nate Escalada as the team’s quarterback.

Pfaff was injured on his first carry of the Riordan game on Oct. 1. The Bells relied on their defense to win that game, 3-0. They lost their next three games with Pfaff on the sidelines. In the last two weeks, in wins over St. Ignatius for a Central Coast Section title and Vanden for a NorCal championship, he’s rushed for a combined 269 yards. On the season he has 872 yards rushing on 6.8 yards per carry and 13 touchdowns.

“He’s worked incredibly hard since his freshman year to be in top condition,” Bellarmine coach Jalal Beauchman said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he needs to be playing college football somewhere.”

Escalada played quarterback the first two games of the season, then was moved to other positions for six weeks until returning to QB on Oct. 21 against Sacred Heart Cathedral. Since then he’s grown into the position, throwing 10 touchdown passes. Last week against Vanden, playing in a steady rain, he threw only eight passes but rushed for 103 yards.

“This is his first year as a starting quarterback and he’s improving,” Beauchman said. “Now in Week 15, he doesn’t look like the quarterback he was in Week 5.”

Bellarmine’s defense, led by West Catholic Athletic League defensive lineman of the year Jae’Von Reels, has been a steadying influence all season.

“They’re the foundation of our football team,” Beauchman said. “They’ve allowed our offense to figure out who we are.”

It seemed unlikely back at the end of October when the Bells were 3-6, but now they have won a CCS Division II championship, a NorCal regional 3-A title, and have a shot to capture the program’s first state crown.

Bellarmine, 0-3 in previous state final appearances, will play Laguna Hills at San Jose City College on Saturday at 6 p.m.

“This has been a dream of mine ever since I came to Bellarmine,” Pfaff said after the 35-21 win over Vanden on Saturday. “Now that we have this opportunity I’m just so grateful to everyone in the Bellarmine community, the coaches, and a big shout out to the athletic trainers. With all the injuries we’ve had this year, they’ve done a fantastic job getting us healthy at the right time. I’m really looking forward to playing for the state championship.”

BELLARMINE VS. LAGUNA HILLS

What: CIF Division 3-A championship

Where: San Jose City College

When: Saturday, 6 p.m.

Storylines: Bellarmine is appearing in its fourth state championship game and looking for a first state title … Laguna Hills (14-1) is making its first state final appearance. … Bellarmine’s defense, which held Vanden to 43 yards rushing Saturday in a 35-21 win for the NorCal 3-A championship, will have its hands full with Troy Leigber (6-0, 200), who has rushed for 2,461 yards and 42 touchdowns for Laguna Hills. He is the younger brother of Mitch Leigber, who saw time at running back for Stanford this season. … Calpreps.com’s computer predicts a 31-21 Bellarmine victory.