The difference between Serra and SoCal champ Mater Dei and why the Bay Area team’s state title chances are slim

In the Bay Area the past two high school football seasons, nobody has scaled the heights of San Mateo powerhouse Serra. The Padres were great in 2022. They’re even better in 2023.

They’ve beaten De La Salle and Folsom. They’ve overpowered their West Catholic Athletic League rivals. They’ve breezed through the section playoffs with hardly a hair strand out of place.

But even for a team as dominant as Serra, one in which second-half running clocks spared eight of its 12 opponents further despair...