Gauchos Win Again, Advance to Semi-Finals in 19-7 Victory over Bishop O'Dowd

The undefeated El Cerrito High Gauchos galloped to another football victory in a Saturday night in a rain-soaked 19-7 win over Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland.

The win gave the Gauchos a 12-0 season record so far and put the top-seeded Gauchos into the semi-finals for the Division III championship of the North Coast Section, one of the largest of the state's 10 high school athletic regions.

The Gauchos now face another undefeated team, 5th-seed Analy High School of Sebastopol, champion of the Sonoma County League with a 12-0 record so far. Analy defeated 4th-seed Campolindo 38-34 in the play-off quarterfinals Friday night.

El Cerrito also won its league title in the Rock Division of Tri-County Athletic League.

In Saturday night's contest with Bishoo O'Dowd at Richmond's DeAnza High School, the wet weather was blamed for the Gauchos' relatively low score at game's end. In its previous seven games, the team's final score ranged between 42 and 66.

El Cerrito scored first with a touchdown by Andarius Pickett, taking a 6-0 lead, but Analy then scored and surged ahead 7-6. However, two more touchdowns in the first half gave the Gauchos their game-winning lead. Neither side scored in the second half.

The El Cerrito-Analy game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, at DeAnza High.

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