The streak lives. It just wasn’t a streak that attracted much attention.

“I think there’s a sense of relief now,” said Justin-Siena High School football coach Rich Cotruvo as his team prepared for Saturday’s playoff opener.

“These guys didn’t want to be the team that ended the streak.”

The streak?

“Justin-Siena’s been in the postseason now for 10 straight seasons,” Cotruvo said. “Every season since we joined the North Coast Section, we’ve made the playoffs. They didn’t want to be the guys who didn’t make it. I think that added some pressure after the way we started the season.”

Oh, yes … the start of a season that appeared doomed.

“We started 0-4, but we finished the season really strong,” said senior linebacker Hayden Hullana, who’ll play a key role when the Braves visit Berean Christian in Walnut Creek to open the Division IV playoffs Saturday at 1 p.m.  

“All our hard work paid off.”

Justin-Siena went 4-2 down the stretch to earn a chance to defend its Div. IV title.

“They were 0-4 and lots of teams would’ve been defeated at that point,” Cotruvo said. “They didn’t have to rise up and turn things around, but they did. I’ll be extremely disappointed if we lose on Saturday, but I’ll always be very proud of how this team went from an 0-4 start to the playoffs.”

With the playoff streak still alive and a trip to the postseason underway, pressure remains on the Braves.

“I didn’t think too much about the playoff streak,” said senior guard Eric Jameson, who has anchored an outstanding offensive line. “There was pressure when we were 0-4, but I think there’s a different pressure now. When we were 0-4, we still had a lot more games to try to qualify for the playoffs. Now, it’s just one game at a time. If we lose, we’re done.”

Justin-Siena wouldn’t be in position to protect the crown it won in 2008 if not for a consistently improving defense that has emerged under defensive coordinator Steve Vargus after a slow start.

“The offense wasn’t the problem early,” Cotruvo said. “It was the defense that was struggling. Hats off to Steve Vargus. He’s the best in the business. He just did an amazing job taking a defense that was inexperienced and guiding them to where they are now. Steve deserves all the credit for how well the defense is playing now.”

The Braves defense has pitched a pair of second-half shutouts — against Redwood and Terra Linda — in its last two outings. While offensive explosions made 33-22 and 48-14 victories seem lopsided, both entered halftime with the Justin defense backed to the wall as the offense struggled.

Terra Linda turnaround

Three Justin turnovers enabled Terra Linda to score twice and head into halftime tied 14-14 last weekend.

“In some ways, this team is like last year’s team,” Cotruvo said, comparing the Braves to the 2008 champions. “I might be a little Pollyanna-ish, but I think they showed a special kind of spark in the second half against Terra Linda. I think the defense really stepped up and the offense did, too. That was the best half of football we’ve played all season.”

The defensive effort was sparked by tackle Elliot Stratton, who had three quarterback sacks, giving him 101⁄2  sacks this season.

The senior started the year at tight end, but was asked to anchor what was then a struggling defensive line.

“Elliot has been just tremendous,” Cotruvo said. “He has progressed and gained confidence on defense. We essentially told him that, ‘We’re going with you on defense. We’re putting our season on your shoulders,’ and he took over that role and played very well.”

Running backs Orion Kamins and Wes Connolly, who’ve rushed for a total of over 1,000 yards, have been standouts defensively in the secondary and at linebacker respectively.

Senior center Michael Slinsen has been joined by quarterback Eddie Aguayo, who’s seeing action at free safety, in a bulked-up defense late in the year.

“Eddie just makes us better on defense,” Cotruvo said. “He’s got tremendous speed. He made a great play in the fourth quarter against Terra Linda.”

Slinsen has given the Braves an added physical presence at linebacker.

“I started out playing defense, but I didn’t do very well,” Slinsen said. “Now, I’m just working my way into it. I’m learning the keys and picking things up now. I’m trying to be more focused.”

The 5-5 Braves are seeded ninth in the 14-team field as they prepare for the eighth-seeded Eagles (9-2).

Braves not intimidated

While they finished second and lost only to powerful Salesian in the Bay Football League, the Eagles don’t necessarily seem to pose more of a threat than any team the Braves were fighting for their playoff lives in a series of six consecutive must-win games in the Marin County Athletic League.

“They’ve got one little guy on the defensive line, but they’ve got one big guy,” said Slinsen. “They move around a lot. They’re a little bigger than we are, but most every team we play is bigger than we are.”

Hullana compared Berean Christian to Menlo, a team that defeated Justin-Siena 48-39 in the second game of the season.

“In our league, I’d say they’re a lot like Tamalpais,” Cotruvo said, comparing Berean Christian to the MCAL foe that Justin-Siena defeated 37-14 on the road in October. “In the playoffs, it’s a lot about emotion. This is the first home game Berean Christian has ever hosted on its campus. They’re going to be out in numbers on Saturday.”

Jameson could’ve been speaking for all his teammates as he considered Saturday’s game.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I think I’ve played well this season. I’ve worked hard,” he said. “A lot of it is mental. I started working in January for this.”

The winner of the Justin-Siena-Berean Christian game will face top-seeded St. Mary’s of Albany.