Through his humble nature off the field and his tough-as-nails style of play that became synonymous with Sobrato football, senior safety Michael McChesney will be fondly remembered by the Morgan Hill community as a Bulldog for life.
McChesney is moving across the country with his family this week, following his father, Morgan McChesney, who's starting a telecommunications company in Tennessee. And with that, Michael played his final game for Sobrato on Friday. He closed a stellar chapter of his career with an unfitting finale - a defenseless 52-27 loss to Soquel.
The outcome was only a footnote, though, to the larger story: the emotional farewell to one of the most impacting players the young program has seen.
It began with each Sobrato player scribbling "4" - McChesney's jersey number - on his arm. It ended with teary goodbyes from almost everyone at Richert Field.
McChesney and his teammates were the last ones to leave.
"He was everything to this team," said quarterback Steven Sorce, who grew up playing Pop Warner football with McChesney. "We couldn't stop thinking about it tonight."
McChesney was in on more than a dozen tackles Friday and helped the Bulldogs keep the game close until late in the second quarter, when the visiting Knights pulled away. McChesney played offense for parts of the fourth quarter - and narrowly missed hauling in a 31-yard pass from Sorce to the back of the end zone.
"We wanted to win for him tonight," Sobrato coach Nick Borello said. "The boys are heartbroken. We lost a game and we lost a brother, a team-leader.
"Mike was the heart and soul of our defense. We redesigned it around his ability."
Added assistant coach Art Testani: "I've left e-mails for his coach in Tennessee. I told them Mike's pound for pound the best player they'll find."
Similar praises came from Sobrato wrestling coach Phil Luna, who guided McChesney to a top-10 finish in the CIF-Central Coast Section Finals last year.
"You won't find a harder working person on any team anywhere," Luna said Friday. "He loved his teammates and they loved him. I never coached a better person."
McChesney leaves Sobrato High School along with his sisters Sarah and Elizabeth - both cheerleaders - and his mother, Jane, a diligent booster club member.
"We always loved the school," Morgan said. "Michael and his sisters are very sad to be leaving Sobrato. It was a big part of them."
After breaking the sad news of his departure, McChesney told his teammates to "keep playing hard," just as he would have.
"I'm proud of this team," he said. "I want them to win league again and do everything they want. I'm going to miss them all."
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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