The Morgan Hill Midget Raiders' defense caused a late turnover Sunday against Cambrian Valley, giving the offense one last chance at the go-ahead score.
WOODSIDE -- Steve Sorce repeated the words several times and with the same conviction.
"The kids played their hearts out."
The phrase might as well have been printed above the team picture of the 2008 Morgan Hill Midget Raiders, the team Sorce coached to a 7-3 record this fall. The Midget Raiders finished 0-9 a year ago.
This group of kids, ranging from seventh graders to high school underclassmen, on Sunday played the Cambrian Valley Longhorns in the Pop Warner Peninsula championship game in Woodside. The Raiders were vying to become the first Morgan Hill Pop Warner team to win the title in 26 years. A victory would send them to the regional championship in Santa Clara.
They lost 17-14.
"It was one of those games that could go either way," said Sorce, who's been coaching Pop Warner football in Morgan Hill for five years. "It was a very physical game; a bone-crushing, bruising game -- probably the most physcial game I've seen."
It came down to Morgan Hill's last offensive play.
Trailing by three and facing a fourth-and-two late in the fourth quarter at Woodside High School, the Raiders ran their bread-and-butter play -- a tailback dive by Obi Mbonu.
"They were keying on Obi all day," Sorce said. "That's how we coach, though, no finess. We're going to run it right at you."
Mbonu was tackled right at the stick, but did not merit a favorable spot. With a stretch of the chain, Morgan Hill's championship dream was over. Cambrian Valley ran out the clock.
"It broke my heart," Sorce said. "We treat these kids like our own. They broke my heart. As hard as I am, and I'm hard, to see them crying after watching them give everything they had. I was emotional."
Morgan Hill lost another close one to Cambrian Valley earlier in the season, falling 9-8. The Raiders entered Sunday's game nervous, Sorce said, but with confidence. After the Longhorns broke a scoreless tie with a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter, Morgan Hill went ahead 6-3 with a 14-yard touchdown run by Mbonu on a trap.
Cambrian Valley answered with a 30-yard touchdown pass to take an 11-6 lead at the half.
"We made a few mistakes early," Sorce said. "But we settled them down at the half."
Cambrian Valley pushed ahead 17-6 in the third quarter with a hard-fought touchdown run on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, but the Raiders weren't finished.
Morgan Hill came back with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Franky Castillo to Timothy Camarillo, cutting the deficit to three with 5 1/2 minutes remaining.
Steven Villareal got Morgan Hill the ball back when he picked off a deep pass -- his second interception of the game. Villareal returned it to midfield, and the Raiders' offense began its final drive.
Mbonu ended with close to 100 yards rushing and Camarillo had three catches for 40 yards.
"Great game by Obi," Sorce said. "Villareal had a phenomenal game, too. Ryan Pereira and Jordan Lozada played with more heart than I've ever seen. They gave me every ounce of everything they had.
"It was a phenomenal season. ... There were no I's on the team; only we's."
2008 MORGAN HILL MIDGET RAIDERS
Marvin Abalos
Ryley Baldwin
Christian Bolea
Timothy Camarillo
Sebastian Carrillo-Maldonado
Franky Castillo
Jose Cazarez
Sergio Chavez
Fernando Chavez
Dane Cleeton
Andrew Daggett
Steven Stockam
Gianfranco Fortino
Fa'auli Gaoteote
Francisco Gomez
Garrett Gregory
Zachary Henry
Steven Johnson
Dylan Kidd
Damian Loredo
Jordan Lozada
Ruben Magana
Mitchell Marcum
Obi Mbonu
Ryan Pereira
Thomas Piedra
Isaiah Quintana-Rascon
Charles Ricketts
Nkrumah Stewart
Brenden Stockstick
Steven Villarreal
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