Publication Date: Friday, December 09, 2005
Palo Alto Jr. Midgets fall in Pop Warner Super Bowl semifinals
Palo Alto Jr. Midgets fall in Pop Warner Super Bowl semifinals
(December 09, 2005) by Rick Eymer
In the end, the Palo Alto Knights Junior Midgets weren't able to produce another miracle, and their Pop Warner football season ended one game short of the national championship.
The Knights fell to the Cedar Crest Comets of Dallas, 13-10, on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Pop Warner Super Bowl Championships at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
"We are proud of these players and how they represented our program and the city of Palo Alto," said Mike Piha, president of the Palo Alto Knights' program. "We are definitely a household name at the Pop Warner Nationals."
Indeed, the Knights made their fifth trip to the national playoffs. They reached the semifinals in dramatic fashion after scoring with 21 seconds left to beat then Souderton Braves on Sunday.
Palo Alto rallied from behind - again - against the Comets. Cedar Crest took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter before Darnell Ewing helped change momentum by sacking the Comets' quarterback in the end zone for a safety.
Gabe Manzaneraz scored minutes later on an eight-yard run to give the Knights a 10-6 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Comets scored late in the game to end Palo Alto's season. Cedar Crest took advantage of five Knights' turnovers.
Cedar Crest meets the Liberty City Warriors of Fla. in Saturday's title contest at noon. Liberty City beat Mesa Eastern of Arizona, 13-0, in the other semifinal.
"We're happy to get this far," Liberty City coach Luther Campbell said. "One of our problems is that our kids are exhausted. With the hurricane forcing them to commute to other schools, it's been tough meeting the end of term classroom demands and still playing ball. But, we're one game away from a championship now."
Meanwhile, Palo Alto's miracle finish on Sunday continues to be a topic of conversation. Several observers are referring to the 70-yard drive in the final minutes as "The Drive."
Just before forcing the turnover which led to the winning drive, Knights' coach Eric Borjon had called a timeout.
"I told them to anticipate the pass," he said. "I told my corners to stay up and blitzed my linebackers hoping to get to the quarterback."
Which is exactly what James Berry did, giving Palo Alto the opportunity to play in the semifinals.
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