Column: Camarillo players hold heads high despite 16-13 loss to Del Oro in state title game

Amid the drizzle, sorrow and disappointment of a 16-13 defeat to Loomis Del Oro in the CIF state championship Division II-AA bowl game Friday night, receiver Frankie Tostado of Camarillo refused to put his head down. There was too much pride and too much commitment expended during a 16-week journey that he’ll remember forever.

“We’ll never forget this season, never forget this team and everything we’ve accomplished,” he said on a wet Sacramento State field. “This is it for me. No more pads. We made it to the state championship and it doesn’t get much better.”

Well, a win would have made it even better, but Del Oro’s defense did something few teams have done against the Scorpions (15-1) all season — shut down their high-scoring offense. Rushing just three players much of the game and relying on an effective secondary, led by Colorado-bound Trey Udoffia, Del Oro opened a 10-0 halftime lead and then made key defensive plays in the second half to secure the victory.

Mason Hurst had an interception in the end zone with 50 seconds left in the third quarter to wipe out an opportunity for Camarillo to take the lead. There also was a fourth-down tackle by Pablo Miller to stuff Isaiah Otis on fourth-and-one at the Del Oro 12.

“They were very strong up front, probably one of the better defenses we’ve played,” said Tostado, a baseball player who caught his 22nd touchdown pass of the season and finished the night with nine receptions for 113 yards.

Aiding Del Oro (10-6) was the play of running back Camrion Davis, who rushed for 197 yards in 24 carries and scored two touchdowns, including a 58-yard run early in the fourth quarter in which he came within inches of stepping out of bounds but somehow convinced the officials he didn’t.

“It’s unbelievable,” Davis said of his team winning a state title despite six losses. “We were down early in the season, but we found a way to pull together.”

Camarillo quarterback Jake Constantine completed 25 of 40 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with 3,999 yards passing and a Ventura County record 51 touchdown passes. Constantine was in tears afterward. He has been best friends with so many of his teammates for years.

Coach Jack Willard tried to take away some of the hurt, reminding his players, “I’m proud of you.”

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSondheimer