Barnes’ comment finally rings true for Tesoro
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When Tesoro upset San Clemente, 16-13, earlier this season, first-year Coach Brian Barnes called it the biggest win in school history. Problem is that Barnes hadn’t been around that long. Tesoro had already won a couple of smaller Southern Section division championships and, the truth was, the San Clemente victory was No. 3, tops.
But after the Titans beat No. 16 Mission Viejo, 28-24, Friday, Barnes was spot-on. ‘Tonight is the biggest win in the school’s history,’ he said after watching a splendid performance by junior quarterback Robbie Picazo (seven of 15, 181 yards, two touchdowns), senior running back Harold Williams (15 carries, 85 yards, one touchdown; two receptions, 101 yards, one touchdown) and a defense coached by Matt Poston. ‘Our kids fought so hard. I told our kids no matter what happens, it’s going to be a battle and we’re going to win it at the end. And just like San Clemente, we won it at the end.’
Senior Ferras Albitar, who scored on the last play of Tesoro’s upset of San Clemente, scored from one yard with 22 seconds remaining against Mission Viejo.
Tesoro looked doomed earlier. After giving up 11 points in a span of 2 minutes 17 seconds, the Titans trailed, 24-14, with 10:31 left to play. But, Barnes said,’They’ve been extremely resilient all year long.’
To win the South Coast League title, Tesoro (7-3, 5-0) drove 80 yards in eight plays, with Picazo passing 28 yards to Brett Gudim to pull to 24-21 with 7:32 remaining. It looked as if Mission Viejo had an answer: a 48-yard TD pass from Allan Bridgford to Warren Reuland ... but it was nullified by a holding penalty. The drive fizzled after that, and Tesoro got the ball one last time. They went 78 yards in 12 plays. At the one, Albitar pushed the ball to within about a foot of the end zone, and on his second attempt, he punched it all the way through.
‘He came over and said, ‘Coach, I’m going to get us in,’’ Barnes said. ‘Our fullback dive from two or three yards is going to get us two or three yards.’
Then came the longest 22 seconds in Tesoro history.
Three passes, the last two of which were incomplete, completed Tesoro’s magical night. Mission Viejo (6-3-1, 3-1-1) had gone 39 consecutive league games without a loss, and had won seven consecutive league titles.
The streak is history, and now Tesoro is part of it.
-- Martin Henderson