HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL / DIVISION III FINAL : Stubborn Notre Dame Defeats Ayala

Ryan Bowne couldn’t stop the tears and Robbie Brewster couldn’t stop signing autographs.

Even Coach Kevin Rooney got carried away--on his players’ shoulders--after Notre Dame High won the Southern Section Division III football championship with a 27-20 victory over Ayala (12-2) on Friday night before about 5,000 at Pierce College.

For Notre Dame (13-1), which came from behind twice to win, the title is the first in the school’s 47-year history, an accomplishment not lost on coaches or players, who went wild with jubilation.

“I just can’t believe this,” Brewster, a senior wide receiver, said, scribbling his name on the caps of several young boys. “This is unbelievable.”

Brewster hauled in two touchdown passes from Bowne, including the game-winner from 32 yards with 3:05 to play.

The Knights trailed, 6-0 and 13-10, and looked as if they might be run off the field early in the game by the Bulldogs’ ball-control offense that engineered a 10-minute touchdown drive to open the scoring.

But Bowne, playing his best game of the season, completed 15 of 25 passes for 221 yards to keep the Knights’ alive. He connected with Brewster for a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give Notre Dame a 7-6 lead.

Afterward, the junior quarterback was overcome with tears.

“I don’t know how to (express) how I feel,” he said.

Such is usually the case with Rooney, the Knights’ stoic coach who was handed a cigar after the final gun.

“I’m going to go smoke this,” he said, jokingly.

Rooney, in his 15th season at Notre Dame, said the victory was typical of his team.

“I’m going to remember this team as a bunch of guys who were always fighting back,” Rooney said.

The game almost came down to a memorable climax as Bowne drove the Knights 78 yards in the final five minutes. Notre Dame kicker Chris Sailer, who booted field goals of 24 and 57 yards, was warming up on the sideline in anticipation of settling it with his powerful right leg.

But Brewster, who finished with four catches for 97 yards, caught Bowne’s pass over the middle and broke a pair of tackles at the 10-yard line to reach the end zone.