Woodside whips Westmont for title

"Right now is the best moment of your lives," Nicolopulos said to his team after the Wildcats' 36-20 win over Westmont on Friday in the Central Coast Section Medium School Division championship game at Milpitas High School. "But build on this, don't let it be a crescendo."

The Wildcats had just put on a stirring rendition of championship football, a perfect season culminating with a surreal finish. Players and coaches hugged each other tight, some welling up with tears. The Woodside fans, arguably the most loyal group in all of the Bay Area, waited patiently after the game near field level, their cheers heard loud and clear.

It was a joyous occasion to one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in CCS history. It was only a year ago when the Wildcats' season was cut short after conflicts within the team. But when Nicolopulos was named head coach a couple of months later, everything else started to fall into place.

"We had the talent last year, but coach brought a chemistry to us this season," Woodside quarterback Julian Edelman said. "He's a genius. He knows how to bring a team together. It means everything to bring a program back in one year. We brought the powerhouse coach back and things started to work from the start."

Did they ever.

The top-seed Wildcats never let up en route to a perfect 13-0 finish. Against the No. 6 seed Warriors (9-4), they struggled early before putting things away with an 18-point fourth quarter. Westmont took a 7-0 lead after scoring on the game's opening possession. Woodside responded with an eight-play, 73-yard drive, capped by Edelman's 15-yard scoring strike to Dominic Cruz-Duncan.

Edelman then exploded down the right sideline on an option keeper for a 63-yard touchdown. It was all-world tailback Tyreece Jacks who sprung Edelman after delivering a crushing block at the point of attack. The play made it 12-7 with 11:10 left in the second quarter, and Woodside would never trail the rest of the way. Edelman completed 6 of 12 passes for 86 yards.

Gil Hernandez proved to be an underrated weapon, converting on field goals of 37, 35 and 37 yards.

Woodside totaled 327 of its 413 yards on the ground, with Edelman and Jacks rushing for 142 and 125 yards, respectively. The fantastic duo consistently produced highlight-reel material throughout the season, and Friday was no exception. Edelman's 4-yard touchdown run with 11:49 to go was a thing of beauty. Edelman dropped back to pass on a second-and-goal from the Warriors' 4-yard line. He quickly found himself surrounded by the entire Westmont defensive line.

The senior signal-caller then spun around a host of defenders, somehow escaping through the grasp of three linemen. He quickly made a beeline to the end zone, diving for the pylon and the score, effectively sealing the outcome.

There was one more dagger to deliver.

Jacks' 50-yard touchdown with 2:16 to go capped a remarkable postseason that saw the senior rush for 615 yards and nine touchdowns in three games. Jacks went off right tackle before cutting across the grain to the center of the field. Jacks also had two interceptions, and this coming off a game in which he had two fumble recoveries.

"I'm in shock right now," Edelman said. "All you can really think about is the time we've put in since summer double days and the satisfaction of coming together and turning this program around."

The play was sloppy at times, with the teams combining for 22 penalties totaling 180 yards. After a shaky start, Woodside's defense produced another tour de force. Kenneth Walker had an interception and Coop Ryans was seemingly in the Westmont backfield all night. He had two straight sacks midway through the third quarter, and Soni Tuipoloto added one sack. Nicolopulos envisioned an ending like this, a script straight out of Hollywood. But this was even better.

"I don't care what happened in the past, all I care about is what is happening now," Nicolopulos said. "To be able to come together and do it as a team is just special. This is a once in a lifetime moment."