Late in the fourth quarter, the Warriors put together a 75-yard, 14-play drive culminating in a 3-yard plunge on a fourth and goal by running back Daniel Weller. There was 1:30 left in the game and the Warriors had a 24-21 lead and what looked like a victory. But the Bruins were not done just yet.

Andre Ingram returned the ensuing kickoff 40 yards into Warrior territory at the 44-yard line to set up the fireworks to follow. Quarterback T.J. De Stefano lofted a 15-yard pass towards the endzone and two Warrior defenders went high into the air with the ball just clearing their fingertips. It fell into the waiting hands of Joshua Lagod for a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the game, giving the Bruins a 28-24 win.

"I was looking for Josh all the way," said De Stefano. "I saw the defenders jump high and then I saw him grab it. He always seems to be there."

"T.J. put it in the right spot," commented Lagod. "He always gives us a chance to make the catch."

De Stefano was instrumental in three of the four touchdowns for the Bruins in the game.

As time ran out in the first quarter, De Stefano sprinted right and then scampered down the sideline for a 79-yard touchdown run. He also hooked up with tight end Steve Brugge for an 18-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter that gave the Bruins a 21-6 lead at the time. De Stefano was 4 of 6 on the night for 45 yards.

Ingram accounted for Branham's other touchdown as he blasted up the middle on a quick opener and went untouched for 59 yards into the endzone. Ingram was the Bruins' leading rusher on the night with 10 carries for 99 yards. Cameron Pickering added 50 yards on 14 carries and Kenny Shearer contributed 43 yards on 3 carries to balance out the rushing game for the Bruins.

"It was a great performance by our kids," said Branham coach Dave Cardoza. "They never gave up and showed a lot of heart by the whole team."

"Westmont played a very good game," commented Cardoza. "It took everything we had to beat them."

Indeed, Westmont never seemed to be out of the game even though the Warriors trailed for most of it. They pushed the ball up and down the field and looked like they might break it open at any time, but the Branham defense continued to bend but not break.

The Warriors dominated the possession of the ball in the first half with a very strong running game. Their workhorse was Weller, who carried 20 times for 104 yards in the first half alone. He finished the night with 181 yards on 34 attempts.

The Warriors added another 58 yards of rushing from Brandon Simon, Burt Codera, and Chantz Staden.

The Warriors showed a balanced attack even though the rushing game dominated their offensive output. Quarterback Mike Denardi complemented the ground game as he threw for 105 yards, completing 9 passes in 19 attempts. Cordera lead the way with 5 catches for 64 yards.

The Warriors finally got on the board with 39 seconds left in the first half when Simon blasted up the middle for three yards and fell into the endzone for the score. It was the end of a 14-play, 73-yard drive resulting in the half ending with Branham claiming a slim 14-6 lead.

The drive was highlighted by a couple of key plays that kept it alive.

On one occasion, Denardi scrambled to avoid a hard rush completing a 17-yard pass to Leon Rosario for a first down to keep things going. A few plays later it was Weller who blasted his way forward on a fourth down and one giving the Warriors a first and goal at the 7-yard line.

After the Bruins scored in the third quarter to make the score 21-6 in their favor, the Warriors began their comeback. It started with a spark from Stefan Fowler who returned the kickoff following the Bruins' touchdown for 50 yards down to the Bruins' 39-yard line.

Denardi gave the ball to Weller three straight times with the third one blasting for 19 yards and a touchdown. That took only 1:14, and after a two-point conversion, suddenly the Warriors were only down by a touchdown.

They quickly got the ball back near midfield and went into a hurry-up offense that caught the Bruins by surprise. Denardi hit Codera on two quick passes and the Warriors had a first and goal at the Bruins' eight. The Bruins called a quick time out, regrouped, and forced Westmont to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Evan Washington, making the score 21-17 with Branham still on top.

After forcing Branham to punt on its next possession, the Warriors began the drive that would eat up the clock in the fourth quarter and put them ahead temporarily before the Bruins made their decisive comeback.

In reflecting on the performance of his team, Cardoza said, "I can't single out an individual player. It was a total team effort. The chemistry on this team is great."

He concluded that "this was a spectacular win since it was our first one in the Santa Teresa Division." When Branham moved up from the West Valley Division this year, Cordova believed that they could be competitive at the new level. It looks like he just may be right.