Brett Granum, Dayne McGee, Ryan Newberry and the rest of the Saratoga seniors certainly felt that way last weekend. And they sure didn't want their season to end in the first round of the CCS Division IV playoffs. But it did, despite the best efforts of the Falcons.

Saratoga lost 28-25 to Santa Cruz to see the 2003 season come to a close. But what a season it was for the Falcons, who finished 8-2-1 overall and in first place in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

"It was a great year, no doubt about it," said Saratoga coach Kurt Heinrich moments after his Falcons had lost the heartbreaker to the Cardinals.

"We knew they were going to be really good," said the coach of Santa Cruz. "They have a lot of tough, physical kids. They're well coached, and they execute."

They did on a chilly Saturday night at Los Gatos High School's Helm Field when they jumped out to a 28-17 lead, then held off a late comeback by the Falcons.

"We tried the control the football because we knew that No. 32 was a handful," said Heinrich. No. 32 was Michael Fry, and he was more than Saratoga could handle on Saturday night. The big fullback carried 17 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns to lead Santa Cruz to the victory.

The Falcons lost, but seniors Granum, McGee, Newberry, Javier Meza, Tom Cummins, Paul Culbertson and Darren Lee played their hearts out in an effort to take Saratoga to the next round. But it wasn't to be.

Santa Cruz will move on to face Valley Christian in the CCS Division IV semifinals. Pioneer will take on Pacific Grove in the other semifinal game in the division with the two winners meeting for the CCS title.

"Perhaps we missed some opportunities," said Heinrich. "But overall our offense did fine."

In fact, the Saratoga did better than fine. The Falcons outgained the Cardinals 333-324 in total offense with Phil Spencer, Granum, McGee and Newberry teaming up for a potent ground attack.

Spencer led the way with 13 carries for 108 carries and Granum finished with 83 yards on 12 tries. He also completed 2 of 10 passes for 37 yards.

McGee supported with 63 yards on 11 carries and Newberry had 38 yards on 11 runs. Newberry caught a pass for 20 yards and McGee had a catch for 17.

In all, Saratoga ran up an impressive 296 yards on the ground running behind an offensive line of tackles Augie Lagemann and Chris Chavez, guards Matt Greene and Adam Sato, center Mark Bertelsen and tight ends Cummins and Ryan Hall.

Meza and juniors Sato and T.J. Florence were the defensive leaders for the Falcons with seven tackles each. Meza and Sato each batted down Santa Cruz passes, Sato recovered a fumble and Florence had a quarterback sack.

Junior defensive end Brent Walter also had a big night for the Falcons. He was in on six tackles, two of them in the Santa Cruz backfield.

Culbertson and Lee were in on five tackles apiece for the Falcons and Cummins, Mark Denari and Newberry had four each.

The score bounced back and forth until late in the third quarter when the Cardinals answered a Saratoga field goal with a touchdown to take a 21-17 lead. Santa Cruz scored again to go up 28-17, but the Falcons still had some fight in them.

Granum took the Falcons down the field almost single-handedly with a couple of runs for 30 yards and a pass to McGee for 17. McGee ran for 14 yards to give the Falcons a first and goal at the Santa Cruz 10, but Saratoga ended up facing a fourth and goal from the 6-yard line.

Once more Granum stepped up. He rolled right with a pass or run option, then cut straight up the field for a 6-yard touchdown run. He tossed to Cummins for the 2-point conversion, and the Falcons trailed just 28-25 with 4:14 left in the game.

"Granum really took over there," said Heinrich of the talented senior.

The touchdown got the Falcons close, but they couldn't get the ball back again as Santa Cruz converted on a couple of crucial third down plays to eat up the time remaining.

Saratoga had scored first on the night, moving 78 yards on eight plays on its first possession. Spencer capped the drive when he raced 41 yards for the touchdown. Eric Frederickson kicked the first of his two extra points.

Santa Cruz scored twice to go up 14-7, but Saratoga answered right back after the second score.

McGee's 29-yard kick-off return set the tempo for the Falcons. Granum ran for 15 yards and McGee for 23 before Spencer carried three times for 25 yards. Granum followed senior center Bertelsen for the final yard and the touchdown.

The score was knotted 14-14 at the half, but Frederickson broke the tie with 1:27 left in the third quarter with a 32-yard field goal. Sato's fumble recovery and a 13-yard run by Newberry set up the kick that gave the Falcons a 17-14 lead.

But Santa Cruz scored just over a minute later, then scored again to lead 18-17.

Hall and Spencer supported defensively by getting in on three tackles apiece. Greg Mow was in on a pair of stops and Greene, Kyle Stoffers, Tyler Rothenberg, Frederickson and Jeff Lyu were also in on tackles.