The championship for the Warriors certainly didn't come easy. In fact their final game of the season was a battle for the ages. They hosted Lincoln on Nov. 12 under the lights at Westmont and came out with a 33-27 victory.

Westmont was loaded with heroes. Chantz Staden continued to prove himself to one of the top players in the area with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 41-yard reception for another TD.

Along with Staden, Daniel Weller had a great game with 12 carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns, including a 40-yard run.

Conner Quinn also came up big for the Warriors. Quinn intercepted a pass at the Westmont 17-yard line and went 83 yards the other way for an important touchdown.

"Quinn's interception return was the turning point of this game," said Westmont head coach Tony Santos. "It was just an incredible effort."

Westmont actually fell behind early in the game. After making an initial stop against the Lions, Westmont began to drive the ball but quarterback Kevin Pham threw an interception, building some momentum for Lincoln. The Lions drove the ball 58 yards in 12 plays and scored on a fake field goal double pass to go ahead 7-0 with only 1:17 left in the first quarter.

The Warriors were still having some problems offensively. After only six plays they were forced to punt, and kicked the ball into the end zone.

Lincoln was forced to bring the ball out, but couldn't move it against the Warrior defense and had to punt.

Then something happened to the ball--no one could hold onto it. First Westmont fumbled and Lincoln recovered. Then two plays later, Lincoln fumbled and Dean Hicks recovered for the Warriors. Two plays later Westmont fumbled again and Lincoln recovered. And two plays after that Lincoln fumbled and Kelly Peterson picked up the ball for the Warriors.

Finally able to hold onto the ball, Westmont still couldn't move and was forced to punt in four plays. The punt hit the Lincoln deep man and, with some good hustle by the Warriors, Hicks picked up another fumble. But Pham threw another interception on the following play, giving the ball back to the Lions.

A strong defensive stand forced the Lions to punt again, but this time Pham and the rest of the Warriors were ready.

Pham connected with Staden for 37 yards, then hit Casey Modiri for 12 more. A few plays later Pham found Modiri for 23 yards to put the ball at the 1-yard line. Weller pounded the ball in for the first Warrior touchdown. Modiri kicked the extra point and with only eight seconds left in the half, Lincoln had time for one play. The Lions went to the air and Peterson intercepted to end the half with extreme momentum for the Warriors.

After the half, Westmont wasted no time. They hammered the ball down the field with Pham hitting Staden on a 41-yard touchdown pass.

Lincoln fought right back, pounding the ball down the field, but Quinn would not allow the score. He picked off a pass and dodged six Lincoln tacklers to go 83 yards for another Westmont touchdown.

The Lions were fighting an uphill battle against a team with momentum. Westmont kicked off, and its defense held firm again. The Lions couldn't convert on a fourth down and Westmont had the ball again.

The Warriors were forced to punt after five plays and this time Lincoln took advantage.

As the third quarter ended, Lincoln was fighting back. In only six plays, the Lions drove the ball 83 yards for a touchdown to bring the score to 19-14 with 10:34 left in the game.

Lincoln made the mistake of kicking the ball deep to Staden who was waiting patiently. He ran right up the middle in the heart of the Lincoln defenders and dodged every one to break an 89-yard kick return for a touchdown. Weller ran in for the two-point conversion and Westmont pushed its lead to 27-14.

The ball traded hands a couple of times before Lincoln scored again. With 3:47 left in the game, Lincoln brought the score to 27-21.

The Lions attempted an onside kick, but touched the ball too early and Westmont took over at the 50-yard line. It took only three plays before Weller broke a 40-yard touchdown run for the Warriors' final score of the game.

The Lions drove the ball 67 yards for another touchdown with only two seconds left in the game to bring the score to 33-27 and attempted a trick kick, but the clock expired and Westmont finished on top.

Playoff bound

Westmont will now advance to the Central Coast Section playoffs, opening on the road against Mountain View in the Medium School Division.

Westmont and Mountain View will match 7-3 season records in the first-round game. The Spartans were champions in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. The game is set for Nov. 20, 1 p.m., at Mountain View.