Pham, Westmont's talented sophomore quarterback, had thrown an interception late in the championship game, but he turned the corner with ferocity and laid a devastating hit on the Woodside defender.

The interception was the final back breaker for Westmont. The Warriors fought hard, but in the end came up short, losing 36-20 to the Wildcats of Woodside.

Though the Warriors lost, the season was a complete victory for Westmont. Westmont finished the season in a three-way tie for first place in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and then accomplished something not done at Westmont since 1965.

Westmont hadn't won nine games in a season for almost 40 years, but that was not their biggest accomplishment. The Warriors not only won their first CCS playoff game in school history, they won two and found themselves in the CCS championship game.

"I'm really proud of my guys," said Westmont coach Tony Santos. "We played really well after week six. We ran six straight, winning six in a row."

Junior Chantz Staden led the offensive charge with three carries for 17 yards and four receptions for 96 yards. Junior Stefan Fowler stepped up for the offense, running for 55 yards on 15 carries.

Senior Casey Modiri did his part, catching six passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. Ryan Kanzaki, a junior, caught three passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns.

Pham, along with one of the big hits of the night, connected on 16 of 27 passes for 265 yards passing.

On the defensive side of the ball, senior Justin O'Connor and junior Arthur Esterkin dominated. O'Connor had 12 tackles on the night, while Esterkin just barely edged him out with 13 tackles.

Fowler was a hero on both sides of the ball, making seven tackles, including one sack, and he also intercepted a pass.

"Fowler and Staden were running both ways on every play," said Santos.

Senior Conner Quinn added four tackles, including a sack, and he had another interception for the Warriors.

The Warriors opened up the game with a seven-play, 82-yard drive, where Pham connected with Kanzaki on a 5-yard pass for an early score. After the extra point by Kevin Blakely, Westmont led 7-0.

Woodside answered back, driving 73 yards on eight plays for its first touchdown. Quinn broke through and blocked the extra point to keep the lead for Westmont 7-6.

The ball changed hands a few more times, and it wasn't until the second play of the second quarter that Woodside struck again.

The Wildcats scored on a 64-yard run and, after the kick failed, took the 12-7 lead.

The Warriors had a little trouble holding onto the ball after the second Woodside score and fumbled four plays into their series.

The Wildcats couldn't make it to the end zone, but they were able to come away with a 38-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 15-7.

With only 1:59 left in the half, Westmont was finally able to put together a strong offensive charge. The Warriors drove 55 yards on nine plays before Pham connected with Modiri on a 4-yard pass for another Warrior score. After Blakely's kick, Westmont was only trailing 15-14.

Westmont was able to recover its kickoff, but was unable to score before the half ran out.

The ball bounced back and forth between the two teams until the beginning of the fourth quarter. Woodside extended its lead once again with a 4-yard touchdown run by their quarterback. The Wildcats completed a two-point conversion and went ahead 26-14.

But Westmont would not stay down and drove 67 yards on four plays to score again. Pham connected with Kanzaki on a 19-yard pass for another touchdown.

The Wildcats weren't done, though. They drove 42 yards on eight plays to score the final touchdown of the night. After the kick they led, 36-20.

The game ended shortly thereafter and Westmont ended up finishing second place in the playoffs they were never expected to participate in, let alone be a contender.

"Woodside is a good team," said Santos. "Their athletes are incredible."