After pulling out a 20-19, last-second win against Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division rival Lynbrook on Nov. 4, the Firebirds are 4-1 and share second place with Los Altos, one game behind top dog Santa Clara (5-0). And, it just so happens that the one game left on the schedule is ... Santa Clara.

Fremont coach Andy Walczak and his staff could very well have some of their best practice sessions of the season this week. After all, the players know that a win Friday night at Diesner Field will earn them a share of the El Camino championship.

"You just want a chance," Walczak said. "When you're playing for the championship and not just playing for pride, of course it's a big difference. This should be great, especially for the seniors."

Both teams will know after Thursday night's Los Altos-Gunn game at Foothill College whether a two-way tie or a three-way deadlock is possible. If Los Altos and Fremont win, a three-way tie would result.

Of course, Santa Clara, which blanked Los Altos 10-0 in a battle of unbeatens last Saturday, plans on having a say in the matter.

"We'll have to play a perfect game to beat them and I've told our team that," Walczak said. "Santa Clara is a good team; they run the ball well and play outstanding defense."

The Firebirds were far from perfect against Lynbrook, aiding the Vikings' cause with 145 yards in penalty yardage and they missed an opportunity to go ahead with about two minutes to go.

Lynbrook had gone ahead 19-7 in the third quarter, when junior Michael Hernandez rumbled 55 yards to paydirt, his second score of the game. The Firebirds, who had scored first on Kevin Lincoln's 20-yard sweep in the first quarter, regained some momentum on the ensuing kickoff.

Julius Mills, the Firebirds' fine senior runner, returned the kick 80 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown, and Jason Custer kicked his second extra point, trimming the deficit to 19-14.

Late in the fourth quarter, Fremont drove to Lynbrook's five-yard line, but the Vikings held and took possession. The Vikings, starting at its five, had a chance to run out the clock, and gained one first down.

Fremont, while stopping the clock with all of its time-outs, was able to prevent another first down and forced a punt. The kick was a very short one, and the Firebirds regained the ball at Lynbrook's 27 with just 20 seconds to go.

After an incomplete pass, a nine-yard Custer toss to Nathan Cathcart, and another incomplete pass, Fremont faced fourth-and-one at the 18. Lynbrook was three seconds away from earning its first win of the season.

Custer, Fremont's senior quarterback, combined with junior flanker Shelton Swoopes for a touchdown on the fourth-down pass from the 18. It was the third time in four games that the Custer-to-Swoopes passing combination clicked for a TD. But this connection was the most important, as it kept Fremont's hopes alive for a co-championship.

Homestead, King's

Homestead and The King's Academy close out their seasons on Thursday, and both teams will be playing for pride.

Coming off a 48-20 non-league victory over Cupertino, Homestead will try to improve its De Anza Division record to 2-4 and keep Milpitas (0-5, 3-6) winless in the division.

Meanwhile, King's will be up the I-880 corridor at James Logan in Union City, closing out their Bay League schedule against California School of the Deaf. The Knights seek to bounce back from a 35-21 defeat to league leader Salesian of Richmond.

Homestead senior Jay Atkins scored three times in the first half, as his team built a 41-14 lead before the intermission. The Mustangs put 21 on the scoreboard in the first quarter, on short bolts of three and one yards by Atkins and a five-yarder by junior Brian Backo.

They added three more touchdowns in the second quarter. Atkins ran in from the five, senior Tom Navarro scored after recovering a fumble and quarterback Gareth Pack's 20-yard pass to Tony Del Vecchio earned another six points.

Pack's 1-yard run in the third quarter and Maoz Friedman's sixth PAT kick of the night capped the scoring for Homestead.

The King's Academy rallied from a 27-8 halftime deficit to pull within six points in the fourth quarter, but Salesian pulled away. Matt Smith ran for two TKA touchdowns, and teammate Sam Sussman passed 25 yards to Anthony Piquette for another.

Homestead wins title

Homestead wrapped up a perfect run to win the El Camino Division volleyball championship with victories over second-place Monta Vista and Fremont last week. After finishing 12-0 in league play, the Mustangs will take an overall mark of 24-12 into the eight-team CCS Division I tournament, which begins Nov. 12.

The Mustangs, seeded No. 4, will tangle with No. 5 Independence (16-19) in an 11 a.m. contest at Santa Clara High.

Later, in a Division V match at Valley Christian, The King's Academy (20-10) will take on Pinewood (14-12) at 5 p.m. The Knights are seeded No. 3 and Pinewood is No. 6.