Some story-book teams I’ve seen over the years

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After watching Ayala rally to defeat city rival Chino Hills, 19-10, in a Sierra League game Monday night, I began wondering where the Bulldogs would rank on my list of Cinderella-story football teams I’ve covered over the years.

Savanna (1993) -- The Rebels won the school’s first Southern Section title since opening in 1961. It was my first fall covering high school football, so I figured the program was just coming into its own. Boy was I wrong.

San Gabriel (2003) -- The Matadors overcame a series of obstacles, including the drive-by shooting of its best player, to win the school’s first Southern Section playoff game in its 49-year history. San Gabriel then rocked the SGV by knocking off top-seeded Santa Fe in a Division VII semifinal. The Matadors have gone ole’ in the playoffs ever since.

West Covina (2004) -- Another one of those Bulldog teams, West Covina had not won a section title since 1965, but won the Division VII crown with a 17-10 victory over two-time defending champion South Hills, which had knocked off the Bulldogs in an earlier San Antonio League game.

Anaheim (2006) -- The Colonists had finished a mere 22-89 in their previous 11 seasons, but turned things around like the Red Sox in October to advance to the Southern Division championship game.

There was also a Hacienda Heights Wilson team that was actually better than Los Altos in the last couple years, which seems like a fairy tale to me.

-- Dan Arritt