With the California football team holding a decisive advantage over visiting Orchard Farm in Friday night's Class 3 state quarterfinal, it was the team's public address announcer receiving some of the loudest cheers from the cold, but energetic, crowd at Riley Field.
Every few minutes, the announcer would give a scoring update from the quarterfinal between two-time defending state champion Maryville and Oak Grove. Each time, it was Oak Grove with a bigger lead, and the home fans loved it. Maryville has beaten the Pintos in the state semifinals the past two years.
"I wanted to go up to Maryville and play them," California senior Walker Borghardt said after his team's 56-21 victory over Orchard Farm. "I wanted to get the third rematch."
The Pintos (13-0), ranked No. 2 in Class 3, were a little surprised to learn they'd be traveling to Oak Grove for Friday's 7 p.m. semifinal, not Maryville. Tenth-ranked Oak Grove (11-2), the District 7 champion, dominated its quarterfinal 69-23, snapping Maryville's 42-game winning streak.
"We wanted a piece of (Maryville), but we'll play whoever," said California senior quarterback Jaden Barr, who had three passing touchdowns and one rushing score against Orchard Farm. "We'll play Oak Grove and give them our best shot."
Although much of the Pintos' focus this season has been to get past Maryville in the semifinals, California head coach Marty Albertson believes it will still be a challenging matchup against Oak Grove. The Pintos, who were missing numerous key players at the time, scrimmaged the Panthers in June.
"They were good. They were very good. They took it to us," Albertson said. "They're big, they've got an All-State running back (Aaron Graham) and their quarterback (Austin Blackston) throws the ball well. We have to play our A-game or they will take it to us. They already did once this year. We have a little revenge on our minds."
Even though the Pintos were focused on another trip to the semifinals, they refused to look past Orchard Farm (10-3). And it didn't take long for them to pull away in the quarterfinal.
After Barr's 17-yard touchdown pass to junior Landon Mouse early in the first quarter, Barr hooked up with senior receiver Dylan Norton for a 73-yard catch-and-run score to make it 14-0. Barr was nearly sacked on the play, but avoided numerous defenders to find a wide-open Norton down the field.
After an Orchard Farm touchdown to begin the second quarter, California answered immediately. Pintos senior Allan Burger caught the ensuing kickoff on his own 19-yard line, faked a reverse to Borghardt and broke free down the sidelines for an 81-yard score, giving California a 21-7 edge.
"We thrive off big plays," Borghardt said. "One big play sets up another one. As long as we got that momentum, we can keep going."
The Pintos added three more touchdowns in the second quarter, including Barr's 64-yard scoring run, to open a commanding 42-7 lead at the intermission.
"The kids were focused all week. They really were," Albertson said. "I told them, "There are only eight teams left in the state, so all teams are going to be good. We have to play our A-game.' They came out pretty focused."
Barr finished with 156 yards passing and 73 yards rushing. Borghardt had 134 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while Norton added 122 receiving yards and two scores. California's defense held Orchard Farm's powerful rushing attack to just 88 yards on 26 attempts. The Pintos intercepted Eagles quarterback Tyler Westerfeld three times.
Now, with their semifinal game at Oak Grove looming, the Pintos are ready to prove they belong in the state finals.
"We're never really satisfied," Barr said. "We haven't made the state championship (the last two years), and we're looking to do that. Oak Grove took it to Maryville, and we're looking to take it to them."