By Ted Apodaca

When Western High football coach Dan Davidson took over the program in 2014, the team went 1-9 in his first year. Davidson was trying to change a program that had run a double wing offense. He knew that wasn’t his forte’ so he began trying to build an offense that that would throw the ball at will.

There were growing pains to say the least, but Davidson’s plan reached a pinnacle on Friday night, as the Pioneers used a wide-open offense, special teams trickery and a stifling defense to defeat Peninsula High, 49-21, and capture the CIF-SS Division 11 championship. It was the first football title in school history. The program had reached the finals in 2004, coming up short to Tesoro, 21-14.

In a post-game address, Davidson said that the team had wanted to bring a title to the school to honor those teams from the past, that had worked hard but come up short. Davidson said that while there was satisfaction in earning the championship plaque, the more satisfying thing was seeing the kids come together.

“The satisfaction is in seeing the guys believe in each other and believing that we could make a run in the 14 games, … the satisfaction comes from belief that the kids can put in the time and work and that if we did that then special things could come,” Davidson said.

Senior quarterback Anthony Munoz was a key figure in helping establish that belief. Since becoming the primary quarterback as a sophomore, Munoz has set the stage for the wide-open offense Davidson was trying to install. As players such as junior receivers, Cassius and Caine Savage were added, as well as running back Rahsaan Hester and fullback Jacob Domino, the Pioneers began to take shape.

In the title game, all aspects were on display for the Pioneers. Munoz threw for 296 yards and five touchdowns, connecting with Caine Savage eight times for 169 yards and four touchdowns. Cassius Savage had three catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. Cassius also returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown after the Pioneers pulled a quick double handoff that caught Peninsula off guard.

The Pioneers again caught the Panthers with an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff that gave the Pioneers the ball right back. The Pioneers would again score quickly, this time on a touchdown run by Domino. A long pass from Munoz to tight end James Mendoza helped set up the run.

The Pioneers were up 21-0 before the Panthers finally got on the board.

However, every time the Panthers scored, the Pioneers were able to answer. Munoz connected on big pass plays to Caine Savage, and then Cassius Savage after Peninsula scores to push the lead to 35-14 and the Pioneers led 42-14 by halftime.

In the second half, the Pioneer defense clamped down, while the offense turned to its run game to eat up the clock and wear down the Panthers. Rahsaan Hester had 83 rushing yards, most of them in the third and fourth quarter.

“Our line is amazing, they make the key plays, they don’t get the credit for it, but they do all the work up front and they make us look good,” Munoz said.

The Pioneers’ journey was not without its bumps. After opening the season with a big win, they were beaten by Huntington Beach, allowing 48 points in the loss. Western was able to rebound with win over strong teams, such as Garden Grove, as well as tight win over Laguna Beach in the new Pac 4 League.

“We fell short a few times, but we battled through adversity, but we knew we would get here to the final stage and we’re proud of ourselves, I love these guys,” Munoz said.

But the biggest bump came in the final game of the regular season. Western had climbed to the No. 1 ranking in the division and were looking to win the league title outright. Ocean View had other ideas, as the Seahawks came in to Handel Stadium and rolled to a 45-7 win to take a share of the league title.

That was when Davidson said he saw what his kids were made of. He said they did not let doubt, or criticism of how good they might really be, creep into their thoughts. Davidson said by the next morning the players themselves were texting each other and talking about what had gone wrong and what they needed to do to correct their mistakes. He said it was the belief in themselves and each other that allowed them to shake off mistakes and not lose focus.

“I have a team of believers and with Anthony Munoz leading our offense and Jacob Domino leading our defense, they won’t let those things happen,” Davidson said.

Munoz was a little more at a loss to describe the emotions after their journey had culminated in a CIF-SS title.

“I’m at a loss for words, it’s amazing,” Munoz said.