As his players knelt before him on the sideline at Qualcomm Stadium following the Dec. 2 CIF Div. II championship game, Mission Bay head football coach Willie Matson told them many years from now the fantastic season that brought them to the title game is what they will remember.
Sage advice, coach. But for awhile, that title game will be hard to forget.
In a game that mirrored Murphy’s Law, the Buccaneers saw just about everything go wrong in what was, for most players, the biggest game of their young lives.
No. 2 seed St. Augustine dominated the No. 8 seeded Bucs in a 49-0 blowout that saw Mission Bay turn the ball over five times — twice within the 5-yard line when it appeared they were about to get on the scoreboard.
And, as Matson said, the 2013 season was one to remember.
The Bucs entered the title game 12-1, with their only loss to reigning state champion and Western League foe Madison 42-7 on Oct. 11.
Mission Bay then pulled off one of the season’s biggest upsets when they stunned the Warhawks 21-18 in a CIF quarterfinal match Nov. 21.
A wild 56-49 victory over Rancho Buena Vista sent the Bucs to the “Q” in a memorable shootout, and a dramatic touchdown pass with four seconds left beat Point Loma after the Pointers had taken the lead with 1:20 left.
Behind quarterback Nicholas Plum and tall receivers Lamarriel Taylor and Andre Petties-Wilson, the Bucs air attack rolled up big yardage and was averaging 36 points a game when they trotted onto the NFL field for the final game of their prep careers.
It took both teams awhile to lose the “Q jitters,” but the Saints scored on their third possession when quarterback Joe Hudson rolled to his left before connecting with wide receiver Frank Buncom IV on a 33-yard pass.
Hudson struck again on the same play as time expired in the first quarter to give the Saints a 14-0 lead.
The Saints completed only six of 14 passes, but they covered 133 yards, resulting in three touchdowns.
On the ground, the Saints averaged 8.2 yards a carry, gaining 272 yards and scoring three more times.
The Bucs came close to scoring in the third quarter after a 60-yard kickoff return by Petties-Wilson. After several more well-executed plays, they found themselves with a first down at the Saints’ 5-yard line.
After one incompletion, Plum’s next pass was intercepted by Saint Tyler Herburger, who returned it 99 yards on a “pick-six” that changed what might have been a 35-7 Saints lead to 42-0.
The next Bucs threat came at the end of the third quarter, when Mission Bay put together a drive that gave them a first down at the Saints 2.
After an incompletion in the end zone, Plum lost the ball when he was hit and the Saints recovered at their own 4-yard line.
For the game, Plum completed 14 of 32 passes for 192 yards. He was intercepted twice and sacked six times as the Saints dominated the line of scrimmage.
Petties-Wilson led all receivers with five catches for 88 yards. Taylor snared five for 67 yards and Franklin Gaylord caught three for 30 yards.
The Bucs netted only nine yards on the ground with two fumbles.
EXTRA POINTS
• Bucs senior Juan Bautista was honored by game officials with his team’s Best Sportsmanship Award, receiving a patch for his letterman jacket.
• The Bucs graduate 27 players from this season’s roster. 
• The game marked the Bucs’ eighth title match. They won the 2009 CIF championship, also their most recent title appearance.