The Central Coast Barnstormers had rifled off 10 straight wins and, after shocking the No. 1-ranked team in the nation last week in overtime, were looking to complete their storybook season with a victory in the Northern California Football League Bowl championship Saturday against Northbay.
But clinging to a 12-7 lead late, the Barnstormers could not close it out.
Rattlers running back Karl Mikolon scored the game-winning touchdown in the final minute at Corbus Field on the Vallejo High School campus and led the top-seeded team in the American Conference to a surprising 14-12 triumph over the No. 2 Barnstormers.
"It was something I didn't expect," said Barnstormers center Jose Rodriguez, who is also an owner of the semi-pro football team. "I had high hopes.
"It's still pretty difficult and it's still hard right now. But someone had to lose."
Central Coast did get the ball back with 50 seconds remaining, Rodriguez said, but the offense couldn't get into field-goal range quick enough behind signal-caller Bryan Smith.
"It's part of the game," Rodriguez said. "You just have to live with it."
Rodriguez said Smith left the game sometime before the half after taking a sack, and didn't return until sometime in the fourth quarter.
"He took a pretty big shot," Rodriguez said.
"They were really prepared for us. They were the No. 1 defense for a reason."
The NCFL Bowl championship did, in fact, match the league's top defense in Northbay with its top offense in Central Coast. But the Barnstormers were hoping to be the team to break through the Rattlers' stifling run-stop with a healthy dose of its spread attack.
It was held to just 12 points instead, the Barnstormers' lowest point total all season.
Central Coast completes its season as NFC champs with an 11-2 record.
Head coach Greg Garcia and quarterback Bryan Smith were not available for comment.
Smith, though, is one of many veteran players from Central Coast expected to retire this year, as is Rodriguez, running back Derrick Morrison, offensive lineman Joffre Longoria, strong safety Lance Goularte, offensive lineman David Crandall and defensive tackle Isaac Hernandez.
"I'm happy," Rodriguez said. "I'm not happy with the way it ended, but I'm happy with some of the things we've done - a lot of good memories."
Andrew Matheson Andrew Matheson is a sports writer for South Valley Newspapers. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 334 or at amatheson@svnewspapers.com.
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