In football you can’t measure the success of a season by the score of the final game, which happened to have El Toro coming up 7 points short. The 2011 season that started with early season predictions
from the “experts” (back in May and June as the first passes of spring ball were flying through the air) where you would be hard-pressed to find anyone that had the Chargers finishing higher then
second place . . . in league! Go ahead, flip through your OC Varsity blogs, local sports beat writers columns, and national high school football publications and you will read that “El Toro will have a hard time replacing the graduating seniors”, or, our cross-town rival “has all of the momentum to repeat with no one to give them a real challenge”, or, “with one or two veteran seniors along with a few experienced juniors El Toro might get into the third playoff spot.”
On December 10, 2011, the El Toro Chargers were one of two remaining teams (out of a possible 25) who were able to invite a record number of rabid fans to be seated comfortably and scream loudly while taking in the CIF Southern Section Southwestern Division Finals at Anaheim Stadium. The atmosphere was electric and, as the team walked onto the beautifully manicured natural grass playing surface through the right field tunnel, the memories of an unforgettable season were firmly stamped into the minds of each and every coach and player.
El Toro won because of the accomplishments and the strides that the program made. They won because their hard work reaped the rewards that “giving it your all” deserves. The El Toro Chargers won because their fans outshined, out-signed, and out-screamed any fans that have ever attended a CIF championship game. In 2011, El Toro won. Thank you, players and coaches for letting all of us be a part of a journey we’ll remember for a lifetime.
Stay tuned for pictures and a slideshow from a game full of great plays later this week.
