YORBA LINDA – The night before the 2006 CIF-SS Southwest Division championship game, then-El Dorado coach Jeff Bailey and his coaching staff went to a local Chuck-E-Cheese to distract themselves from the magnitude of the moment.
The next day, the Golden Hawks won the CIF title.
Bailey did the same thing the next season with the same result.
Thursday, on the eve of Yorba Linda’s first CIF-SS football final, Bailey and his staff stuck to their routine. Yorba Linda’s seventh-year coach remains unbeaten in pop-a-shot and CIF championship games.
Mustangs running back Jaydyn Webb rushed for 205 yards and scored four times as Yorba Linda defeated visiting Burbank, 31-21, in Friday’s Division 8 final.
“I’m proud of this whole team, the staff, I’m happy for the kids, the school, it’s neat,” Bailey said. “You see the community come together like this, and hopefully we set a good tempo for the rest of the year.”
Yorba Linda, which debuted on varsity in 2010, claimed its first CIF football championship. The Mustangs missed the playoffs two seasons ago.
“This just proves that kids willing to committ and work hard, good things will happen,” Bailey said. “This group worked their tails off.”
Yorba Linda (12-2) claimed the lead for good in the third quarter, on a 15-play drive capped by Webb’s fourth touchdown run. The junior converted on two fourth-and-one plays and then scored from 6 yards out.
The hosts never trailed.
“After that Villa Park game (a 49-21 loss on Oct. 28), we’ve been going straight uphill,” center Bryce Johnson said. “Unstoppable. We’ve been on this high. We didn’t think anything could stop us.”
Webb, who missed the first three games of the season due to injury, set single-season program marks in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
“I made it a goal to play my junior season,” he said. “To come back so early, it’s crazy to think about. I have to thank my offensive line for making holes to run through, and my coaches for preparing us all week.
“We’re the first team to make it this far,” Webb added, “and to see the whole community support us, it’s a dream come true.”
Yorba Linda’s defense stifled a Burbank team averaging more than 36 points per game.
Aside from a 42-yard touchdown run by Nicolas Warren, the Mustangs’ run defense allowed only minimal gains. Swirling winds only added to Burbank’s off night.
“When you make that stop on third or fourth down it’s an unreal feeling,” said linebacker Noah Lines, who lauded his defensive line for keeping blockers away from the second level, allowing him and his fellow linebackers “to roam the middle of the field” and make plays on the ball.
Burbank quarterback Guy Gibbs threw for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
“I’ve been playing football all my life,” Lines said. “This is what I’ve been playing for, what I’ve been preparing for. This is a dream come true.”
Contact the writer: bwhitehead@scng.com