They played four days after a longtime supporter of the NDHS football program was tragically killed in the Inland Regional Center attack in San Bernardino.
None of it was enough to stop the Notre Dame High School Titans from winning the CIF Southern Section Northwest Division Championship. After being shut out for three quarters, the Titans scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take the lead and held on for a 14-6 victory over Temecula Linfield Christian. It was the second time Notre Dame had narrowly defeated Linfield Christian this season.
“I was willing to put everything on the line for my team, and I knew they would do the same for me,” said senior quarterback Manny Guerrero, describing the Titans’ mindset. “It was this bond, and this mentality that we played with week after week.”
Despite playing hurt, running back Ian Zamudio led Notre Dame with 58 yards rushing in the second half. Guerrero left the game with an injury in the third quarter. His replacement, Niles Harrell, threw a 15-yeard touchdown pass to Jaden Gardner early in the fourth quarter to put the Titans ahead 7-6.
On Linfield Christian’s ensuing possession senior Wesley Smith intercepted a first down pass attempt and returned it for a touchdown, providing the final margin of victory.
Notre Dame last won a CIF Championship in 1977.
The week of the championship game, the Notre Dame community was mourning the loss of alumnus Damian Meins, one of the 14 victims in the terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino on Dec. 2. Meins was an ardent supporter of the Notre Dame football program and a member of the “Chain Gang,” the volunteer crew that tracked yardage on the sidelines during games. The Titans honored Meins by wearing a large ‘D’ on the back of their helmets for the game.
The victory earned Notre Dame a berth in the CIF-State Division V-AA Regional Championship Game on Dec. 11 against Chula Vista Mater Dei Catholic, with the winner to play for a state championship. The Titans again played on their opponent’s home field, and this time battled the elements (a driving rainstorm). They came up just short, falling 21-14.