James Burns: Los Banos ready to party like it's 1998

LOS BANOS -- They brought their flags, pennants and balloons.

They stood on the very last bleachers, the highest point in the stadium, screaming until their faces turned red -- or blue, depending on which side they claimed.

Those who wanted a ground-level view gathered in the end zone nearest the snack stand, creating a half-circle of humanity.

This was a big game, for sure.

Had all the bells and whistles of a true pigskin party.

Atwater vs. Los Banos, unlikely Central California Conference title contenders three years ago, but joined atop the league standings entering Friday evening.

Just how big was "big"?

Put it this way: the Atwater coaching staff left no stone unturned, phoning an old friend for some pregame motivation.

Hello, is Bernard Berrian there?

Too bad it only works in movies.

There was no amount of celebrity rah-rah that could have rescued Atwater from this.

Los Banos 41, Atwater 0.

Playing for its first and last CCC championship, Los Banos, which will move down in division and out of the conference next year, dispensed with the pleasantries.

Sort of like a bully would.

Quarterback Erik Martin attacked Atwater's secondary from the moment he laced up his cleats, slinging footballs all over Loftin Stadium.

He finished with 251 yards and two touchdowns. Gaudy numbers, no doubt. But watching him pitch it around the yard, you swore he hung half-a-thousand on Atwater.

The defense continued to eat up opposing offenses, stretching its scoreless streak to eight quarters.

Outside linebackers Matt Nunes (two sacks) and Brian Durham were too fast and agile on the edge, effectively trapping quarterback Nathan Sanchez like a lab rat.

The cornerbacks wrapped up receivers, the offensive line cleared alleys big enough for freight trains and the special teams earned their moniker.

For a team that needed every second in last week's stunning victory over Merced, this one couldn't end soon enough for Atwater.

Even halftime mocked the Atwater faithful, their eyes drawn like moths to the lights on the scoreboard: 28-0.

And so it continued, this wild and wacky CCC football season.

Three weeks ago, Merced looked like, well, Merced of yesteryear. Big, strong and full of momentum.

Last week, Mr. Mo switched ZIP codes, jumping into Atwater's corner, helping it knee-cap Merced's 21-game conference winning streak.

This week, Los Banos took its turn in the spotlight, moving to within one game of its first championship in more than a decade.

The anticipation amongst the fans in Los Banos is as thick as the fog that blankets Highway 152.

"This community has supported us 100 percent," senior linebacker Marcus Arista said. "To bring a CCC championship to Los Banos for the first time, that would be a big, big thing for us.

"We got a lot of people behind us. They feel it. They can sense it. They can see it in the way we're playing right now.

"A couple of years ago, it wasn't like this. I had people stop me in the grocery store, when I'm with my grandfather, and they'll ask when's it going to happen. You get that kind of stuff around here.

"It's good, because it shows they care."

There are three games left on the CCC docket, all ripe with playoff and title implications: Los Banos at Buhach Colony; Atwater at Turlock; Pitman at Merced.

Los Banos, Atwater and Buhach Colony have all but wrapped up playoff berths. Merced is on a cusp, needing only a win against Pitman to lock up a share of its fourth straight title and a postseason berth.

Big games everywhere.

But the biggest might belong to Los Banos, a city starved for a championship.

A city waiting anxiously -- with flags, balloons and pennants at the ready -- to party.

James Burns is sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.