James Burns: Pitman carried out its orders, Merced did not

The assignment was simple, the blueprint laid out perfectly for the Merced football team.

No creases.

No folds.

No tricky language or shapes or lines to confuse the plan.

It was connect-the-dot easy.

Beat Pitman, win at least a share of its fourth straight Central California Conference crown, and at 5-5, maybe even host a first-round playoff game.

There was just one problem.

Pitman had virtually the same orders, needing only a win to reach the six-win marker.

The theory, of course, being that six wins guarantees you a seat in the postseason under the Sac-Joaquin Section's new playoff system.

Well, if that's truly the case, and we'll know today when the section releases its seedings, congratulations Pitman.

You're in. You're sooo in.

In a battle of wills, Pitman ripped Merced off its feet on Friday evening, embarrassing it in front of a home crowd that hoped to dance and sing into the night.

Instead, there was nothing but shocked silence.

Pitman 49, Merced 7.

Markus Sanders ran through the Merced defense like a runaway freight train, leaving a grease trail in his wake.

The hulking fullback -- probably bigger and stronger than most of the adults on the field -- rushed for more than 200 yards before the 2-minute warning in the first half.

Pitman scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions, led 28-0 and forced Merced to punt on its first five series.

Just how effective was Pitman? A team coached to run, run, run completed its only pass in the first half for -- you guessed it -- a touchdown.

In fact, there were warm and fuzzy stories just like Pitman's all across Merced County on Friday.

Los Banos won its first conference championship since 1998 with a thrilling 48-47 victory over Buhach Colony.

Atwater's blowout victory over Turlock clinched the conference's second automatic playoff berth.

And speaking of playoffs, Dos Palos returns to the postseason after a one-year hiatus with loads of momentum after crushing rival Chowchilla, 23-6.

But if you've been a fan of Merced and Mariposa county football, and followed the CCC closely, there was only one storyline Friday that made your jaw hang.

The fall of the king.

With one fell swoop, Pitman knocked Merced off its throne and into an early offseason.

Merced closed its season in a three-way tie for second place with Atwater and Pitman, which is respectable and noteworthy, even for a team as decorated and acclaimed as Merced.

But after you've factored in tiebreakers, you realize...

Merced finished no closer to the playoffs than one-win Golden Valley and winless Turlock.

"It didn't come out our way," senior Marques Barron said. "It's a heartbreaker.

"It's scary," he later added. "There were little signs. It felt bad from the start, like things weren't going to go our way."

There was anger.

Lineman Gary Womack, a mountain of a man, paced the sideline after Sanders' 70-yard TD run in the first half. He clinched his jaw and pursed his lips, no doubt trying to hold back the bad words beating the insides of his cheeks like a drum.

There was disbelief.

There were tears and pep talks and outright pleas.

And strangely, there were long stretches of nothing. Nothing on the field. Nothing on the sidelines. Nothing in the stands.

The energy -- that palpable fire that Merced had used like a secret weapon for so many of its big wins -- was gone in a flash,

Like after the national anthem.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be. It wasn't our night," Merced linebacker Andy Saeteurn said. "Friday the 13th -- one bad luck day. That's all you can say.

"I'm still in shock. I didn't think it would end like this. This doesn't feel right. This game, this season, it all went by too fast."

Maybe it was Merced's year to be denied, to finish a football season in the stands or at home.

Or maybe, after years of playing the bridesmaid and the bullied, it was Pitman's chance to shine. To return the favor.

Either way, we can say this with absolute clarity: One team carried out its postseason orders, and the other did not.

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