ROSEVILLE -- Tony Ortegon sat behind the rest of his teammates with his legs stretched out and his head hung low.
The tears pouring down his cheeks told the usual tale of disappointment and opportunity lost, but his internal turmoil ran a little deeper.
Ortegon felt as though he'd let his teammates down.
A few yards away fullback Bob Perez wore the same anguished expression, feeling the same mixture of shock, disappointment and guilt.
The Le Grand stars helped their team turn in a dominating first half in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V title game on Saturday night at Oakmont High, but could only watch helplessly while dealing with various ailments on the sideline as Capital Christian rallied in the second half for a 35-27 victory.
"When you have guys like Tony Ortegon, Bob Perez and Alex Martinez not be able to play for large parts of the game, you're going to struggle," Le Grand coach Rick Martinez said. "You need to have all your guns available against a team like Capital Christian and we didn't have them."
It was an unkind finish to a contest that started so promising for Le Grand (7-5).
Capital Christian (9-3) drove 69 yards for a touchdown on its opening possession, but the rest of the first half belonged to LG.
Ignacio Guerra intercepted a pass at the Capital Christian 25-yard line and Perez tied up the game three plays later with a 2-yard burst up the middle.
The Le Grand defense put its team in good position again with just over five minutes to play in the half, recovering a fumble at the Capital Christian 13.
Ortegon cashed in the chance with a 13-yard TD run to make it 14-7 LG.
Le Grand built on its lead with just over a minute to play in the half when Abraham Yanez converted a fourth-and-8 with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Raul Garcia.
Le Grand outgained CC 216 yards to 105 in the first half and was the more physical team heading into intermission, but there were concerns heading into the locker room. Martinez was forced out midway through the second quarter with an ankle injury and Perez began cramping at the end of the first quarter.
"We went into halftime with everyone jumping all over the place," Ortegon said. "We tried to tell ourselves not to get overconfident, but we had just taken it to them."
Unfortunately for Le Grand, it could never recapture the fire.
The game began to turn on a missed opportunity in LG's first possession of the second half. After a CC three-and-out, Le Grand was setting up for the finishing blow.
It reached the CC 28-yard line and was facing a manageable fourth-and-2 when a delay of game penalty killed the drive. Ortegon came up a few feet short on a fourth-down run and LG turned the ball over on downs.
CC took advantage, driving 74 yards for a James Lee TD run.
Capital Christian seized momentum when Garcia fumbled the ensuing kickoff. CC tied the game three plays later with a Keith Johnson touchdown run.
Ortegon (22 carries, 156 yards) injured his ankle on Le Grand's next possession and wouldn't return, and Perez finally succumbed to his cramps on the next defensive series.
"I haven't cramped up all season. It just had to happen in this game," Perez said. "I did everything I could to get it loose on the sideline, but it just wasn't my night."
Johnson and Lee each rushed for touchdowns in CC's next two possessions to cap a 28-0 run, giving Capital Christian a 35-21 lead with 2:25 left in the game.
Le Grand mustered one final drive. Yanez aired it out, marching Le Grand 97 yards and finding Martinez for a 1-yard TD pass with 21 seconds on the clock.
Perez gave Le Grand a final chance with a good onside kick, but CC emerged from the pile with the ball.
And a section title.
"It felt like our game to win, but not a lot went our way in the second half," Perez said. "The guys never gave up, though, and we at least gave ourselves a chance to the very end."
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