Merced’s perfect season ends in heartbreaking one-point playoff loss to Vanden
The final play of Merced High’s unforgettable season looked, for a moment, like something out of a movie. Senior quarterback Vicente Cortez rolled left, planted his feet and launched a high, desperate throw down the sideline. Senior receiver Israel Rodas rose above defenders and pulled the ball from the air. But before he could turn upfield, he was dragged down at the Vanden 40-yard line as the clock hit zero.
It wasn’t enough.
And just like that, Merced’s perfect season was over.
The Bears fell 26–25 to defending Division III champion Vanden on Friday night at Cathie Hostetler Stadium, ending their 10–0 run in a playoff classic that swung on turnovers, momentum shifts and a final-second tackle that will be remembered in Merced for years.
“It’s tough because it’s over,” head coach Rob Scheidt said afterward. “This is such a tight-knit group. They’ve done so many amazing things for our school and our community. Going 10-0 — this is only the third team in my career to ever do that. I love coaching these guys.”
A brutal start, then a furious response
The night could not have begun worse for the Bears. On two consecutive first-quarter series, Vanden senior captain Caleb Jones changed the game — first jumping a route for an interception, then scooping up a fumble and scoring on the very next Merced drive. Within seconds, the Bears were suddenly trailing 13–0.
But if this season proved anything, it was that Merced was never intimidated and never out of a fight.
Behind Cortez and senior receiver Hayden Czirban, the Bears began to chip away. Cortez found Czirban for a 12-yard score late in the second quarter to get Merced on the board. After Vanden answered with a 23-yard run by Josiah Chavez, the Cortez–Czirban connection struck again — this time on a 46-yard bomb down the right sideline.
Then came the play that ignited the home crowd: senior linebacker Damari Washington read the quarterback’s eyes, jumped a screen pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to pull Merced within 20–18 with just over a minute before halftime.
“That’s this team — a never-die attitude,” Scheidt said. “Even at the end, we were still trying to make plays. I’m really proud of them.”
A second half full of drama
Merced carried its momentum into the third quarter. Cortez delivered his third touchdown pass to Czirban — a 20-yard strike in the corner of the end zone — giving the Bears a 25–20 lead and sending the stadium into a frenzy.
At that point, Merced had scored 19 unanswered points. The Bears were outpunching the defending champions, outgaining them, and outlasting them. The game felt like it had tilted permanently.
But Vanden, a program accustomed to deep playoff runs, refused to panic. Quarterback Xavier Zambrano responded by finding Kimani Dokes for a spectacular one-handed, 13-yard touchdown to regain a 26–25 lead early in the fourth.
From there, the Vikings leaned heavily on Chavez, who powered a methodical, clock-draining final drive that forced Merced to use all of its timeouts and left the Bears with only seven seconds to work with.
Still, Merced had one last spark left — and nearly completed the play of the season.
A landmark season ends with pride, not regret
“In the end, whether it’s one point or 50, it doesn’t matter,” Scheidt said. “The character of this team showed through. They kept fighting. They always kept fighting.”
Cortez finished with three touchdown passes. Czirban delivered one of the strongest postseason performances by a Merced receiver in recent memory. Washington’s pick-six and the defensive line’s second-half surge nearly carried the Bears to the semifinals.
“Every week was fun,” Scheidt said. “You’re around these guys all the time from July until now, and then suddenly it ends. You go home after a playoff loss and you’re a little lost. You miss the kids you’ve been with since January.”
Merced’s season ends one step short of the semifinals, but the Bears walk away with a 10–1 record, an undefeated regular season and a standard that will follow the program into 2026.
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 12:11 PM.
