After rolling to a an CIF Southern Section Southeast Division first-round playoff win last week, the Burbank High football players and coaches figured they had earned a date with No. 2 Diamond Ranch in the next round.
But they were surprised to learn that Diamond Ranch, the champion of the Hacienda League, had suffered a 31-28 upset loss last Friday — at home — against Santa Fe, the No. 3 team from the Del Rio League.
"We were definitely shocked when we heard the news that Santa Fe had won," Burbank Coach Hector Valencia said. "We were fully expecting to play Diamond Ranch in the next round. That was a very big upset."
Not shocked by the result was Santa Fe and its head coach, Dave Pierson.
"Our guys weren't surprised at all," he said. "For us, we felt like we had a really good game plan and the guys executed what we wanted them to do. Our kids come to play every week, and sometimes things go our way and other times they haven't gone our way this season. But I was really proud of our kids' effort."