By John Klima
Daily Breeze

FRESNO  If cornerback DaMilyn Tanner should line up against quarterback Zac Lee when the two are playing in the Big-12 next season, its doubtful that Lee will remember that it was Tanner who knocked him upside down and onto the turf in what turned out to be his farewell.

What isnt questionable is that El Camino won forget the hit that knocked Lee out of the game, which shortchanged his run at more than 400 passing yards, and altered the direction of the state championship game.

Boosted by the confidence of watching City College of San Franciscos primary offensive threat hobble off the field in a daze and sitting on the bench with a clouded look in his eyes, El Camino put all of its strengths in place and defeated CCSF 49-35 Saturday at Chukchansi Park in Fresno to win the California State championship before a largely partisan crowd of 1,427.

El Camino (12-2) won the programs first state championship since 1971 and its first since the state went to a playoff system nine years ago. The only tarnish on the state title is that El Camino just missed the programs second national championship, which would have been the first since 1987. El Camino also set a program record for most victories in a season.

Blinn (Tex.) JC defeated Pearl River (Miss.) 19-6, Saturday, to complete a 13-0 season. JC Gridiron national rankings editor Hank Ives said after the game that he will probably award El Camino the No. 2 ranking in the nation when he releases his final rankings next week.

A No. 2 status in the nation meant nothing to El Camino, which persevered through a season that had turmoil and triumph, and sometimes, enough self-induced drama to resemble a cut-rate soap opera.

Saturday, it was a series of big plays  none bigger than Tanners tag  that marked El Caminos success in the season and in the game.

Lee, who has committed to Nebraska, had passed for 331 yards in the first half, and engaged with El Camino in a 48-point second quarter barrage that left the Warriors clinging to a 28-27 halftime lead.

El Camino held a 35-27 lead when Tanner, who committed to Iowa State, cornered Lee on the El Camino 1-yard line as he attempted to roll out on a reverse and into the end zone.

Tanner took out Lees legs, a herd of Warriors slammed into Lees upside down twirling body, and the future Cornhusker was knocked off the stalk.

Backup quarterback Kyle Barker engineered a scoring drive to send the game to the fourth quarter tied, 35-35. But El Camino gave the ball to J.J. Bass, who scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, and relied on its defense, which shutout CCSF (12-2) in the final quarter.

The psychological impact of Tanners hit could not be understated.

We saw (Lee) walk off and that picked us up, El Camino quarterback Boo Jackson said.

I knew I had help coming, so I took (Lees) legs out, Tanner said. Knowing they didnt have a consistent leader on their field at all times was important for us. The backup is the backup for a reason.

El Camino had second half interceptions from Joseph Perkins and James Wheeler. Lee, who completed 21-of-32 pass for 375 yards and two touchdowns, played only one series after he was hit.

Bass, who was named Offensive Player of the game, rushed 17 times for 145 yards and caught a 17-yard touchdown pass and scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Jackson completed 15-of-24 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Kayne Farquharson, the games most valuable player, scored three touchdowns in three different ways in the second quarter  he caught a 30-yard pass, returned a kickoff 84 yards, and rushed for a 7-yard score.

After the game, center Sifa Moala and Bass shared a quiet hug. Both sophomores, they vowed to take El Camino deep in the playoffs after a second-round exit following last years undefeated regular season.

They celebrated a team that was feared to be too young at the start of the year and evolved in a team with the right blend of experience and youth.

The way we lost last year irked us tremendously, Moala said. We were hungry. There werent a lot of sophomores, but we knew had to carry this team. The freshmen grew up and we finished it.

El Camino rallied around the memory of former tight end Devin Adair, who died suddenly last April. His parents were on the sidelines Saturday, his mother wearing his jersey.

The Warriors endured a triple-overtime loss at Mt. San Antonio which resulted in Jackson, the former backup, winning the job. Two players were kicked off the team following off-field transgressions. The Warriors answered with a five-game winning streak before squandering a 17-point lead and losing a share of the Mission Conference championship at Saddleback in the regular season finale.

After that game, Jackson vowed that the loss would fuel El Camino through the playoffs.

The victory against CCSF was the first time El Camino flexed its offensive might, knocking off Moorpark, Saddleback and Bakersfield by a combined seven points.

El Camino ended the season with almost 50 points, with a nod to the memory of Adair, and left Fresno as champions.