CARSON, Los Angeles County -- If falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter wasn't difficult enough to overcome, try adding four turnovers - against a 15-0 team.
Despite it all, Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton's football team put itself in a position to win the CIF State Division III Bowl game Saturday against Corona del Mar-Newport Beach at the StubHub Center.
But ultimately, as coach Pete Lavorato said after a 27-15 defeat, "We just couldn't quite get it done."
"It was frustrating," he said. "We'd get down near the end zone and something would happen, whether a penalty or turnover or something. ... As I told the kids afterward, some things don't go your way. That said, they played better than we did. They deserved to win."
Corona del Mar got 128 yards rushing from Cole Martin, two first-quarter touchdown passes by Luke Napolitano and a 58-yard interception return for a score by Barrett Barbato.
The Gators (13-2) got their scoring on an interception return by linebacker Andrew Robinson and a scintillating run by Ben Burr-Kirven in the second quarter to close to 21-15 by halftime.
Sacred Heart Prep junior Ben Burr-Kirven - who had his team's lone offensive TD - is tackled by Parker Chase.
But three second-half fumbles and a key illegal shift penalty in the red zone did in the Central Coast Section and Northern California champs.
All this occurred a week after the Gators played a nearly perfect game in a 42-7 win over El Cerrito.
"We haven't turned the ball over much all season," Lavorato said. "What are you going to do? The kids never quit and showed great effort and resiliency."
Corona del Mar coach Scott Meyer said he wasn't surprised by the comeback.
"That's a championship team," he said of SHP. "We were never comfortable with that lead. We knew they had a lot of fight."
The Sea Kings scored first on a 6-yard pass from Napolitano to Bo St. Geme, then made it 14-0 on Napolitano's 5-yard pass to H-back Connor Sage. The Gators' nightmare start was finished off when Mason Randall's pass was intercepted by Barbato, who zipped down the SHP sideline.
The Gators got that score back when a Napolitano pass slipped through the hands of a receiver into the mitts of Robinson, who returned it 37 yards for a TD. After Corona del Mar jumped offside on the extra point, SHP sent out its offense and Burr-Kirven leaped in to make it 21-8. Burr-Kirven, who rushed for 161 yards and four scores against El Cerrito, was just getting started. He got some running room around the left edge, made two sensational moves and sprinted the final 25 yards untouched to complete a 47-yard TD run.
Burr-Kirven finished with 77 yards rushing, 16 tackles and a forced fumble.
"We saw him on film and he jumped out on us," Meyer said of Burr-Kirven. "We knew he was special, and he definitely showed that he's one of the best players we've faced."
In the Division II final, Chaminade-West Hills (Los Angeles County) defeated Enterprise-Redding 41-9.