Pittsburg’s season, Galli’s career end with loss in 1-A state title game

MISSION VIEJO – A few minutes after the final whistle blew on Liberty-Bakerfield’s 48-20 1-A state championship win over Pittsburg, Victor Galli addressed his Pirates team for the final time.

After over two decades in charge, Galli is retiring as the coach of his hometown team. And while his final game in charge didn’t give him or this group of Pirates the storybook finish they wanted, the finality was something that left Galli lingering long after his speech had finished.

“Nothing is going to tear away the 21 years of memories and football,” said Galli, who finished with a 182-68-1 record as Pittsburg head coach. “There were a lot more good memories. I wish tonight could have been better, but they were the better team tonight.”

The loss ushers in a new era for Pittsburg football, one without Galli and a slew of seniors who took the team to back-to-back North Coast Section championships.

Among the outgoing players is Jaden Rashada, the Florida-bound quarterback who threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns in the rematch of last year’s NorCal 1-A playoff.

“Shoot, we played our best, you know,” Rashada said. “They’re a well-coached team, and you can’t win them all.”

The already somber second half was put on a harrowing pause with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter, when Pitt sophomore Jadyn Hudson made a tackle and then stayed down on the field for 30 minutes. He was eventually stretchered off.

“He had feeling, but they don’t play any games when it comes to neck injuries, Galli said. “He’s fine, but it’s all precautionary.”

Rashada and the offense had intermittent success against the team that had knocked them out of the NorCal title game 35-7 last season. But Liberty, now considered a Southern California team, was just a step too quick for the Pirates.

Now facing Liberty as a fellow region champion, Pittsburg allowed nine sacks and threw two interceptions en-route to a 27-6 halftime deficit that the Pirates couldn’t dig themselves out of. The team surrendered 393 yards of total offense, and let Liberty convert five of eight third downs.

“We just didn’t have it tonight, it wasn’t our best game,” Galli said. “I thought we made some mistakes early and we let them get some points on the board…but our kids kept fighting, and we didn’t quit.”

Liberty scored on the first drive of the game when Kresean Kizzy jumped a Rashada pass and ran it back 48 yards for a pick-six. Pittsburg momentarily showed signs of life when Zach Card caught a three-yard touchdown with 2:21 left in the quarter, but Liberty took over from there.

Kizzy returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown, and then Xander Chisolm caught 51 and four-yard touchdowns from quarterback Cole O’Brien to give Liberty a 27-6 advantage at the end of the second quarter.

“Dude, Kresean is so electric,” Liberty defensive tackle Owen Doolan said of Kizzy, who later added an 85-yard score to give himself three touchdowns on the night. “He can make a play that should be dead go to the house for 70 yards instead.”

Pittsburg’s offense was stuck in reverse and gave up four sacks to junior tackle Dylan Delgado on seven first-half drives. The Pirates did score twice on Rashada touchdown passes in the second half, one to senior Khai Taylor and the other to Card. But each time Pittsburg scored, Liberty answered with a touchdown or a big play.

Taylor, who is going to Boise State, spent the entire postgame smiling and hugging teammates and coaches. He said that none of them will ever forget the time they spent at Pittsburg.

“It hurts to lose, but I’m also happy to get to this point because there have been a lot of ups and downs to the season,” Taylor said. “We lost to De La Salle and Folsom, but knowing we could still get to this point kept us going.”

Even as the deficit continued to widen, Pittsburg’s seniors never stopped trying to make plays. Rashid Williams, who led the Pirates with 12 touchdown receptions this season, closed out his high school career with 124 yards against Liberty.

“I’ve loved building memories with them and growing with them, and I can’t wait to see them go on to their next chapter and see what they are gonna do,” Williams said. “We’re all growing up.”

But for the first time in more than two decades, the next group of Pirates will have to grow up without Galli in charge. While the school searches for his replacement, Galli will be a resource for whoever comes next.

“I’m still going to be around,” Galli said. “I’m not going to disappear, but the buck isn’t going to stop with me anymore.”

But for the man who grew up in Pittsburg, went to De La Salle and learned under legendary coach Bob Ladouceur before returning back home, there’s nothing but gratitude left as he wraps up his head coaching career.

“It’s been my great honor and privilege to serve these students in my community,” Galli said. “It’s been quite a journey. I love our colors, I love the diversity of our community. There’s so much fire and tradition.

“For me to be a small part of it, it’s been a tremendous experience.”