The two teams met for the CCS Division IV title in 2001 and Pacific Grove came away with a 17-0 victory and the championship.

Pioneer knew that the rematch would be tough since the Breakers had shown a potent offense and formidable defense in taking the 2003 Mission Trails Athletic League championship. The Mustangs were ready to meet the challenge with some strong firepower of their own and were optimistic they could prevail this time around.

But the Mustangs were dealt a stunning blow when their leading rusher and key offensive producer, Jeremy Landucci, went down right before halftime with what was thought to be a concussion. It prevented him from returning to action. The loss of Landucci and the strong attack of the Breakers would prove to be too much for the Mustangs and Pacific Grove came away with a 35-26 victory and advanced to the title game.

"With Jeremy out, we lost our MVP," said Pioneer coach Mark Krail. "We all had a glazed look and knew that it was a serious injury. We were in shock."

The injury occurred when Landucci took a screen pass in the left flat with 14 seconds left in the half. He headed down the sideline and then made a sharp cut back towards the middle of the field where he slammed into two Breakers at full speed and was knocked to the ground. Landucci lay on the field for a long time being attended to as the crowd fell quiet. He finally walked slowly off the field with assistance.

The Mustangs had taken the opening kick-off and marched right down the field with authority, pounding out a 10-play, 72-yard drive. It was their typical style of a hard-nosed ground game with an occasional pass thrown in to keep the defense off balance.

Quarterback Jarod Koblis hit a pair of 18-yard passes to open the drive—one to Landucci and the other to Eric Myatt. The touchdown came on a fourth down and inches at the Breakers 15-yard line when Koblis attempted a quarterback sneak to get the first down and keep the drive alive. When he was stuffed by the Breakers defense, Koblis bounced to the right and scooted past the defense for 15 yards and the touchdown.

The remainder of the first quarter settled into a defensive struggle as neither offense could get untracked. The Breakers finally got on the board early in the second quarter after an eight-play, 60-yard drive culminated in a quarterback sneak up the middle for 15 yards and the score. The Breakers took a 7-6 the lead.

The lead was short-lived, though, when the Mustangs struck again on the second play of their next possession.

Koblis took an option keeper off left tackle, popped into the open, and cut back across the middle outrunning the defense to the corner of the endzone for a 73-yard touchdown. Koblis' toss for the 2-point conversion fell incomplete, but the Mustangs were back on top, 12-7, with 8:28 left in the half.

The Mustang defense was on the field almost all of the second quarter and it finally took its toll. Pioneer would stop the Breakers again and again but give up a big running play or pass that allowed Pacific Grove to keep drives going.

The Breakers hit paydirt when their quarterback sprinted left and turned the corner into the endzone for the score from 9 yards out. That completed a 66-yard drive in 11 plays that just pounded the Mustang defense with run after run and gave the Breakers a 14-12 halftime lead.

The Mustangs came out to start the second half with fire in their eyes and it was obvious they were not ready to throw in the towel but would fight to the very end.

They forced the Breakers to stall on two successive drives and had momentum swinging their way. Unfortunately, a fumbled punt return opened the door of opportunity for Pacific Grove. They took advantage of it and went 48 yards in only three plays to take a 21-12 lead.

Pioneer still had a never-say-die attitude as they came roaring back, pounding the ball on the ground at the heart of the Breakers defense.

They blasted down the field 77 yards on eight rushing plays (six of them by Andrew Schulz) and one big one for 25 yards by Landucci's replacement, sophomore Shaun Souza. Schulz bulldozed his way in for score from 6 yards out to get the Mustangs close at 21-18.

The Mustangs had to endure the continuous assault of the Breakers running game and it finally began to show its effect. Pacific Grove banged out 50 rushing plays for 254 yards.

The Breakers would score two more times with the back-breaker coming on a 99-yard pass interception return for a touchdown late in the game, putting Pacific Grove up 35-18.

Pioneer went down fighting and scored one more with 1:22 left in the game. Koblis tossed an 11-yard touchdown to Souza and Schulz scrambled in for the 2-point conversion, making the final score 35-26.

"It was a very hard fought game and Pioneer has a well disciplined offense," said Pacific Grove offensive coordinator Todd Buller. "We got a few breaks and our offensive line was able to push them around some, which is what we do.

We have a lot of depth and not many two-way players and that made a difference in the end."

Leading the defensive effort for the Mustangs in the game were senior defensive end Andy Ziegler, junior linebacker Collin McCarthy and senior cornerbacks Tron Hardy and Tino Hardy.

A significant factor in the game was that the Mustangs were not able to produce the ground attack that had been so effective for them all season. "We were beaten up front and they did a good job of holding our running game in check," said Krail.

Koblis led all rushers with 94 yards on five carries. Schulz pounded out 61 yards on 13 carries and Souza had only three carries for 35 yards. Sinan Dumlugol added 30 yards on five attempts. Before he was injured, Landucci ran for 10 yards on four carries.

The Mustangs tried to make up for their subpar ground game by going to the air more than usual. Koblis tossed 11 completions in 21 attempts for 186 yards. He spread the wealth by firing four to Myatt for 55 yards, three to Schulz for 45, two to Souza for 56, and two to Landucci for 30.

"We obviously would have liked to have a shot to play for the title," added Krail, "but we had a great season and we are proud of our kids and the effort they put forth."