Morro Bay hopes to complete Cinderella story with a state title. Here’s how they got here
After a magical run through the playoffs, Morro Bay’s football team is gearing up for the biggest game of them all: the state championship.
But before the Pirates compete for their first-ever state title, they’ve got more preparation to do.
And then a very long bus ride.
The Pirates play Saturday against Fall River High of McArthur in Shasta County, a tiny school of about 130 students in a town of less than 500 people located in the northeast corner of the state.
The school has only 21 listed players on its roster on MaxPreps.com.
But don’t let those numbers fool you.
The Pirates will face a scrappy Bulldogs squad that’s undefeated at 12-0 and coming off a 42-21 win over Le Grand High near Merced.
The Fall River team consists of players that have been together since the Pop Warner days, according to Redding television station KRCR-TV. Much of their squad plays on both sides of the ball.
“We’re a bunch of kids from the mountains,” Bulldogs player Andrew Parker told KRCR. “I mean, we’ve played small schools our whole lives, and now we get to play at big schools. We’ve got a lot of heart, and that’s our main thing.”
Morro Bay, with a school enrollment of more than 800, has more than 30 players after calling up some junior varsity student-athletes for the playoffs — but it’s also a relatively small team overall as some schools carry 40 to 60 players on their teams.
Entering the Division 6 playoffs, the Pirates (8-6) have surprised one team after another in winning four consecutive playoff games, all by margins of eight points or less.
Coach Jake Goossen-Brown said the team has done it by maintaining a strong work ethic and focusing on good technique and execution.
“From the first day we started practice, I said if we can play consistently well and execute, then we’ll be fine,” Goossen-Brown said. “So that’s been something I’ve preached, just to always make sure that we’re executing and doing what we do. I always told them if we do these things, we will become a championship team, and I’m glad to see that I’m not a liar.”
How Morro Bay made it to the title game
While Morro Bay’s 1995 team went undefeated at 13-0 and won a CIF-Southern Section title, the Pirates have never won a state title in the school’s history — and they’ve have had some rough years of only a few wins since.
Now in his third year, Goossen-Brown’s teams have gone 3-8 and 1-4 (in a COVID-shortened spring), before hitting their stride this year behind star quarterback Nicky Johnson, running back Dylan Turner, and receiver Ethan Lisman.
This season, the Pirates beat Loara of Anaheim 35-27 on Friday in the first round of the state final after beating Taft 35-33 in the CIF-Central Section Division 6 title on Nov. 26.
“I think a lot of it comes down to the players trusting and buying into what I talked about, doing the hard work that it takes to be successful. ... I’ve demanded a lot out of them and had them do things that they hadn’t had to do in the past,” Goossen-Brown said.
Goossen-Brown said that his team thrives on its passing game and aggressively looking to air the ball out, noting he regretted trying to run out the clock with the ground game in the fourth-quarter versus Taft, which scored 27 unanswered points and nearly tied the game in the final seconds.
Goossen-Brown added: “That’s not what our identity is, and so that’s why at the Southern Regional (state playoff) game, I said we were throwing with four minutes left in the game and I’m sure people in the stands were like, ‘What the heck is he doing?’ But that’s what we do. I trust our athletes. I trust Nicky, and I know we have guys that can catch the ball.”
A host of tough-minded linemen and defenders have helped come up with big plays in key moments as well, including Nami Hoag, Manny Diaz, Alexis Martinez, Noah Howard, and Johnny Botello. Contributions from linemen Josh Gomez, Nick Reed and Brody Rust, among others, also have been key, Goossen said.
“We make sure we lift three times a week,” Goossen-Brown said. “And we train hard. I always tell them I want my practice harder than the games so that they are ready to go into fourth quarter.”
Coach carries on a family legacy
Goossen-Brown’s uncle, Tom Goossen, was a successful longtime coach at Arroyo Grande High, where he served 10 years as head coach and 30 years overall as a member of the coaching staff, with 40 years total on his coaching resume.
Tom Goossen finished his career with a 85-35 record and at least a share of five league titles as head coach. His team’s best finish was in 2011, when the Eagles went 13-1 and captured the CIF-Southern Section title.
As an assistant coach at his alma mater in Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, Goossen-Brown wanted to become a head coach and Goossen alerted him to the vacant Morro Bay position. He got the job and also served as a health, biology and now physical education teacher.
In addition to being a supportive family member, Goossen-Brown said it has been a pleasure to pick Tom’s brain about football and go over game tape to prepare against opponents.
“I’m not an ego guy,” Goossen-Brown said. “I will use whatever I can to help me win a game, and how would you not want to use (Goossen’s) knowledge? He has a great football mind. And I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Tom served as Goossen-Brown’s defensive coordinator last season in the COVID-shortened spring, which was a delight for the younger coach.
“He always said he wanted us to work together, but he wanted it the other way around, where he was in charge and not me,” Goossen-Brown joked. “So it worked out in my favor. ...But seriously, I really appreciate him and how he has been such as great resource.”
Another uncle, former Major League Baseball player and stand-in actor Greg Goossen, who died in 2011, was another sports influence in Jake’s life.
“My family support has always been great,” Goossen-Brown said. “It’s a good name to have and I’m happy to be born into this family.”
To watch Saturday’s game, fans can go to a livestream at the NFHS Network and pay a subscription fee at the following link: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/cif/gamd259ed757e.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
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