LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - Arostegui Field at Live Oak High School was covered in mud, had chilly weather and loud fans from Sutter and Butte counties in the Lions 2-0 win over the Gridley Bulldogs in the CIF North Section Division II Final last Saturday.

This was the first time Live Oak has hosted a section final in program history and the cities of Live Oak and Gridley showed up for both squads with enormous support.

The Lions and Bulldogs met up a couple months ago in mid-December where Live Oak won 3-0. On top of the cross-town rivalry this game between the players consisted of lifelong friendships and family members.

Gridley head coach Jesse Barajas, who has lived in Live Oak and Gridley, expressed to the Herald the importance of how much will change in the future for the athletes.

“These kids are going to eventually be teammates in college, be in each other’s weddings and future family events,” Barajas said.

Barajas has been involved with the Bulldogs soccer program since it began in 1989 as a player before he eventually took over as a coach a few years later.

The intensity of the championship game couldn’t have had a better setting between the cross-town rivals as when you step into the stadium as both teams were hyphens in warm ups.

The opening whistle blew and the game was off to a fast start. With the high intensity of the championship and both teams being rivals, Barajas and Lions head coach Luis Cibrian both expected there to be some yellow cards throughout the game.

There were a total of nine yellow cards that resulted in two total red cards in the second half and each team played 10 on 10 for the last 20 minutes of the game.

Both teams had multiple chances to score and in the 20th minute of the game, Live Oak junior center back Jesus Rivera put the Lions ahead 1-0 with a header off a free kick.

“When we got the first goal, we wanted it more and weren’t going to let them (Gridley) change anything about it,” Rivera said.

Control of the ball was even between both teams for the entire game, but the Bulldogs had three great opportunities at scoring in the 34th through 36th minute, but weren’t able to cash in any goals. The first half ended with the 1-0 Live Oak lead.

The second half began and then it seemed every couple of minutes the referees had to stop play to assess yellow cards. In the 50th minute a second yellow card was issued to a Live Oak player which resulted in him being out for the remainder of the match and the next match for the Lions. The red card resulted in Live Oak playing with 10 players for the rest of the game, but Gridley couldn’t take advantage of the extra player as the Bulldogs had one of their players receive a double yellow card in the 59th minute and Gridley played with 10 players for the rest of the game.

“We expected cards to be used today,” Cibrian exclaimed to the Herald. He added that for the match-up in the Nor-Cal regional tournament it’s going to be the next man up stepping up in place of the Lions player that has to miss the next game.

Live Oak iced the game as they scored in the final minute of the game off of a breakaway down the left side of the field to win the game 2-0 and celebrate as back-to-back NS Division II champions.

Lions senior midfielder Joseph Hang mentioned to the Herald that every time Gridley and Live Oak play one another in each sport, it brings the best out of each school.

Both teams qualified for the CIF Nor-Cal tournament as they both made the semifinals in the NS Division II. The Lions traveled to Marin Academy as the eighth seed in Division IV.

The Bulldogs hosted Venture Academy of Stockton in the Division V as the third seed.

Gridley senior defenseman Hector Palafox expressed to the Herald that they may have not won the section title, but they get another opportunity to play with their friends on the field.