PASADENA -- For the first time since 1947, the Pasadena football team will be playing for a CIF championship after taking down Lynwood in the CIF Southern Section Division 13 semifinals on Friday night.
Pasadena opened up with a 17-0 lead in the first half and did not look back en route to their 37-0 win over Lynwood.
The Bulldogs will play the winner of Anaheim-Gahr in the Division 13 championship game next week.
Pasadena coach Ron Jones said it was simply the Bulldogs' night.
"We just came together. It's been a long time. We've been working at it and everything just clicked tonight," Jones said. "Tonight our guys did what they were supposed to do and we're moving on."
In a story made for the big screen, Pasadena made arguably the biggest single-season turnaround in the Southern Section this year. The Bulldogs went winless last season, finishing with an 0-10 record to now appearing in a championship game a year later.
"We were up against a big mountain when we got here," Jones noted. "With the coaches and everybody coming together and just trusting in one another, we've got to the point we wanted to be."
Pasadena star wide receiver Christopher Solis-Lumar stole the show for the Bulldogs. He finished with five receptions for 109 yards and three touchdowns. He had 86 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone as the Bulldogs used his dominant effort to run away with the win.
"It was all our team, we came together. Last week was hard, we let them come back. The whole motto this week was keep it going and keep our foot on their neck," Solis-Lumar said. "I want to give a huge shoutout to our quarterback (Dutch Burbidge). It is his first year starting and he's taking us to a championship."
Burbidge accounted for over 200 yards of total offense and threw for three touchdowns as he directed Pasadena's offense to their highest point total of the season.
"I'm so proud of these guys. Just coming from where we were at to where we are now, it's just really incredible," Burbidge said.
Burbidge and Solis-Lumar, both Glendora transfers, share chemistry that both players described as special.
"Best bud right there, obviously gonna have the chemistry like no other, super proud of him as well," Burbidge added.
Pasadena's defense forced four interceptions in the unit's first shutout of the season.
Lynnwood controlled the first quarter, starting the game off with nearly a nine minute, 85-yard drive that resulted in a missed field goal. That would be the closest the Knights would come to scoring all game long.
Pasadena took a 3-0 lead after a couple of penalties stalled their first drive of the game and then proceeded to score on every remaining possession in the first half to take a commanding 17-0 lead at halftime.
After a 20-point third quarter, which featured two interceptions by Lynwood and three Pasadena touchdowns, the Bulldogs' lead grew to 37-0.
Pasadena didn't even attempt a pass in the fourth quarter. A running clock in the fourth quarter would quickly seal the deal for the Bulldogs.