SO. SECTION DIVISION XI: DYNASTY CRUMBLES FOR UNDERDOG PARACLETE SPIRITS' PLAYOFF WIN STREAK ENDS AT 22 GAMES CARPINTERIA 41, PARACLETE 17.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Paraclete High of Lancaster's dynasty is over.

Cast in an unfamiliar role as unseeded underdogs, the five-time defending Southern Section champions ran into a Carpinteria opponent with more team speed than the Spirits could handle.

Paraclete had no answer in a 41-17 Southern Section Division XI playoff semifinal loss.

The loss ended a postseason winning streak at 22 games for Paraclete (9-4). The streak began in 1997.

A formidable foe to be sure, Carpinteria (13-0), the No. 1 seed, is ranked No. 1 among small schools in the state according to Cal-Hi Sports.

``Five is incredible,'' said Paraclete senior linebacker Keith Lambert, a third-year starter who was on two of the Spirits' five section championship teams.

``We worked really hard, but we just came out on the short end of the stick this year,'' Lambert added.

The Warriors scored touchdowns on each of their first four possessions to take a 27-10 halftime lead.

Carpinteria, which runs a veer-style option offense, set the tone on its first possession, when quarterback Aaron Gonzales scored on a 73-yard run on the Warriors' second play from scrimmage.

Gonzales rushed for 197 yards on 16 carries.

Carpinteria outgained Paraclete 284-131 in the first half and 496-343 on the night.

The Spirits were able to move the ball efficiently most of the game, but they couldn't adjust to the option.

They hadn't seen an option offense this season and seemed perplexed by the system, which the Warriors ran to perfection.

``It forces you to play assignments and to play responsibilities and be so darned disciplined because you're just sure the ball's inside and then the quarterback's got it and he's going outside,'' Paraclete coach Jeff Cortez said.

Paraclete quarterback Tommy Caton completed 14 of 23 passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Jared Nelson led the Spirits with 73 rushing yards on 12 carries and caught five passes for 82 yards.

Paraclete scored on its first possession, on a 32-yard Keith Lambert field goal that made it 7-3.

Trailing 14-10, the Spirits went 67 yards on four plays, highlighted by a scrambling Caton's 47-yard touchdown pass to Andy Watts on a third-and-7 play.

It could have been even worse.

Paraclete recovered a Carpinteria fumble at the Spirits' 7 on the Warriors' first possession in the second half.

But the Spirits weren't able to seize the momentum, and they were forced to punt five plays later and didn't score again until late in the game, when Caton completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to Neil Toepfer that made it 41-17.

The Spirits recovered an onside kick with just over two minutes remaining, but four plays later, Caton was intercepted for the second time in the game.

``I'm not here for streaks, and I hope people understand that. I'm here to coach kids and teach kids about the big picture. Hopefully kids learn things like hard work and commitment, dedication,'' Cortez said.

``The streak is just a by-product of all that.''