Paradise Bobcats Lose Title Bid 1 Year After Deadly Fire
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Paradise High School's football team has lost its bid for a championship one year after a deadly fire destroyed most of their town and most of the players and coaches lost their homes.
The Bobcats lost to Sutter Union High School, 20-7 in the Northern Section Division III championship.
The team played for the title one year after a fire mostly destroyed the town of Paradise, burning down roughly 19,000 buildings and killing 85 people.
Paradise High School finished the regular season undefeated, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 469-73.
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Paradise coach Rick Prinz told the team after the game he was proud of them.
Most of the people who lived in Paradise have moved away. But many have returned on Friday nights to watch the football team's remarkable season.
Paradise Mayor Jody Jones says the team has come to represent the spirit of the town as it begins to rebuild.