Years from now, some will remember the 2006 Palo Alto football Vikings and think only of how they fell short in the state title game. But in 2006, the Vikings did what no one thought possible and deserve a better legacy than history will most likely grant them.

The 2006 football season for the Vikings was one of many firsts. Following their first loss, the Viking thumped rival Los Gatos, 35-7, the first win against the Wildcats in 11 years. This culminated in the first Viking outright league title since 1992, the Central Coast Section title for the first time since 1995 and the first ever in the Open Division. The Vikings then played for a state title in the first state championship game in California in 80 years.

Though the Vikings lost, 42-28, to Orange Lutheran in the CIF Division II championship game, the team gave the school and community 3 months of exhilarating football.

Going into the season, the Vikings were hyped as a formidable contender, having both experience and depth. But few expected the type of success the Vikings would have, except for those in the locker room.

"I thought we could win every game we played," head coach Earl Hansen said. "We just wanted to have everybody contribute."

With almost all last year’s starters returning, including an all-senior offensive and defensive line, Hansen knew he had a special team from the beginning.

"There wasn’t a weakness out there," Hansen said. "The only problem was making sure that the great players stayed off their asses all year."

A crushing 35-14 loss to Oak Grove on Sept. 22 humbled the Vikings, but also fueled their motivation not to lose again, and they didn’t until the state finals.

"Looking back, that first loss might have been beneficial," Hansen said. "A lot of people grew up that day."

A week later, the Vikings had to regroup from their loss and face archrival Los Gatos, a team the Vikings hadn’t beat since Hansen’s son, Peter, now an assistant coach, was quarterback.

A second half surge, a common feature of the Vikings’ wins, propelled the Vikings to the 35-7 win over the Wildcats and the subsequent celebration on their 50-yard line. Even after all the playoff victories, the Los Gatos win might have been the most important win for the team.

"We really needed it after losing to Oak Grove," senior quarterback Nick Goodspeed said. "It showed everyone that we could still be a contender."

Over the next six games, the Vikings simply manhandled every opponent they faced, outscoring them 252-62 and winning each game by at least 16 points. With that final regular season win against Homestead, the Vikings clinched the outright De Anza division title, a title they had to share last year with Los Gatos and Wilcox.

Instead of playing in the Medium School Division of CCS, the Vikings received the #3 seed in the more competitive Open Division.

The Vikings escaped the first round of CCS with a 23-21 win over Aragon, in which the Vikings needed an Aragon missed field goal to win. Then, in one of the most exciting games in recent memory, Paly and Palma needed four overtime periods to decide the semifinal match-up, with the Vikings pulling out the thrilling 41-38 win.

Most expected the Vikings to fall to Palma, and even fewer expected them to beat top seeded and unbeaten Oak Grove, the same team that handed the Vikings their first loss two months earlier. The Vikings defied the odds once again, winning, 23-21, and capturing the Open Division crown. After outscoring their opponents by 190 points in the six final regular season games, the Vikings won their three CCS playoff games by a combined seven points, coming back from an early deficit in each.

If the 12-1 record, league and CCS championship were not enough, the Vikings learned the following week that they would play for the Division II state title in Carson.

"I still haven’t had a lot of time to reflect on the season," Goodspeed said. "It was one hell of a ride, though."

On Dec. 16, the Vikings walked into the Home Depot Center with a chance to win the school second’s state title in nine months, the boys’ basketball team being the other. In the end, the Vikings fell to Orange Lutheran, 42-28, unable to stop USC-bound Aaron Corp, who passed for four touchdowns, all to Boise State-bound wide receiver Austin Pettis, and rushed for the other two scores.

"We never played anyone as good as Corp and he was faster than he looked on tape," Hansen said. "We made too many mistakes and you can’t do that against great teams."

It’s hard to look back at the season and now wonder what might have been, but one must remember that the 2006 Vikings went further than any team in school history.

Whether it was a special teams play from senior Buddy Benaderet, a big run from senior Will Frazier or a key completion from Goodspeed to seniors Trenton Hart and Maurice Williams, the Vikings found a way to win week in and week out and it was someone different every time stepping up to give the team a chance to win.

With nearly all of the starters graduating, the Vikings will need its current juniors and sophomores to step up and continue the winning tradition of the program. The Vikings have a strong core of junior returning, led by fullback Sione Mataele, who finished the year with a team-high 19 touchdowns.

For the 15 seniors, they may have lost their final game in their high school career, but they can be proud that they were part of something special.

"The guys were all so resilient and close," Goodspeed said. "I’ll remember them more than anything else."

While in the end the Vikings did not finish first, they achieved more than anyone outside the locker room thought possible. Anyone lucky enough to witness even a glimpse of the unforgettable season should always remember this team, not for what might have been, but for perserverance, teamwork, and enthusiasm for the sport.