Working hard this season to make the state playoffs, the Mount Si football team’s dreams of winning a state title were dashed last Friday night, Nov. 13.

But before the Wildcats said so long to the 2009 campaign, they sent a senior out with a spot in the history books.

Mount Si wide receiver Rossco Castagno’s pass reception of about 15 yards late in the fourth quarter broke a couple of school receiving records. By then it was all over, as the Bellevue Wolverines scored early and often in a 49-17 rout which ended the Wildcats’ season at 6-5.

Wildcat coach Charlie Kinnune praised his team, especially the seniors.

“For this team to get six wins and do what they did is incredible,” Kinnune said. “This senior class was never given anything in these four years, and they’re kind of on the coattails of the class above them. They earned everything they got and I love them for it.”

It did not take long for the Wolverines to get on the board, scoring on the first play of the game. Sean Coley ran the ball 64 yards for a touchdown, then later in the quarter intercepted a pass from Mount Si quarterback Ian Ilgenfritz and returned it for a second touchdown. Joey Mangialardi was also busy for the Wolverines; he scored a pair of touchdowns in the frame. All of that helped to push Bellevue out to a 28-0 lead. Cameron Van Winkle kicked a 28-yard field goal for the Wildcats to get Mount Si on the board with less than a minute left in the quarter. Bellevue’s Manigalardi and Joe Joe Conner both scored touchdowns in the second quarter, and at half it was 42-3 Wolverines.

Chaz Blair scored a touchdown for Mount Si on a one-yard run in the third quarter to make it 42-10, then Bellevue responded with another touchdown, a long 55-yard run by Skyler Yu. Aladdin Schirmer closed out the scoring for the Wildcats in the fourth quarter with a touchdown from a couple of yards out to make it 49-17. Castagno’s catch, which helped him break school receiving records for single season receptions and total yards, came with under 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter and got rousing approval from the Wildcat sidelines. Castagno was thrilled.

“Coach (Kinnune) knew I had a shot, so he was trying to give me the ball,” he said.

While happy the record is his, Castagno knows that it could someday be taken away from him

“If you work hard, it really does pay off. Coach told us that from day one,” he said. “If you follow that, the record’s up for grabs every year.

“No one thought we would get this far,” Castagno added. “We worked our butts off and we did it.”

Kinnune wants fans to know the program will be hard at work getting ready for 2010.

“Next season starts (this) week,” he said. “Expect 75 kids in the weight room on Monday. We’re going to do everything we can to get back here and get deeper into the playoffs.”

No schedules have been announced thus far, and likely will not be announced until league alignment has been finalized for next school year, which should happen sometime in the spring.