NORCO —— Joe Villegas watched stoically Friday night as the final seconds of his final high school football game —— the CIF-Southern Section Division V Championship, no less —— slowly ticked off the clock.

It wasn't until he was among his family on the field after the contest, a 28-14 Temescal Canyon High School loss on the road to Norco, that the Titans' senior quarterback broke down in tears.

"There were a lot of things going through my mind," Villegas later said. "There were a lot of things going through my mind —— the season, the memories."

Though there was a lot to think about after he and his team had just suffered a heart-breaking defeat in the biggest game of their season, Villegas was still able to acknowledge what they had accomplished.

Yes, it would have been great for the Titans to have brought Southwest County its first CIF championship in a decade. But Temescal Canyon making its third appearance in the title game in the last 10 years and finishing with a 12-2 mark are unique accomplishments in and of themselves.

No Southwest County team can boast as much success in the last decade as the Titans can.

Friday night was just one more example that Temescal Canyon has established one of the strongest high school football traditions in Southwest County.

While the Titans were playing for a title, dozens of alumni —— many of them members of the school's 1995 championship-winning team —— were on hand Friday to cheer on their alma mater.

To Villegas, this team should be considered among the best. Right up there with that 1995 title team, and with the 1998 team that also reached the final game, only to lose a nail-biter by two points.

"I feel we're up there," the quarterback said. "Even though we lost this game, we're still up there."

Bob Burt, who coached the Titans from 1995 to 2002 and led them to the semifinals four times and the championship game twice, was one of those on hand Friday night.

"It's just great to see the tradition is still alive," said Burt, who is now Temescal Canyon's athletic director. "The enthusiasm for football at Temescal Canyon is alive and well."

Tom Malone, who graduated from Temescal Canyon in 2002, was also in attendance.

These days, Malone is busy taking part in the establishment of another strong football tradition —— at the University of Southern California.

A punter for the two-time defending college football national champion Trojans, Malone said he tries to make it to as many Temescal Canyon games as he can.

There was no way he was going to miss Friday night's championship contest, he said.

"When I was here, it was all about tradition," Malone said. "It's fun to come back and see all that."

Joe Zagone, who was a wide receiver on the 1998 team that lost to Bloomington in the CIF title game, said that a sustained, hard-nosed attitude is what has helped Temescal Canyon maintain its edge over the years.

"The thing about Temescal Canyon football is that it's smash-mouth football," Zagone said. "It's not about finesse at all."

Zagone said that he, too, tries to see as many Temescal Canyon games as he can during the season. The school and its football tradition mean a big deal to him, he said.

"It means a lot," Zagone said. "It's great being a Titan."

Contact staff writer Jose Carvajal at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or jcarvajal@californian.com.