Lingering on the sidelines following the 80th Little Big Game, the San Mateo High football team was distraught. Tears were flowing freely as the young Bearcats started to come to grips with seeing their season end in such dispiriting fashion.

But many of the San Mateo players were in no hurry to leave the field, choosing instead to watch wistfully as Burlingame celebrated. It was then that the Bearcats began filing away the images and emotions of their loss.

And with such a youthful core–San Mateo had six starting slots filled by sophomores, against just four by seniors–the lessons learned would be an important part of the program’s continued resurgence.

There was the elation of being halfway to an upset for the ages–San Mateo had a 3-0 halftime lead against the Panthers. There was the shock of seeing Burlingame thunder to a 35-0 run, an emotion followed quickly by anger and then the tears. And finally, there was the embarrassment and disgrace as the final score settled in.

Burlingame 42, San Mateo 10.

“I’m going to do something next year to make this a good game, to make us win,” Bearcats junior lineman Alex Bowman said. “I want to win so badly next year. There’s no way to explain it.”

Next year.

Those words kept coming up with San Mateo, really all season long. Recognizing early on that it had so many skilled underclassmen, the Bearcats coaching staff nurtured those youngsters while also giving them a heavy dose of game action.

Fresh off a 0-10 campaign in 2006, the program didn’t reverse course immediately. But after four straight losses brought San Mateo’s losing streak to 15 games (including the Little Big Game in 2005), the Bearcats suddenly turned the corner.

With four victories in five games, San Mateo secured an improbable winning record, at 4-3, in the Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division. Suddenly, with Burlingame struggling to a 3-3-1 finish in the PAL Bay, the Little Big Game seemed to offer the Bearcats a chance at the ultimate sign of resurrection.

It wasn’t to be.

But the Bearcats, who finished the season with a 4-6 overall record, certainly picked up some valuable insight that their many returning players will benefit from next season.

The need to close out close games: “We’ve only had a couple of games where we had to finish,” San Mateo coach Jeff Scheller said. “(Burlingame) knew how to finish.”

Added Bowman: “It’s like we kind of gave up after the first half, when they started scoring.”

The importance of keeping emotions in check: “This is the first game where we lost a little composure,” said Scheller, who spoke of the difficulty of trying to “rally back” with his charges in a volatile state down the stretch. “We never did that before.”

But even after dropping the Little Big Game for the fourth straight year, the Bearcats proved plenty in putting an upper-division team on the ropes at the midway point. “We can play with anybody,” Scheller continued. “And they believe in themselves.”

For San Mateo, the 2008 season can’t get here soon enough. Yes, the Bearcats lose their dynamic playmaker, senior quarterback and kicker Nate Davidson. And Scheller needs to find someone to make up for that production: seven rushing touchdowns on the season, five passing TDs … even a 32-yard field goal against Burlingame.

But look around the field, and youthful production abounded for San Mateo against its rival, as it had all season. Besides Davidson, powerful junior Patrick Latu (5-foot-9, 235 pounds) and speedy sophomore David Rango were the only others to register carries. Of the six Bearcats to notch a reception, Sean Lal was the lone senior.

And on defense, linebacker Taukei Taimani was the team’s leading tackler on the season. As a sophomore. Three other sophomores started the Little Big Game on defense for the Bearcats. And the base unit also featured six juniors.

“Without question, they’ve got some real talent over there,” Burlingame coach John Philipopoulos said.

So even though the Bearcats wrapped up the 2007 campaign with a disheartening loss, those wet eyes also had a gleam of motivation.

“We know we have next year,” said Jordan Guinn, a junior lineman. “The only thing we can do is get better, so we’re looking forward to it.”