Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jason Finley Hornet Linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo stops a receiver for a loss in Saturday's game against Northern Colorado. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Jason Finley Hornet Wide Receiver Tony Washington leaps in the end zone after a Hornet touchdown against rivals the UC Davis Aggies. [Click to enlarge]

The Sacramento State football team ended its season 6-6, having lost its last game against Idaho State 33-36. This record beats last season's 3-8 win-loss ratio and means that the Hornets are now a .500 team.

"I'm happy about the team going .500," alumnus Wally Borland said. "It's a big improvement. I can't wait until next year." Borland is a Booster member and former president of the Stinger Athletic Association.

After every football season, the team says goodbye to its seniors. This year there are 14 players who gave their last season to Sac State, eight of them being defensive players.

The team won three consecutive games this season for the first time since 1992, and among those wins was the historical victory against University of California, Davis in the Causeway Classic. This season, the Hornets have the second most wins since joining Div. I-AA/FCS.

Many records were broken this season with eight players earning honorable mentions.

Senior linebacker Mike Brannon, defensive MVP, joined the handful of Sac State players who have received Big Sky honors four times during their college career. He is ranked fourth in Hornet history with 258 career tackles.

Senior linebacker Cyrus Mulitalo made 336 tackles during his Hornet career, ranking him second in school history for the most tackles. He was named team MVP.

"Cyrus is clearly the face of the team and a real inspiration. It seems like he was in on every tackle. We're going to miss him, his family and their tailgate parties," Borland said. "But they said they'll be back next season."

"Cyrus was the engineer of the train. They will miss him, but they will go on. Every year you find someone new," alumnus Gary Quatrin said. Quatrin played on the team in 1963.

Senior wide receiver Tony Washington made waves in the record book by setting the school's single-season record in most receptions and yards and was named offensive MVP.

Washington caught 83 passes for 1,279 yards in only his second year playing for the Hornets. Senior kicker Juan Gamboa, MVP for special teams, is ranked second in school history with 95 points scored after a touchdown and 36 career field goals.

Head Coach Marshall Sperbeck has the most wins in his first two years coaching. More than any of the other nine coaches for the Hornets. He almost became the first coach with 10 victories during his first two years, but fell short with the loss to Idaho State.

Quatrin said Sperbeck is very well known in the football community.

"He's made a window for the university and is making the university more visible for the community," Quatrin said. "He's built a solid foundation and fits what we needed."

"He knows how to run a program and has tremendous work ethic," he said. "He knows the importance of education and got those kids studying."


Taylor Collis can be reached at tcollis@statehornet.com

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