(Originally posted in the Union-Tribune Dec 1, 2005)

Armed with “what could have been” memories from four years ago, coach Dave Duggin is preparing to lead another Rancho Bernardo squad to the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The Rancho Bernardo Broncos, a Midget Division team, are set to leave tonight for Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. The Broncos (10-1) are guaranteed two games and will play their first game Sunday against the New England Region champions. The tournament, which hosts football and cheer competitions, will run from Dec. 4-10. The Midget Division is made up of players ages 12-15 who weigh less than 150 pounds.

“This group has really started to believe in the team concept,” Duggin said. “They do stuff together outside of practice, they go to other games together and as a coach that makes things a lot easier. They understand this opportunity.”

Duggin was coach of the 2001 Rancho Bernardo Raptors, who took a 12-0 record to the Pop Warner Super Bowl but lost both games. The Florida humidity caught up with the team. Four players became dehydrated, making a run at the title more difficult than expected. This time, the coach said he’ll be prepared.

“Half the time as coaches we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off because we didn’t really know what to expect,” said Duggin, 46, who has been coaching for 14 years. “It’s such a great reward for the kids, but I think we drank too many Cokes and kind of lost sight of why we were there.

“We’ll give them free time and still treat it like a vacation, but also realize why we are there and realize the opportunity they have been given. It can be quite a circus, but we’ll have more of a sense of what is going to occur.”

The Broncos are paced by tailback Isaac Harkless, 15, who has 18 touchdowns and is also an asset at linebacker. The fastest player on the team is Ricky Seale, son of former Chargers cornerback and current Green Bay Packers West Coast scout Sam Seale. The 13-year-old safety also has 13 touchdowns.

Rancho Bernardo gained entry into the Pop Warner Super Bowl with a 24-12 victory over the Arizona Region champion last weekend at the WESCON championships in Murrieta. WESCON is made up of 15 conferences from California, Hawaii, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada.

The Broncos are still accepting donations to help pay for travel expenses, which are estimated at $40,000. For details, visit rbpopwarner.org.