Coyotes fall to Lions

Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune

Madera Coyote football coach Kenny Paolinelli gives senior quarterback Joel Arellano a hug after Friday’s Div. III Championship game loss to Kerman.

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With all the pomp and circumstances of a championship game, the Madera Coyotes were shut out in the second half while the Kerman Lions scored a pair of touchdowns to win the Div. III Championship in front of a full house at Memorial Stadium for the final time.

The teams were tied at the half, 28-28, but the Coyotes couldn’t take advantage of two trips deep into Kerman territory and the Lions countered with a pair of touchdowns for a 42-28 victory Friday.

Friday’s game at Memorial Stadium was the final one in the current configuration. The Stadium will undergo modernization construction that will upgrade the stadium when it opens in two years.