After an 8-2 regular season,
Paradise was rewarded with the No. 3 seed in California's Northern Section Division II playoffs and a home game that would have been played Friday night against Red Bluff.
That was all before the Camp Fire escalated rapidly Thursday, changing the lives of not just the football team at Paradise, but the entire community forever.
After flames ripped through the town Thursday, Paradise (population 27,000) has been declared almost a complete loss. The wildfire has burned over 70,000 acres in the northern part of the state.
The destruction caused Paradise to not just postpone Friday's playoff opener, but completely abandon the idea of going forward with the season.
"A lot of kids lost their home and a lot of them are scattered around right now, but we've heard from everybody," Paradise head coach Rick Prinz told MaxPreps. "I know three of my coaches lost their homes and I know whole neighborhoods burned. I'm assuming I lost my home.
"Ive talked with our administration and our athletic director to see what we can do but honestly I spent the whole night wondering where my mother was, not thinking about football."
Wildfires are wreaking havoc on playoff schedules around California, with more than 20 games postponed in the northern portion of the state alone. A pair of section cross country championship meets have also been put on hold.
At least five deaths have been reported and as many as 2,000 structures lost in the Paradise area.
MaxPreps editor/writer Aaron Williams contributed to this report.