Warriors battle but lose to Del Norte 20-13

A pair of big plays – one offensively and the other defensively – by Del Norte High School proved to be the difference in the Nighthawks’ 20-13 victory over Fallbrook High School in a non-league football game Sept. 2 at Fallbrook Stadium.

Del Norte’s offensive strike came during its second possession of the game – a possession the Nighthawks had to start inside its own 5 yard line thanks to a great punt by Fallbrook’s Joe Bishop. On the third play of the possession, quarterback Jake Moore hit speedy receiver Ty Anderson on the left sideline and Anderson outraced the Warrior defense for a 96-yard touchdown completion.

Del Norte’s decisive defensive play came in the fourth quarter with less than four minutes to play and the game tied 13-13. Linebacker Scott McKirdy intercepted a Jack Grantham pass at midfield and returned it for a touchdown. The PAT was good and gave Del Norte a 20-13 lead with 3:23 remaining.

Fallbrook’s defense, which had another solid game, kept the Warriors’ hopes alive when it blocked a field goal attempt by Del Norte’s Evan Padilla with 35 seconds left in the game.

The Warriors offense then made it interesting by parlaying a pass interference penalty against Del Norte and a 25-yard completion from Grantham to John Brodak to reach the Del Norte 40 yard line with 12 seconds to go. After spiking the ball to stop the clock, Grantham saw his next pass tipped and then intercepted by Del Norte’s Michael Morales with 1.7 seconds left on the clock to seal the deal for the Nighthawks.

John Brodak and Charlie Bickel made several key plays for the Fallbrook defense, which limited Del Norte to a pair of field goals after giving up the first quarter touchdown. Defensive lineman Mikell Jackson, who made big tackles on McKirdy and running back Robby Hauck, were also a force for the Warriors.

“With the exception of two or three plays, I thought we played really well defensively,” said Fallbrook coach Bob Burt. “John Brodak had an outstanding game on defense, and Bickel played hard. It was a good team effort.”

The Warriors offense scored on its third possession of the game to immediately answer Del Norte’s touchdown. Fallbrook started the possession on its own 33 after a nice 32-yard kickoff return by Kobe Stallings.

Stallings was involved throughout the drive. On third down, Stallings made a nice catch of a Grantham pass for a 24-yard gain and endured a late hit that resulted in a 15-yard penalty that took Fallbrook to the Del Norte 26. Three plays later, Grantham connected with Stallings over the middle for a 19-yard touchdown completion. A low snap led to a missed extra point and the score was 7-6 Del Norte with 1:53 remaining in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Del Norte extended its lead to 10-6 on a 36-yard field goal by Evan Padilla with 4:22 remaining in the first half. Once again, the Fallbrook offense answered right back – this time with an 80-yard touchdown drive.

The highlight of the march was a razzle-dazzle play in which Grantham pitched the ball back to Stallings, who then threw a strike down the right sideline to wide receiver Christian Arce for a 30-yard gain that gave Fallbrook first and goal at the Del Norte 10. A pair of four-yard gains by running back Shon Hagan was followed a two-yard touchdown jaunt by Grantham on a quarterback keeper. Bishop’s extra point was good and Fallbrook led 13-10 lead with 1:04 to go in the half.

Del Norte drove to the Fallbrook 19 on its ensuing possession and a Padilla field goal knotted the game at 13-13 heading into halftime. Both teams failed to score in the third quarter, and McKirdy’s interception return for a touchdown was the only score in the fourth quarter.

“There was good team effort in a lot of ways,” said Burt. “Our special teams played really well. Offensively, we improved some, but, again, mistakes really cost us. It was a game we could have won and should have won, but, you know, ‘shoulda-woulda-coulda,’ everybody can say that.”

Burt said his message to the team following the loss was simple: “The game is over, there’s nothing you can do about it now, so move on. You have to keep believing in yourself, keeping working hard, and try to get better.”

Fallbrook, after dropping its first two games at home, hits the road to play Torrey Pines on Sept. 9. Game time is 7 p.m.