File photos

Senior Brian Richards led the way on both sides of the ball on Friday night, as the Hoopa Warriors got their first win of the new season.

One week after opening with a loss to Big 4 powerhouse Del Norte, Hoopa traveled to Etna and came away with a 20-6 win.

And no one played a bigger role than Richards, who had a player-of-the-game performance.

“He had a monster game for us tonight,” Hoopa head coach Curtis Kane said of the tight end/middle linebacker.

Richards scored one of his team’s three touchdowns on offense, on a reception from quarterback Carlos Anzora.

The standout multi-sport senior was even more impressive on the defensive side of the ball, finishing with a team-best 10 tackles and two sacks.

Anzora also impressed for the Warriors, throwing for more than 150 yards and two TDs.

Joshua Moon added a touchdown reception in the win, while teammate Allen Kane rounded out the scoring for the visitors with a touchdown run.

“It was a penalty-ridden game, with a lot of defensive penalties,” Curtis Kane said. “But all in all we did well, We passed the ball (well).”

The victory was achieved thanks in large part to a big performance by both Hoopa lines.

With just six linemen for the game, the Warriors were shorthanded but rose to the challenge.

“I’ve got to give a shoutout to my defensive and offensive lines,” the head coach added. “They gave our quarterback time to throw and had a really good pass rush.

“We’re pretty thin on the lines, but they stepped up big time.”

The Hoopa JVs also won their game by a score of 16-6 to make for a good night all-around for the Warriors.

The JVs are now 1-1.

Next up, Hoopa travels to play St. Bernard’s next weekend.

File photo