The Del Norte Warriors went back to what they do best and kept their playoffs hopes alive on Friday night with a 26-14 win over a McKinleyville team that was riding high after a big victory last week.
In a meeting of two of the youngest teams in the H-DNL in Crescent City, it was the home team that stepped up with a nice bounce-back win one week after a disappointing performance at St. Bernard’s.
They won with a physical run game and some outstanding defense that contained a dangerous Panthers passing attack for much of the night.
The win ended a two-game skid and lifted the Warriors to 4-5 on the season, while extending their dominance over the Panthers to 14 straight wins, a streak that dates back to 2012.
Just as important, it gives the Crescent City school a big boost heading into next weekend’s season and league finale at Fortuna, where a win would secure a share of the Pacific League title, something that seemed a reach after last week’s performance.
The Warriors dominated on both sides of the ball for much of the night and opened up three-touchdown lead midway through the third quarter.
But few teams refuse to stay down better than the Panthers, who have made a habit of big second halves this fall, and they would make things interesting down the stretch.
They would finally get on the board on a five-yard TD run by sophomore quarterback Corbin Green late in the third quarter.
With Max Borges and Dustin Starcher leading the ground attack, the Warriors added to their lead with a fourth rushing TD and Starcher’s third of the night to reestablish a three-touchdown advantage midway through the fourth.
The Panthers, however, answered almost immediately, scoring on a five-yard Corbin Green TD pass to Cameron Hildebrandt less than two minutes later, and they would recover the ensuing onside kick.
But the Del Norte defense would hold firm late in the game, just as it had for much of the night, and the Warriors held on for a victory they realistically had to have.
Both Starcher and Borges enjoyed big nights running the ball and combined for all four Del Norte TDs, one in each quarter.
Borges opened his team’s account on a 39-yard run with 5:13 remaining in the first quarter.
He finished the night with 140 yards rushing and 44 yards receiving.
Starcher added 100 yards rushing and scored on runs of two, 12 and one yards.
Quarterback Trent Cronk also had a productive night for the home team, completing 5-of-6 passes for 91 yards, while Adrian Alvarado added two PATs to round out the Del Norte scoring.
The Del Norte defense was every bit as impressive and held the normally dangerous Panthers passing attack to just 96 yards.
Both teams resume league play next week.
The Panthers, who secured at least a share of this year’s Redwood League title with their thrilling win over Ferndale last week, will close out against Arcata at Mack High, where a victory would secure the league championship outright.
The Warriors will travel to Fortuna to play a Huskies team that has already secured a share of the Pacific League championship and has won five straight games heading into a Saturday showdown at Ferndale.
A win for De Norte at Fortuna would give them a two- or three-way share of the league crown.
1 thought on “Del Norte Warriors rediscover their swagger, bolster NCS playoff hopes”