WALNUT CREEK, CA - The annual “Battle of the Creek” was an offensive showdown between Las Lomas and Northgate, with the host Broncos holding on for the 42-36 win late in the game. Although lacking defensive pressure for most of the game, the Broncos defense made some huge stops late in the fourth quarter, escaping with the win in an instant classic back-and-forth thriller.
After a 29-yard field goal with 7:54 left in the game, the Knights (1-2) took the lead 36-34. Northgate (2-1) responded with a long drive down the field, ending with a 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Soren Peterson. With quarterback Jack Fulp’s second two-point conversion of the night, the Broncos took a 42-36 lead, which ended up being the final score. Northgate was able to secure the win with a 4th-and-11 defensive stop, followed by an interception on the Knights' next drive by DeMarco Ventura, with 1:48 left in the game.
From the beginning both teams showed their offensive prowess. With 7:30 left in the first quarter, receiver Semisi Saluni of Northgate secured an eight-yard touchdown catch from Fulp, making the score 7-0. Shortly after, with 6:23 left in the first, quarterback Dylan Graham of Las Lomas completed a seven-yard touchdown pass to receiver Blake Thorpe. The Broncos then responded with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Fulp to Saluni, making the score 13-7 after a missed point-after attempt.
With 2:36 left in the first, Northgate fumbled a snap on fourth down, turning the ball over on their own 45. The turnover eventually led to a Knight touchdown on a four-yard pass from Graham to Thorpe. With 4:18 left in the first half, the Broncos got another touchdown off a Fulp pass to Saluni, their third connection of the first half, making the score 20-14. With just 44 seconds left in the first half, the Knights got an interception. With the clock running down, Las Lomas pushed their way inside the one-yard line, leading to a quarterback sneak by Graham. The point-after attempt was blocked and the teams headed to the locker room tied at 20.
On their first drive of the second half, the Knights scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Graham to Thorpe after a commanding drive down the field, their third connection of the night. The Broncos responded with a rushing touchdown by Marcus Dickerson with 6:25 left in the third. The point-after attempt was blocked, and the Knights led 27-26.
“We got it together in the locker room and decided we needed to execute better in the 2nd half,” said Fulp.
Las Lomas responded with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Thorpe, his fourth score of the game, making the score 33-26 after a blocked point-after attempt. Early in the fourth, Northgate’s offense began to pick up momentum. With 11:11 left in the game, Dickerson broke free for a 35-yard rushing touchdown. After Fulp ran the ball in for the two-point conversion, the score was 34-33 in favor of Northgate. A few minutes later, the Knights took back the lead with a 29-yard field goal, making the score 36-34, with 7:54 left to play. The Broncos soon took control of the game. After a 27-yard touchdown pass to Soren Peterson and a two-point conversion, the Broncos took a 42-36 lead. Northgate then proceeded to stop the Knights on their next two drives with a fourth down sack and a timely interception.
"We had to execute and work as a team today,” said Dickerson after the game.
“A key factor was stopping number seven [Thorpe] on offense which we eventually were able to do with a double team and interception,” added Fulp.
“We had a couple of good breaks, executed on a couple of key third-down plays and I think that helped us come out victorious at the end,” said Northgate head coach Ben Ballard.
The Knights, meanwhile, played hard, and continue to improve.
“We need to prepare harder and keep our heads up,” said Thorpe.
Las Lomas head coach Doug Longero saw a lot of positive aspects to his team’s performance and believes they can come back strong.
“We’re young still," added Longero. "It was a great high school game, some of the breaks didn’t go our way at the end, but we’ll be back”.
The Broncos will play Bethel next and the Knights hope to move on and get a win against Alhambra.
