The Warriors won their first two games and fell in their final two contests.

Co-coach Pablo Lorenzi said the team had a good tournament performance, even in the losses, which were against elite teams, he said.

“It was a better team effort,” he said, especially  in  the way players communicated with teammates. “Some of the basic things are starting to become second nature.”

Del Norte falls to Amador Valley 62-8 on the road

PLEASANTON — The Del Norte High varsity football team took a beating against Amador Valley in the Bay Area Friday night, losing 62-8.

The Warriors had no answer for the Dons, who play in the East Bay Conference, considered one of the elite conferences in the state, as Amador Valley scored at will all night.

On their first offensive play of the game Amador Valley got the ball all the way down to around the 10-yard line of Del Norte. The Dons scored a short time later on a seven-yard touchdown  run with under eight minutes left in the first quarter.

Things only get tougher for the Del Norte High Warriors varsity football team tonight.

After being soundly defeated by Little 5 power Ferndale 47-6 last Friday at home the Warriors (1-1), have to travel all the way to Pleasanton in the Bay Area to meet a formidable Amador Valley (2-0) squad.

When asked what his team needs to do this evening against the Dons, Warrior head coach Bob Hadfield simply said “survive.”

“We just got to keep it simple,” Hadfield added. “We need to control things, not make mistakes and capitalize on mistakes they make.”

The Dons came to Crescent City last season and won handily 52-15.

Amador Valley is a Division 1 school, the largest division in the state compared to Division III for the Warriors. The Dons play in what is considered one of the best football conferences — the East Bay — in the entire state. The Dons are currently 2-0.

“It was a barn burner,” Warrior co-head coach Debbie Lorenzi said. “It went forever.”

After falling to the Bruins in four games during the team’s first meeting of the year in Crescent City on Sept. 10, Del Norte was looking to make a statement.

In the first game, the Warriors came out fired up and earned a 25-21 win.

“We played them really tough,” Lorenzi said.

But in the second game Del Norte could not keep the momentum going as the Burins cruised to a 25-13 win.

The boys fell 5-3 while the girls lost 10-0.

In the boys game co-coach Jorge Gonzalez said the team trailed 3-2 near the end of the first half, but let a goal slip by with about 30 seconds left in the half.

Gonzalez said the squad played better in the second half and had countless scoring chances but could get in only one goal.

“We just couldn’t get them in the back of the net,” he said.

Jonathan Olvera scored twice for the Warriors while Ian  Jager also had a goal.

On Tuesday, Del Norte downed Hidden Valley of Oregon on the road 1-0. The team is currently 3-2 for the year.

On the girls side the Warriors quickly fell behind and found themselves down 8-0 at the half.

Head coach Clar Byers said the  Huskies were a quick team that was able to move down the field and score at will on the Warriors.

On a positive note, Byers said almost the entire team was able to see the field and gain experience. Del Norte fell to 0-5 for the year.

From left, Russ Mongtomery, Pat Finley and Tom Martinelli in Astoria at the starting point of their trek. Submitted Photo

Longtime friends Russ Mont­gomery, 63, Pat Finley, 62, and Tom Martinelli, 56, were looking for an opportunity to physically challenge themselves and have an experience they will not forget anytime soon.

They even made a new friend in a fellow bike rider, a pilot for Alaska Airlines who joined them all the way to Smith River.

The 5 1/2-day trip occurred Sept. 9-14.

“It was probably the most physical exertion I’ve put into a six-day period in my entire life,” Finley said.

The riders clear a narrow tunnel south of the Heceta Head Lighthouse. Submitted Photo

The friends trained for about three months to get themselves into shape.

This was the first time Finley and Martinelli had tried such a long bike ride. Montgomery and his two sons rode from Brookings to Sonoma and back in 1992.

“He was with an older crowd this time,” Finley said with a laugh.