Warriors can’t get by Loggers

Lose 35-12 after being down by two at the half

Members of the Del Norte High defense converge on a Eureka player Friday night. For more photos, go to triplicate.com/photos Del Norte Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

At this point the game was certainly in reach.

But the second half was another story as the Warriors could not move the ball on offense and let the Loggers pick up large chunks of yards on the ground as they fell 35-12 in Big 5 Conference action.

Sophomore wideout Aaron Fitch was a highlight for the Warriors, scoring twice.

Senior running back Collin Taylor, who already has more than 1,000 yards and 18 total touchdowns for the season, went out of the game in the second quarter for Del Norte.

He came back briefly in the third and for one play in the fourth, a 17-yard run, before leaving for good.

Head coach Ray Rook said after the game it appeared to be cramps.

Rook said that “bottom line, we lacked consistency tonight.” The coach said the Warriors did not play with the passion and consistency needed to beat a top-notch team like Eureka.

“You can’t do that against a good team,” Rook said. “My hats off to Eureka tonight.”

Del Norte fell to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big 5. Eureka improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big 5.

In the first quarter it was a defensive battle as both teams came out ready to battle and were aggressive with one another.

With 1:23 remaining in the quarter Warrior quarterback Julian Markussen was picked off by a Eureka defender who ran it deep into Warrior territory.

With 11:05 left in the half on a 4th and 3 the Loggers ran the ball in for the score to take the lead.

Del Norte High quarterback Julian Markussen gets ready to throw the ball on Friday. Del Norte Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

But the Warriors would not give up and were able to march down the field.

On a third down play from the 16 on a short pass, Fitch got the ball and ran towards the sideline. When that area was blocked he ran the other way, found daylight and went in for the score with 4:07 left in the half. The kick was missed as the score read 14-6 Loggers.

Near the end of the half from the 3-yard line, Fitch scored again on a reverse that got Del Norte right back in the game. The two-point conversion was no good.

In the second half, it was pretty much all Loggers as they continued to score and Del Norte could not stop them or put points on the board.When the fourth quarter was over the Loggers were the winners, 35-12.

After the game, Rook told his players they must always give maximum effort each and evey play they are in, which he said was not the case at all times on Friday night,

“We need to come ready to work on Monday,” Rook said.

Del Norte plays next Friday in a road rematch with Fortuna, who defeated them 55-28 on Oct. 7 at home.

Offensive coordinator Mark Slayton told the team they have to push through the adversity and turn things around, and a win would do the trick next Friday,

“You have the opportunity to right the ship next week,” he said.

In junior varsity action Del Norte lost to Eureka 32-0 to suffer their first loss of the year and drop to 6-1.

“We got slapped and we didn’t slap back tonight,” head coach Nat Parrott said. “It’s a learning experience for us.”