Warriors come back to topple Ferndale, 20-16

Collin Taylor rushes for 230 yards, 2 TDs

The Del Norte High Warriors bounced back from a 10-0 halftime deficit to defeat Little 4 Conference power Ferndale 20-16 on the road Saturday afternoon.

After losing to the Wildcats for two straight years, Del Norte made a statement with the comeback victory.

Warriors head coach Ray Rook said that he was upset with the team’s play in the first half as Ferndale scored all of its points as a result of Del Norte errors.

He was also not pleased with the way some team members were blaming other teammates for the poor start. He and his fellow coaches told the players that they were not playing up to their abilities and if they did not come together and play as a team they would not succeed.
The message was received loud and clear as Del Norte was a totally different unit when it came out for Round 2.

“We had a gut check,” Rook said. “It was a gritty game ... I’m happy that we came together and how we played in the second half.”
The Warriors' defense did a good job of containing Ferndale. Del Norte senior running back Collin Taylor, who rushed for only 17 yards in the first half, had a jaw-dropping second half.

He finished the game with 230 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard score and a 65-yard run to the 2-yard line. He rushed for 250 yards and five scores against Hidden Valley, Ore., the week before.

“It feels great,” senior Austin Moore said about the win. “We came together and played much better in the second half. It shows what we can do if we play as hard as we can.”

In the first quarter, both teams could not move the ball much as the defenses played well.

In the second quarter, deep in their own territory, the Warriors threw a pick. Eventually, the Wildcats ran the ball in from 2-yard-line with 6:55 left.

Things got worse when on a punt the ball was snapped over the punter and landed on the Warriors' 5-yard line, giving the Wildcats the perfect chance for another touchdown.

But a 15-yard penalty was called against Ferndale, which eventually settled for a  37-yard field goal with around three minutes remaining as the Warriors looked at a 10-point halftime deceit.

It was like a new team at the start of the second half for Del Norte as the squad that defeated Hidden Valley 60-7 last week decided to show up.

The Warriors had the ball first in the second half and made the most of it. On first down from the Del Norte 34, Taylor cut back, found a hole, and ran 23 yards. On a third and 9 from the 25-yard line, Moore, a fullback, powered his way for a 10-yard gain and a first down. On a first and goal from the 3-yard line, Taylor plowed his way in for the score with 9:06 left.

Del Norte was not done. On its next possession  Taylor ran through holes provided by the offensive line and rumbled 75 yards for the score with 6:32 remaining as Del Norte had a 14-10 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Ferndale was able to strike again on a 5-yard touchdown pass to take the 16-14 lead with around five minutes remaining. Del Norte got a break when the ball was bobbled on the extra point attempt.

On the next Warrior possession, Taylor rumbled 65 yards to the 2-yard line. Sophomore Jordan Carpenter scored from 2 yards out and Del Norte was back in front, 20-16. The kick was blocked.

Ferndale got to the 32-yard line of Del Norte with around a minute left.

The Warriors sealed the win when sophomore Aaron Fitch picked off a pass at the 20-yard line to seal the win as Del Norte improved to 2-0.

In the junior varsity game, Del Norte improved to 2-0, defeating Ferndale 21-8 after only winning a  single game last season.

See the Tuesday print edition of The Daily Triplicate for more on the game and photos from the contest.