On Friday night the Del Norte Warrior varsity football team hosted the Division 4 quarterfinal playoff game against the Braves of Justin-Siena from Napa California.
The Braves of Justin-Sienna kicked to the Del-Norte Warriors who returned the ball to their own 34-yard line to start the game. Just two plays into the Warrior possession, quarterback Ethan Price #4 took the ball 40 yards on a quarterback keep that swept to the outside and down the sideline before being hit and fumbling. The Braves would recover and take possession on their own 18-yard line.
The Warrior defense would hold Justin-Siena, forcing a Brave punt after 3 plays. Moments later, Warrior quarterback OJ Calleja #12 would hit #4 Ethan Price on a swing pass getting Price to the outside and quickly putting him 1 on 1 with a Justin-Siena defensive back. Price would beat the defense to the edge and race 30 yards into the endzone starting the scoring, and putting the Warriors up 6-0 5:00 minutes into the game.
Justin-Siena would receive the ensuing kickoff and return it to their 40 yard line. The Braves then put together a methodical 5 minute drive, moving the ball 60 yards before getting to the Warrior 20 yard line. Quarterback Barrett Donohoe #2 dropped back and hit his receiver for a 20 yard catch and run into the endzone putting Justin-Siena up 6-7 after the extra point.
The Warriors and Ethan Price would waste no time responding as Price would receive the kick-off and outrace the field 55 yards. This put Del-Norte back in scoring position and the Warriors would hand the ball to running back Sebastian Puente #25 and his 11 yard run through the center of the Justin-Siena line put the Warriors up 12-7 after missing a two conversion attempt.
Both teams played tough defense in the remaining minutes of the second quarter.
With just 3 minutes left in the second quarter, Del-Norte would punt to Justin-Siena who would start their offense on their own 32 yard line. The Braves again put together a systematic time-consuming drive. Justin-Siena quarterback #2 Barrett Donohoe then hit his favorite receiver #88 Luigi Albano-dito on a deep 55 yard pass play putting the Braves on the Warrior 23 yard line. Moments later, the Braves Donohoe and Albano-dito combination would strike again with a 20 yard pass play into the center of the Warrior defense for a Justin-Siena touchdown with just seconds left. The score gave Justin-Siena a 12-14 lead after the first half of play.
In the beginning of the 2nd half, Del-Norte kicked-off to Justin-Siena. The Braves controlled the ball for almost four minutes of the beginning of the 3rd period, before Justin-Siena punted to the Warriors.
Del-Norte started their first possession of the second half on their own 30 yard line before running back Kobe Mitchell #20 would rip off a 60 yard run through the center of the Justin-Siena line only to be caught from behind and taken down at the Braves 5 yard line. Mitchell would put the ball in the endzone on the next play with a dive up the middle.
With Del-Norte now leading 20-14 after a successful two-point conversion, Justin-Siena took the ball on their own 43 yard line. A confident Brave offense would take a big risk late in the 3rd period and convert a 4th and 1 yard to go situation risking turning the ball over on downs to the Warriors at mid-field. After the conversion, Justin-Siena drove the rest of the field getting to the Warrior 10 yard line. Moments later, quarterback Barrett Donohoe #2 kept the ball on and sweep to his left and into the corner of the endzone giving the Braves a 20-21 lead with under 10 minutes left in the game.
At this point of the contest, the Warriors and #4 Ethan Price took control and would not look back. The Warriors would receive the Justin-Siena kick-off and start their offense on their own 25 yard line. The first play of the drive was a hand off to Ethan Price #4 who would break away for over 60 yards and shockingly be caught from behind on the 1 yard line. Quarterback OJ Calleja #12 then finished the drive off on the very next play, diving into the endzone from 1 yard out and putting the Warriors up 28-21.
A now emboldened and fired up Warrior defense took the field and shut down any hopes of a Justin-Siena heroic comeback by stopping any advance of the Braves offense. A critical sack by the Del Norte defense resulted in a Justin-Siena punt situation. The snap sailed over the head of the Braves punter and out of the back of the endzone for a Justin-Siena touch-back, giving the Warriors two more points and the ball.
Leading now 30-21, the Warriors received the kick, and kept the ball on the ground in the ensuing offensive possession, killing precious time off the running clock. With just 4 minutes left in the game, and a 4th and 1 situation, Ethan Price #4, now at quarterback, would rip the hearts out of the Justin-Siena Braves as he took the quarterback keep and run over 40 yards right down the center of the field for a game ending touchdown with just over 3 minutes left.
The Del-Norte Warriors would hold and win 38-21, sending Justin-Siena on a long disappointing ride home and push themselves on in post-season play to the state division 4 semi-finals which they will host next week at Del-Norte High School.
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