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Warrior spirit lives

Warrior football finds first win under new coach

Last Friday, September 7, the Fallbrook Warriors hosted the Santa Fe Christian Eagles at Warrior Stadium. The Warriors defeated the Eagles to earn their first win in nearly two years by the score of 38-10. The Warriors made some great plays as they were led by starting quarterback Saber Youman along with the whole Warrior defense.

The Warriors acquired the early lead as Youman completed a 44-yard pass to Marquis Sumpter for a touchdown. The Eagles received the ball and on the third play of the possession, Daniel Kressen intercepted the ball, giving possession to the Warriors with great field position.

After some phenomenal running by Dewayne Mitchell, a 23-yard pass from Youman to Matthew Napier set up a touchdown run by Mitchell. After an extra point by Rogelio Zamudio, the score was 14-0 in the first quarter. The Eagles then drove on the Warriors with the help of a personal foul penalty and they kicked a field goal to make the score 14-3.

The next Fallbrook possession had more outstanding running by Mitchell and a pass from Youman to Sumpter for 20 yards, but the drive stalled and the Warriors punted the ball away. The Eagles and Warriors each had two more drives, but they all were stalled. The halftime score was Fallbrook 14, Santa Fe Christian 3.

The Eagles began with the ball, but the Warriors forced them to go three and out, giving the ball to Fallbrook. The Warrior offensive line showed their experience on this possession as Salazar had a 16-yard run and Mitchell ran for 28 yards on 5 rushes. The drive was then finished off by Nick Hayes as he ran in for a touchdown, making the score 21-3.

On the Eagles’ next possession, they looked to be sustaining a drive until they were stopped on a fourth down conversion by the Warrior defense. The stop gave the Warrior offense the ball at the 50 yard line.

This possession’s key plays included a 15-yard completion from Youman to Hayes and a 33-yard pass from Youman to Sumpter for a touchdown. After another extra point by Zamudio, the score was 28-3 at the end of the third quarter.

The Warriors stopped Santa Fe Christian once again and the Fallbrook offense took the field once again. Mitchell had some powerful running and then Youman completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Salyers. The catch was sensational as Salyers met the ball at the highest point and pulled it down through an Eagle defender. The score after an extra point was 35-3.

The Eagles now had the ball, but Jake Ware forced a fumble and Brian Long recovered the fumble to give the ball back to the Warrior offense.

As Michael Leonard quarterbacked the Warriors, they drove down the field but were stalled at the Eagle 20 yard line. Rogelio Zamudio kicked a 30-yard field goal to make the score 38-3.

The Eagle offense finally got a touchdown when the Warriors played their second string. The game ended with the score of Fallbrook 38, Santa Fe Christian 10.

The Warriors definitely played to their ability as they played great on defense and offense. This game was a great motivation to Fallbrook as a town and the team, as this was the first victory for about two years.

All of the players said it was a relief to get one win out of the way, especially those who went 0-10 last year. The Warrior coaching also was good; they made adjustments from the last game and it paid off.

The junior varsity team also won their game on Friday. They defeated the Eagles by a score of 44-0. The junior varsity team was led by their offensive line and defense. Congratulations to all of the players, as they are 2-0!

Contrary to last week’s column, the Warriors’ next game – tomorrow, September 14 – will not be played at home but at Temecula Valley High School. Come to Temecula and watch Fallbrook search for their second win of the season.

 

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