Warriors drop game to Lancers but will go to CIF playoffs

On Friday, November 9, the Fallbrook Warrior football team traveled to Carlsbad, attempting to pull off a win and get a spot into the playoffs.

Fallbrook started out strong and had the lead but could not hold the Lancers off, with the final score Carlsbad 48, Fallbrook 27. Despite the loss, Fallbrook has earned an opportunity to go to CIF playoffs, with their first game this Friday.

The Warriors began their last league game with a mission and looked like they would pull off the upset, but after a few momentum shifts, the Lancers took control of the game and ran away with a solid victory.

The first quarter began with a great return by Fallbrook’s Jeremy Hanson out to the 41. Then, a 49-yard scamper by Mitchell Salazar set up a 22-yard pass from Saber Youman to Marquis Sumpter. This would be Youman’s last play of the game as Michael Leonard would take over.

The score was 7-0 and the Warrior defense took the field. The defense came up big as they foiled the explosive Lancer offense. The drive was highlighted by outstanding play by middle linebacker Jake Ware and outside linebacker Andrew Valencia. The defense forced Carlsbad to punt.

Fallbrook’s next possession went all the way down the field into the red zone highlighted by a swing pass for 45 yards from Leonard to Nick Hayes. However, an interception in the end zone stopped the drive. This play swung momentum as the first quarter came to an end.

The Lancers then capitalized on the interception as their star, Nick Pascarella, ran for 55 yards and the touchdown, making the score 7-7. The Warrior offense could not convert on the next possession, punting the ball to Carlsbad. The punt was returned for a touchdown, giving Carlsbad the lead by a score of 14-7.

The Warrior offense took the field once again and had a long drive highlighted by a pass from Leonard to Hayes for 30 yards and a pass from Leonard to Aaron Atkins for 20 yards. Theses two passes set up a 15-yard run by Salazar for a touchdown.

After a missed PAT, the score was Carlsbad 14, Fallbrook 13. Carlsbad got the ball back, but the Warrior defense forced them to a fourth down punt. On the snap, the ball went over the Lancer punter’s head, giving the ball to the Warriors in the red zone. However, the Warrior offense could not get into the end zone and the field goal was missed, resulting in no points.

The Warrior defense took the field once again and the Lancer offense completed a long pass which went 90 yards for a touchdown, making the score 21-13. The score remained the same up until halftime.

Carlsbad took the ball first to begin the third quarter. There were a few big plays by the Lancers, but a sack by Lyle Ducker stopped the large gains. On fourth and one, Cormac Keenan stopped the Lancer running back, giving the offense the ball.

The offense began a drive but came up short after an interception which eventually led to two consecutive touchdowns by Carlsbad. The game began to get out of reach as the score was 35-13 at the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter was highlighted by the Warriors trying to come back and win the final game of the season. Their first score came after a 42-yard pass from Leonard to Sumpter set up a scramble by Leonard for a touchdown, making the score 35-19.

However, the Lancers responded back with a 50-yard pass for a touchdown, making the score 41-19. The final score for Fallbrook came as Leonard scrambled into the end zone for the second time. Then, a Salazar run for the two-point conversion made the score 41-27. This was the final score as the Warriors finish the league season 2-7. The junior varsity team finished the season 6-3.

Come and cheer on the Warriors this Friday, November 16, at 7:30 p.m. in their first CIF playoff game at Mira Mesa High School.