After falling to Pioneer High of Woodland last week, 42-13, DHS (0-2 overall) were better able to keep pace with MHS (2-0 overall) on Friday. Last week, the Lions defeated River Valley High of Yuba City 26-6.
The first half looked especially promising for the Blue Devils, who were first to get on the board.
In its first drive of the game, DHS had the ball on McClatchy’s 38-yard line on a first-and-10. Noah Wittenberg ran the ball 14 yards for another first down.
Quarterback David Dirksen connected on a pass to Brannon Hicklin to move the offense to the 14-yard line. Wittenberg then rushed for four yards to the 10-yard line.
Dirksen completed a throw to Carson Arosteguy, inching closer to the endzone. Wittenberg then brought in the ball for a rushing touchdown at the 9:01 mark. A good extra point kick from Mohammad Reggad brought the Blue Devils’ lead to 7-0.
On the next drive, however, the Lions answered right back, scoring a touchdown of their own. Kicker Ethan Roach missed the extra point, giving DHS a slim one point lead at 7-6.
MHS tacked on another touchdown on their first drive of the second quarter with Jake Ferris bringing the ball into the endzone at the 9:44 mark. This gave the Lions a 12-7 advantage.
McClatchy decided to go for a two-point conversion in hopes of making up for missing the extra point from their last touchdown. This move proved successful, with Ferris taking the ball to the endzone once again for a 14-7 Lions lead.
As MHS did in the first quarter, DHS answered right back on its next drive.
On a first-and-10 at McClatchy’s 15-yard line, Dirksen connected with Jake Saban, who brought in the pass for a touchdown at the 8:38 mark. Reggad’s extra point tied the game at 14-all.
After a missed snap by MHS, the Blue Devils were able to get possession of the ball back and they capitalized. The ball began on McClatchy’s 33-yard line. Dirksen completed a pass to Henry Eich for 8-yards.
On a second-and-2 at the 25-yard line, Dirksen connected with Arosteguy for a 1-yard gain.
On a third-and-1 at the 24-yard line, Wittenberg lost yardage, moving the ball to fourth-and-3 at the 26 yard line.
An offside call on McClatchy led to an automatic Blue Devils first down and 5-yard penalty.
On a first-and-10 at the 21-yard line, Dirksen completed a pass to Eich for 10-yards.
Arosteguy caught Dirksen’s next throw and took it to the endzone with 59 seconds left in the half. Reggad kept up his perfect streak on the night, adding another extra point to DHS’ tally, 21-14.
Déjà vu struck again though, with the Blue Devils’ lead not lasting very long.
On a MHS third-and-4, Derek Stephenson made a vital move, tackling the Lions’ quarterback, Josiah Hutchison. Despite being 4th-and-12, Hutchison was able to connect with Ferris for a 27-yard touchdown with 8-seconds left in the half. Roach’s kick was good, tying the game at 21-all going into halftime.
The Lions’ first drive of the second half resulted in another touchdown, with quarterback Hutchison bringing in the ball himself. MHS tried for a two point conversion, but were unsuccessful, with DHS’ Ryan Buzbee catching the pass. The Lions then led 27-21.
DHS wasted no time getting their heads back in the game, scoring on their next drive and doing so in just over one minute of play time.
Eich brought in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Dirksen to tie the game. Another Reggad extra point gave the Blue Devils a slim 28-27 edge.
This slight margin faded quickly for DHS, with the Lions scoring their final touchdown of the night on their next drive.
Robert Jackson III brought in a 24-yard touchdown to the endzone. A two point conversion was completed, again by Jackson III, bringing the score to the final.
DHS came closest to tying the game again on its second drive of the fourth quarter. The drive began with the ball on their own 33-yard line. After successfully moving the ball down the field to McClatchy's 6-yard line, the ball was turned over on downs.
Next week, the Blue Devils will play their third away game in a row against Hiram Johnson High (0-2 over... Click here to read full article
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