Saturday, November 26, 2011

Nordhoff loses in second round, 34-33

The Nordhoff Rangers suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the final seconds of tonight's CIF-SS second round playoff game. After a back-and-forth game, the Rangers took a 33-28 lead with less than a minute to play. The Torrance Tartars came back to win after they threw a desperation pass for a touchdown with 16 seconds to play in the game.

Isaac Seymour was unstoppable, rushing for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns. The loss for Nordhoff will sting for a while because of a number of mental errors, including several unsportsmanlike penalties. See Wednesday's OVN for more details on the game.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Nordhoff advances to second round after 38-0 win over Bosco Tech

The Nordhoff Rangers got their 2011 playoff run off to a great start tonight after they defeated the Bosco Tech Tigers, 38-0. Nordhoff got off to a fast start when Isaac Seymour scored from 27 yards out. The NHS defense was dominant all night long and the Tiger never threatened to score in the game. The second score came when Andy Drifka threw a perfect pass to Micah Thornton for a 37-yard score. Eric Lara concluded the first half scoring with a field goal.

Leading 17-0, the second half also belonged to the Rangers. Luis Espinoza scored next for the Rangers after he intercepted a pass and raced 42 yards for a touchdown. Seymour would score again, giving the Rangers a commanding 31-0 lead. The final score of the game came when Tanner Workman threw a 58-yard touchdown to sophomore Mark Burdick.

With the win, the Rangers earn a spot in the second round of the CIF-SS playoffs. NHS will travel to Torrance on Friday. See Wednesday's OVN for more details on the Rangers' big win.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Rangers draw Bosco Tech in first round

The Nordhoff Rangers' first round opponent in the CIF-SS play-offs will be Bosco Tech. The Tigers will come to Ojai with a a 7-3 record and they are 3-3 in the Del Rey League. The game will be played Friday night and kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Rangers clinch Tri-Valley League Championship

The Nordhoff Rangers overcame a slow start and 13-10 first half deficit to defeat the Oak Park Eagles, 44-26 in a rare Thursday night game. The win against Oak Park was Nordhoff’s fifth consecutive win of the season. NHS finished their regular season with a 6-4 overall record and a 4-0 record in Tri-Valley League play. With last Thursday’s win, the Rangers also earned the outright Tri-Valley League championship for the second year in a row.

Senior Jordan Morrison broke a school record on the first play of the game when he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Senior Isaac Seymour scored three touchdowns and quarterback Andy Drifka threw touchdown passes to Eric Lara and Micah Thornton.

Nordhoff will now turn their attention to the CIF-SS play-offs. The pairings will be released Sunday afternoon. For more information on Nordhoff’s big win over Oak Park and to find out who their first-round play-off opponent will be, see Wednesday’s edition of the OVN.

Friday, November 04, 2011

Rangers come back to beat Carpinteria, 34-24

The Nordhoff Rangers saw their league championship hopes slipping away tonight against the Carpinteria Warriors, but then NHS rallied back to win 34-24 and claim at least a share of the Tri-Valley League title.

After jumping out to a 14-6 first half lead, the Rangers then began to implode and the Warriors took advantage. Carpinteria returned a punt for a touchdown and converted the two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14. The Warriors then kicked a field goal to take a 17-14 lead and then made a huge play on defense, returning an interception for a touchdown to extend their lead to 24-14.

With the Rangers seemingly on the verge of defeat, they stormed back when Andy Drifka found Micah Thornton for a touchdown in the fourth quarter making the score 24-21. NHS then took the lead when Drifka found Luis Espinoza for a touchdown with 1:32 to play in the game. Leading 28-24, the Rangers put Carpinteria away for good when Connor O'Malley forced a loose ball and Kevin Crane recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

See Wednesday's OVN for more information in the Rangers' thrilling comeback win over rival Carpinteria.

Friday, October 28, 2011

NHS spoils Santa Paula's big night

Tonight Nordhoff traveled to Santa Paula to take on the Cardinals in a key Tri-Valley league contest, and the Rangers skipped town with a big 40-14 victory. NHS jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a touchdown catch by Luis Espinosa and a touchdown run by Isaac Seymour. In the second quarter quarterback Andy Drifka found wide out Eric Lara 22-yard touchdown just before halftime, giving Nordhoff and 21-7 halftime lead. In the second half Lara kicked two field goals and Seymour added one more touchdown to give the Rangers some breathing room and a 33-14 lead. The final score of the game came on a four-yard touchdown run by Jacob Perron. The win gave the Rangers their fourth win of the season and improves their league record to 2-0.

The game marked Santa Paula's homecoming and the opening of their new stadium, but Nordhoff proved to be too much for the Cardinals to handle on their big night. For more information on Nordhoff's big win, see Wednesday's OVN for stats, quotes, and highlights.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Rangers open league play with 35-6 win over Fillmore

The Nordhoff Rangers celebrated their Homecoming night with a 35-6 win over the visiting Fillmore Flashes. NHS jumped out to an early 21-0 lead over Fillmore and then never looked back. Quarterback Andy Drifka threw three touchdown passes, two to Jordan Morrison and one to Austin Wolcott. Isaac Seymour chipped in with two rushing touchdowns to round out the scoring for the Rangers. For more details, stats and quotes on the Rangers' big win, see the Wednesday edition of the OVN.

Friday, October 07, 2011

NHS takes out San Marcos

The Nordhoff Rangers got a much needed win tonight as they defeated the San Marcos Royals, 42-6. NHS led 14-6 at the half but then exploded for 28 unanswered second half points to earn their second win of the season. Isaac Seymour led the way with three rushing touchdowns for the Rangers. Senior Jordan Morrison caught a touchdown and rushed for another. The Rangers were without quarterback Andy Drifka, but sophomore Tanner Workman filled in nicely, throwing two touchdown passes. See Wednesday's OVN for stats and quotes from head coach Tony Henney.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Santa Barbara pounds Rangers, 38-24

The Nordhoff football team dropped to 1-4 on the season after losing to the Santa Barbara Dons tonight, 38-24. NHS led the game 17-14 at the half thanks to two touchdowns by Isaac Seymour. The second half, the Dons overpowered the Rangers and took the lead for good in the third quarter. See Wednesday's OVN for photos, stats and more details from the game.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Nordhoff drops to 1-3 on the season

Nordhoff faced a very tough Ventura football team tonight and despite playing some of their best football of the season in stretches, the Rangers were outclassed as they lost 35-20. The heavily favored Cougars jumped out to an early 14-0 lead but the Rangers clawed their way back into the game after an Isaac Seymour TD. With the score locked at 14-7 in the third quarter, Ventura scored again after half time to extend their lead to 21-7 but then they added to their lead to make the score 28-7. NHS scored when Jordan Morrison caught a TD pass to make the score 28-13. Both teams would score again to make the final 35-20. Nordhoff's final score of the night came on a TD pass from Tanner Workman to Brad Sloan.

Overall, the Rangers played just a physical as Ventura but the difference in the game was a turnovers by the Rangers and Ventura's ability to make a few more plays. See Wednesday's OVN for more details on the game.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Rangers blank Vikings, 41-0

Andy Drifka tied a Nordhoff record with five touchdown passes as the Rangers defeated Hueneme 41-0. Drifka threw touchdown passes to Jordan Morrison, Tucker De alba, Isaac Seymour, Micah Thornton and Eric Lara. Lara also ran for a score in the game.

With the win, the Rangers improve to 1-2 on the season. For more information on the Rangers first win of the 2011 season, see Wednesday's OVN.