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.