By Vincent Perez
Relief is one word that could be used to describe North High’s head coach Norm Brown last night.
Brown’s North High Stars (1-1) cruised to a 37-14 win over the Golden Valley Bulldogs (0-2) in the second week in a nonconference matchup at North High, giving the Stars their first win.
“We needed that. Coming off a tough loss to a good Centennial team. Hats off to them over there,” said Brown post-game. Centennial blanked North 40-0 to open both their seasons.
Brown said that his players displayed grit. Brown explained that grit is passion and perseverance on the field.
The first win could be pinpointed at the Stars’ running game. Running back Brian Dean was the match that lit the Stars’ point production. North’s first spark of the night was the junior’s first and longest run of the night. Dean’s ran from their own 20 to the Bulldogs’ 38, a 42-yard run.
Senior running back Alex Tejada scored the touchdown six minutes later, and North led 7-0 early on. This wouldn’t be the last North High saw of Tejada. He later scored two more touchdowns, racking up
Getting off to a bad start could be what hurt Golden Valley the most. Immediately following the Stars’ first touchdown, on the kick return to the Bulldogs, sophomore Johnthan Rivera fumbled the ball and the Stars recovered and put themselves back in scoring position at the Bulldogs’ 30-yard line.
Two plays later, Dean would score again, leading the Stars to a 14-0 lead barely 8 minutes into the first quarter. The dominance would continue.
On the following possession, North’s Waltravon Lenoir intercepted Golden Valley junior quarterback Marquel Bruley. That was not the last stop Bruley saw from North’s defense.
At halftime, North led 28-6, never losing the lead and continued to be a source of pain in the Bulldogs’ necks.
North senior quarterback Titus Liest was not letting last week’s loss at Centennial define him.
“It felt good. It felt like a relief off our shoulders,” he said. Liest threw 7-for-8, passed for 59 yards and ran for 31 yards.
The Bulldogs did attempt a comeback, trying to rally down 28-14 with a touchdown and a two-point conversion late in the third quarter, but it was to no avail.
After both teams scuffled in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs found themselves on the wrong end of the penalties. They had to endure a fourth and 67 following a player ejection. 8 minutes remained in the game and Golden Valley had tripped over their own tied shoelaces. Penalties prevented them from making a comeback.
Brown was proud of his Stars’ behavior in circumstances that were not in his players’ control.
“We were proud of our guys. The refs even said that we displayed great sportsmanship,” he said. “That’s the proudest thing we’ll say to our kids.”
Dean, who scored a touchdown on 91 yards, was proud also of his teammates.
“I felt like we did good. Our team did excellent, everyone gave 110 percent,” he said. He felt the Centennial loss was a wake-up call.
“We got to do that every game. Get better and stay motivated,” he added.
North’s special teams made their presence known throughout the win, forcing a turnover on two fumbled recoveries by Golden Valley. The field goal unit were also excellent all night.
“I didn’t expect to be on field goal but last minute I was put in,” said senior offensive lineman Bradshaw Lightner.
Lightner feels he is ready for the upcoming Southeast Yosemite League just a few weeks away. “We’re going to do it for the seniors,” he said.
North High travel to Shafter to take on the Generals next Friday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 and Golden Valley face the South High Rebels on the road.
Photos by Henry Barrios
