Northwood football team solidifies CIF playoff hopes with 21-7 victory over Beckman

Northwood’s football team charges out onto the field for a game this year. (Photo courtesy John Q. Duong, for OC Sports Zone)

Northwood High’s football team took a major step toward securing a CIF playoff berth by defeating Beckman 21-7 Friday night in a Pacific Coast League game at Irvine Stadium.

“Last night was a win or go home for playoffs,” said Northwood Coach Paige Nobles. “Both teams knew what was at stake, so I knew Coach Marcelo (Giuliano) would have his Beckman Patriots ready for battle. I was very pleased with the way my defense responded when Beckman scored on their opening drive.

“My defense stepped up big time by only allowing Beckman to 137 total yards and only four first downs I believe. Once my offense got into their groove we were able to manage the game clock and work on some new things.”

Northwood (7-2, 3-1) is in second place and meets Irvine Friday night in the regular season finale. If Woodbridge upsets Portola, which has already clinched a share of the league title and Northwood defeats Irvine, Northwood would earn a share of the PCL title. The Bulldogs (8-1, 4-0) earned the top seed in the event of a tie by virtue of their win over Northwood.

Northwood is in the CIF Division 12 and Beckman Division 14.

In Friday’s game, Northwood was led by quarterback Jaden Piazza, who completed 21 of 31 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 49 yards on 12 carries.

“Daniel Kim had a good day rushing for 48 yards on 12 carries,” Nobles said. “Travis Arena once again keeps proving he is one of the top receivers in all of Division 12 and quite possibly Orange County. Travis had over 100 yards on 14 receptions.

“Newcomer Nate Maloney got into the mix with two receptions for 36 key yards and a two-point conversion play. Trey Littlejohn had a great night having fun out there racking up two touchdowns. One TD was a huge punt return.”

The defense was also solid, Nobles said.

“Defensively, we had a lot of contributors last night swarming around the ball carrier for immediate stops and stops in the backfield,” Nobles said.

“After last night’s victory Northwood sits alone in the second place spot hoping to keep it heading into our last game this Friday night against Irvine. We will have to prepare and not take any team for granted because I know Coach (Tom) Ricci will have his team ready and prepared to go a full 48 minutes.

“Friday night will be a game between our two programs. I wish Coach (Tom) Ricci best of luck and I pray all of his players stay healthy.”

Beckman (5-4, 2-2) hosts University Friday night at Tustin.