Northwood quarterback Jaden Piazza drops back to pass as Uni’s Isaiah Flores puts the pressure on. (Photos courtesy John Q. Duong, For OC Sports Zone)
Northwood’s football squad opened Pacific Coast League play Friday night defeating University 39-14.
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“What a game Friday night vs Uni High School,” said Northwood Coach Paige Nobles. “Northwood provided a lot of excitement for the home crowd.”
Northwood (5-1, 1-0) generated more than 450 total yards, “with senior QB Jaden Piazza leading the way both with his arm and his legs. Jaden threw for over 200 yards with three passing touchdowns and had over 100 yards rushing with two rushing touchdowns, ” Nobles said.
“Freshman Adam Harper also did an amazing job on offense with four carries for 50 yards and one touchdown. He also caught a touchdown pass and provided multiple tackles and sacks on defense as well.”
Travis Arena had another solid game with eight receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
“Defensively, once again senior Xavier Cousar had multiple tackles and sacks and could not be stopped all night long. Junior Max Tait also provided a defensive stance proving once again he is the best middle linebacker in Division 12.”
Northwood led 32-0 after three quarters. University (0-6, 0-1) had two TDs in the fourth quarter.
“I have tremendous respect for Coach Chris Hernandez and his Trojan coaches and players and I wish him and the Trojans much success in their upcoming games,” Nobles said.
Northwood hosts Woodbridge Friday night at 7 at Irvine Stadium in a battle for first place in the PCL. The two teams are tied with Portola for the top spot. University hosts Portola.
“We’ve had a tough season so far, and lost some guys we couldn’t afford to lose,” said Uni Coach Chris Hernandez. “You can say that as a program we are learning to handle adversity, because you can’t go through life making excuses for why you’re not where you want to be. Our mindset is that this week is just another opportunity for us to grow as people.
“Portola is a disciplined team, and Coach (Peter) Abe has done a great job building the program that finally has seniors and it shows. They are doing a great job over there and I’m impressed with what I’ve seen on film. We will need to play clean, mistake free football on Friday to give ourselves a chance.
“We’ve had to play a lot of young guys on both sides of the ball and we need them to grow up fast. But games like this are exciting, and seasons like this give you a lot of perspective. We have a number of seniors who played their last down of high school football already, so when you think about that and what those guys are going through, how could you not be appreciative at the chance to step out on the field and play? While we have a big challenge, we welcome it and embrace it.”
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