PHOTOS: Portola alone on top of PCL standings after edging Northwood 13-10 in showdown

Portola players, including No. 11 Kaveh Wojtowich, celebrate after Friday’s victory. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Portola’s football team did it again.

This time, it was once again the biggest victory in school history as the Bulldogs defeated Northwood 13-10 in a battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League Friday night in front of a capacity crowd at Portola.

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Both sides of the stadium were packed.

Both Portola and Northwood came in atop the league with 2-0 records. Now, the Bulldogs (7-1 overall, 3-0 in league) are alone at the top and that much closer to their first league title in only their second varsity season with just two games left.

The Bulldogs had a big celebration on the field after their win, but Coach Peter Abe said his squad will be focused on Irvine next week. The Bulldogs end the regular season against Woodbridge.

“We just need to focus on Irvine,” Abe said. “The kids will go out and celebrate and have a good time and the coaches will all go in for a second and debrief and immediately get started on Irvine. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that all the success is great, we love it but as soon as you start getting comfortable and getting too far ahead, something bites you in the butt.

“So, we’re on to Irvine next week. That’s all we can ask for.”

“It really means a lot, I’ve been with this program for four years,” said Portola quarterback Brandon Yue, who passed for 103 yards and led the offense. “This game really pushed us to become our best. Our defense did things against Northwood that no other team has seen against them and really challenged them.”

The Portola defense was solid all night, holding Northwood to 10 points and putting constant pressure on Timberwolves quarterback Jaden Piazza. Piazza completed 11 of 17 for 88 yards but threw two interceptions. He battled all night, rushing for 75 yards.

Abe awarded the team’s defensive game ball to the entire team.

Andre Quiroz and Miles Wat recorded interceptions for Portola. Junior Andy Lo had an 8-yard TD run with 4:30 left in the first quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead 10-0.

Northwood cut the lead to 10-3 on a 23-yard field goal by Trey Littlejohn with 13 seconds left in the first half.

Late in the third quarter, Northwood was moving the ball and advanced it to the Portola 30. But on a second down play, a high snap went over Piazza’s head and by the time he recovered it, the ball was all the way back to the Timberwolves 49 yard line and Portola eventually took over.

It was one play in a frustrating night for Northwood, which is trying to secure its first PCL title since 2003. The Timberwolves still have a shot at a share of the title but don’t control their own destiny like Portola does.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” said Northwood Coach Paige Nobles. “We didn’t capitalize on the little things. We gave them too many opportunities. Hats off to Coach Abe, he had a game plan and he utilized it. In the second half, we only had the ball twice and nothing you can do on that when you only get the ball twice and on one of those drives, the ball (was) snapped over the quarterback’s head and now we’re in third and 30.

“We were driving and we were probably going to score on that. Who knows, it could have been turned around. Like I told my guys, and I truly believe this, ‘the better team didn’t win tonight, the luckier team won tonight.’ And I’ll say that from day one, we are the better team. But we didn’t play like the better team tonight. Like I told my players, ‘this is going to hurt,’ and I want it to hurt. I want them to feel what it’s like to basically give the game away when this game should have been won.

“But on the other hand, the defense did a great job. We’re the only team that’s held them to 13 points. On the flip side, my offense has been scoring 45 points a game and he held us for 10 points. He did a great job. It was a little chess match and he won it this time. I just wish he was in Division 12 so we could meet them in the playoffs. But unfortunately Division 14, and he should roll the division and probably win it and if he does, hats off to him.”

Kaveh Wojtowich had field goals of 31 in the first quarter and 25 in the fourth quarter for Portola which turned out to be the difference. He also had four catches for 44 yards.

Northwood (6-2, 2-1) made one last run when Piazza connected with Travis Arena with 1:45 left but the Timberwolves were unable to recover the onside kick and the Bulldogs ran out the clock.

Trevor Yue (Brandon Yue’s younger brother) also had a solid game, rushing for 41 yards on nine carries and had to pick up the load when the team’s leading rusher Nova Kebeli went out with an injury in the third quarter. Abe said Kebeli was held out for precautionary reasons and the extent was not known.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com