Nordhoff Ground Game Subdues Paso Robles

At the start of the season, the Nordhoff High football team seemed like a rail car on a siding rather than a Southern Section title express, especially after losing by 28 points to St. Bonaventure in September.

But Friday night at Paso Robles, the Rangers resembled a speedy locomotive as they ran over the Bearcats, 26-14, in a Division IX quarterfinal. Nordhoff will meet Montclair Prep in next Saturday’s semifinals.

On offense, three Nordhoff running backs combined for 178 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and quarterback Steve Saum passed for 101 yards and one score.

On defense, the Rangers held Paso Robles standout Cliff Bryant to 79 yards in 18 carries and sacked Jon Oliver five times for 28 yards.

What Nordhoff (11-1) lacked in size against the bigger, stronger Bearcats (9-3), they made up for in quickness. Leading the defense was Ryan Cuthbert, who had three sacks to run his school single-season record to 16.

“The first half, I was kind of discouraged,” Cuthbert said. “But it just made me want to play harder.”

The Ranger defense forced two fumbles in the third quarter, with recoveries by Ben Churchill and Justin Monical, and the offense converted both into touchdowns to extend a 14-7 halftime lead to 26-7.

Dallan Rigby smashed over from a yard for one score, and Josh Hawkins ran 44 yards for another.

A blocked punt by Danny Ponti gave the Bearcats a spark and the ball on the Nordhoff 39 on the final play of the fourth quarter. Bryant then scored on a 20-yard run.

But after Oscar Parado recovered an onside kick at the Ranger 45, Nordhoff held on downs at the 20.

Nordhoff then ran out the clock behind Hawkins (nine carries, 74 yards), Rigby (11 carries, 54 yards) and Adam Blundell (12 carries, 50 yards).

The Rangers scored on the game’s opening possession, marching 80 yards in seven plays. A play-action fake by Saum freed James Colborn deep in the Bearcat secondary for a 44-yard touchdown reception.

A 40-yard burst to the Ranger five on a third-down draw play by Paso Robles fullback Tai Anderson set up the Bearcats’ first score, a one-yard Bryant run.

Nordhoff regained the lead with 2 minutes 15 seconds left in the half after a Blundell punt hit Paso Robles defender Derek Engard in the back, allowing Jason Kimpton to recover at the Bearcat 47.

Hawkins scored on a one-yard run after Saum connected with Colborn on a 19-yard pass on a fake field-goal play.