Mission Hills Grizzlies 56, Del Norte Nighthawks 6

Though it was senior night for the Del Norte Nighthawks, the night belonged to Mission Hills.  The Grizzlies proved why they are the best of the best. 

Starting off from the first play from scrimmage, Jack Tuttle threw a textbook perfection 80 yard TD pass to Troy Warner to open the game at 7-0.  This play set the tone for the rest of the game.

Towards the end of the first quarter, Del Norte was poised to score in the end zone when Justus Te’i burst through the line of scrimmage and ripped the ball out of QB Jake Moore’s hands, returning it 27 yards to set up yet another Grizzly scoring drive.  Mission Hills led 35-6 going into the half.

The second half played out very similarly to the first.  The Nighthawks managed to sustain long drives on offense, mainly thanks to Jake Moore’s legs and his ability outside of the pocket.  However, Del Norte never managed to find the end zone.  The final score was 56-6, Mission Hills. 

The Grizzlies on offense were a force to be reckoned with.  Mission Hills put on a show with Jack Tuttle passing for nearly 160 yards and 1 TD pass, 1 TD run and Nehemiah “Nemo” McFarlin rushing for 148 yards and 3 TD’s. 

Del Norte dropped to 1-8 on the season and will face Rancho Buena Vista next week.  Mission Hills sits high at 8-0 and will be home to take on Vista.

PREVIEW: This Friday takes us to Del Norte High School where the Nighthawks will be playing against fellow members of the Avocado East League, the Mission Hills Grizzlies.  Del Norte is 1-6 on the season while Mission Hills is at 7-0 and ranked #2 in the county, according to CIF.

Mission Hills has had a standout season so far.  On average, they’ve outscored their opponents by a margin of 32 points. Four Grizzlies can be seen on the Silver Pigskin watch list: RB Nehemiah McFarlin, RB/SS Will Stricklin, LB/TE Justus Te’I, and CB/WR Troy Warner, his older brother Fred was a finalist in 2013.  This team is bursting with talented players and they have their eyes set on a second Open Division Championship win.

Del Norte is coming off of a defeat to San Marcos last week, losing 43-0.  Their lone win of the year came as a 28-0 shutout over Escondido Charter.  This young Del Norte team even resembles Mission Hills in their beginning.  The Nighthawks have seen brighter days but they cannot seem to find their tempo this season.  Still look for them to put up a fight against the Grizzlies, you always have to expect the unexpected under those Friday night lights.

Will the Grizzlies remain atop the rankings or will the Nighthawks pull off the upset win on their Senior Night?  Watch the Prep Pigskin Report on KUSI every Friday night at 10:30pm to see highlights from this game and all others around San Diego County.