One game. It was just one game. The first of what the North Forney Falcons hope will be a 16-game season. However, in this game, played last Thursday at the Star in Frisco, the Falcons served noticed to the state of Texas that they will be a force to be reckoned with in 5A DII football this year.
In what may have been the biggest win in program history, the Falcons raced out to a 21-3 lead against the state’s #2-ranked 5A DI football program, Frisco Lone Star, overcoming an early injury to QB Jacob Acuna (5-9, 161 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT), before holding on for the 34-31 upset win. Lone Star came into the game with a 14-game regular season winning streak, losing only one game last season, the state semi-final game against Denton Ryan.
Make no mistake, this game was not as close as the final score would indicate. North Forney led 21- 3, three minutes into the second quarter, and had a 10-point advantage, 27-17 heading into halftime. A 76- yard touchdown pass from backup QB Landon Heath (1-5, 76 yards, TD) to Kam Allen (3-138, 2 TD) to open the second half pushed the Falcons lead to 34-17.
The Falcons outgained the Rangers, 396-257. Acuna and Heath combined for 237 yards through the air; Ty Collins (29-117, TD) led the Falcons’ ground attack.
While the Falcons’ highoctane offense, which averaged 45 points per game last season, is expected to put up points again this season, it was the defense that set the tone early in this game by scoring the North Forney’s first points of the 2020 season.
On the third offensive play of the game, Rangers’ QB Garrett Rangel (18-28, 198 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT), who averaged 300 yards per game and had 50 passing touchdowns last season, saw his pass into the left flat tipped by Donovan Holt and returned 42 yards for a touchdown by safety Antorius Hambric.
“Hambric made a great read, and a great break, on that play,” said Defensive Coordinator, Ryan Porter, of the play. “That comes from film study, recognizing formations and tendencies.”
While it was the secondary that got the Falcons on the scoreboard first, it was the defensive line, led by senior Rod Brown, that left the biggest impression against Lone Star. Brown, and fellow linemen Noah Monroe, Danny Caicedo and Nick Acuna dominated in the trenches. They stuffed the run, allowing only 39 yards to Lone Star, and kept Rangel on the run all night.
“Rod Brown took over the game,” Head Coach Randy Jackson said after the game. “He was in the backfield all night. It was one of the most dominant performances I have ever witnessed. He had two sacks, but many, many plays where the quarterback or running back was affected by his presence.”
While Brown was building his highlight reel, the biggest defensive play of the night may have come on a play in which he was not in the game.
With time winding down in the first half and Lone Star threatening inside the Falcons’ 5-yard line, Brown made a shoestring tackle of Rangers’ RB Jaden Nixon (14-36 yards), stopping him at the 1-yard line on a third down run, but was injured on the play. Enter Josh Anderson, who played on the defensive line last season but has been moved to the offensive side this season and has not practiced on defense this season.
Recognizing that Brown was not in the game, Lone Star went right at Anderson. Anderson was up to the challenge, taking on the block and allowing Akanimo “Nimo” Asuquo and Jeremy Bailey to fill the hole and make the touchdown saving tackle as time ran out in the first half.
“Our goal line stand was huge. It allowed us to take the momentum in at halftime after they had scored two defensive touchdowns in the second quarter,” said Jackson.
On the night, Lone Star had two drives end inside the Falcons’ 10-yard line and came away with only three points, a short field goal with 5:51 left in the first quarter.
Porter, speaking of the two goal line stands made by the Falcons defensive, said, “there was nothing we could do about where the ball was, but we could do something about not letting them score.”
While the defensive line was causing havoc, they were not alone in playing well. All three levels of the defense swarmed to the ball. When Lone Star attempted to slow the North Forney rush by throwing screen passes, the receivers and backs were met by a bevy of Falcons’ defenders, who gave up only two plays of more than five yards on the many screen passes thrown.
After the defense scored first for the Falcons, the offense chipped in 27 of their own against the big, athletic Rangers’ defense. Acuna had two long touchdown passes before going down with an injury with three minutes left in the second quarter.
The first touchdown, a 41- yard catch and run by Allen, which saw Allen stiff arm a defender nearing the goal line, put the Falcons ahead 14-3 late in the first quarter. With nine minutes left in the second quarter, the Falcons struck again. Rolling right, Acuna spotted Tucker streaking across the field, and hit him in stride. Tucker made the catch and outran the defense to the end zone for a 77-yard touchdown and a 21-3 Falcons’ lead.
In jumping out to a big lead against one of the premier programs in the state, it appeared that the Falcons had everything going their way. That is, until two pick-6s, on consecutive offensive drives, cut the North Forney lead to 21-17.
On the ensuing drive, Acuna scrambled away from pressure before catching his cleat on the turf and going down awkwardly. Heath came in to relieve Acuna at quarterback and saw his third down pass sail high over Allen. Forced to give the ball back, punter Ricky Cortez saw his punt roll out of bounds at the Rangers’ 13-yard line.
“Our kids know we have a chance to be good,” said Porter. After the two pick-6s and the punt, there was no concern for his unit. “Their confidence became real. They just said, ‘let’s go get a stop.’”
Get a stop they did.
On first down, nose tackle Nick Acuna threw Lone Star center Kade Littlefield aside and hit Rangel as he set to throw the ball from his 5-yard line causing a fumble. As the ball bounced toward the end zone, it was recovered by Nimo, giving the ball back to the offense at the Lone Star 1-yard line. Two plays later, Collins carried it in for his first score of the season, and a 27-17 Falcons’ lead.
While they put up 27 offensive points, the Falcons’ most important offense drive may have been one in which they did not score. Following a Lone Star touchdown, which brought them back to within 10 points, 34-24, the Falcons took the ball at their 28-yard line with 4:05 left in the third quarter, and held it for five minutes, into the fourth.
“We want to play fast,” said Ludlow. Usually that means striking quick, as they did early in the game. “Our motto is ‘full speed nasty’, but injuries change things.”
Leveraging the strength of their running game the Falcons move the ball into Lone Star territory before seeing the drive stall at the Rangers’ 24-yard line. The time off the field slowed the Rangers’ offensive momentum and gave the defense time to rest and regroup.
Porter added, “We were gassed. That drive was huge for us.”
While Collins carried most of the load on the drive, Nimo and Demarcus Kirk also chipped in.
“Ty is just a bulldozer, he runs angry. Nimo is extremely explosive and D-Kirk is just Cadillac smooth,“ Ludlow said of his three-headed rushing attack. “The defense just can’t relax with any of those guys in the game.”
Jackson was equally impressed with his backfield. “Ty Collins worked for every one of his 111 yards. They knew we were going to run the ball in the second half. He, Nimo and Demarcus did a great job of yards after contact.”
The Falcons would give up one more score on the night, a 5-yard Rangel-to-Trace Bruckler connection with 1:30 left in the fourth that followed a Falcons’ miscue on fourth down. The drive was aided by a roughing call on the Falcons.
“I was so proud of our resiliency,” said Jackson after the game. “Adversity struck time-after-time, but our guys just played the next play.”
North Forney has the state talking. Beating Lone Star was big. It was a statement game and, perhaps, the biggest win in program history. But it was just one win in a season they hope will be 16 games.
The Falcons take the next step in their season tonight as they face 6A Little Elm at home. Little Elm got their season started with a 37-0 victory over L.D. Bell last week.
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