Santa Paula comes close to beating Nordhoff

The Cardinal varsity met the Nordhoff team on the Ranger field Friday and almost pulled off a win over the highly ranked Rangers. Nordhoff, with a 5-0 league record and 7-1 record overall, beat the Cardinals 14-13. If the Rangers had lost, it probably would have dashed their hopes of a Tri Valley League title.The Cardinal defense held their ground, limiting the Rangers to just two trips into the end zone, both in the first half.Santa Paula took the lead early in the first quarter when Spencer Fox grabbed a fumble and ran 70 yards for a touchdown. Andy Coker made the extra point kick. Tony Manzano, who carried the ball for 123 yards on 22 carries, scored the Cards’ second TD. The attempt for the tying extra point missed the mark.Santa Paula tried to catch up in the final minutes, but a blocked pass, an interception and a fumbled pass prevented any further scoring by the Cardinals.Coach Ed Gomez said he’s proud of the guys. “There were a lot of excuses not to play (the fires and rain) and we played,” Gomez said. ‘We played well enough to win. As far as the playoffs go, if we win the next two we could still get in. We’re just 12 points away from being in second place in league.” Gomez notes that their main focus is the next game with Oak Park.