The Brookings-Harbor High School Football team came up short Friday night in their bid to win two games in a row as they lost, 8-52, on the road against the Warriors of Del Norte High School.

“The kids fought to the whistle,” Head Coach Joe Morin said of the Bruins’ effort. “We were stronger and faster than Bandon, Del Norte was stronger and faster than us.”

The Bruins received the kickoff and on the ensuing offensive drive were forced to punt the ball away. With 4:30 remaining in the first quarter the Warriors scored and that set the pattern for the rest of the game. The Bruins would push up the field, punt the ball and the Warriors would score.

The Bruins would have breakout moments to get a first down, but would then get bottled up by the bigger, stronger Warrior defense.

The Bruin defense attempted to curtail the forward progress of the Warrior offense and, at times, showed signs of brilliance. 

Late in the second quarter Alex Pate forced a fumble on the Del Norte 25-yard line that Calvin Watwood was able to fall on for the fumble recovery. Jr. Helme was able to run for a first down but the Bruins weren’t able to score. 

“The kids played hard,” defensive line coach Dave Freeman said. “But we made some mistakes. We were aggressive, but that aggression forced us out of position at times.”

The Bruin defense came out from the halftime break a changed squad, forcing the Del Norte offense to punt the ball away on their first possession. In fact, the defense didn’t allow a single Warrior touchdown until the fourth quarter. The Warriors scored in the third quarter, but both touchdowns came on fumble recoveries that were run back.

“Most kids would have quit when they were down by 45 or 52,” Freeman said. “But these kids didn’t quit.”

The lone Bruin score came in the fourth quarter when Tyler Lueckfeld broke open the field for a 73 yard run. The run was accentuated by Lueckfeld juking the free safety at the Del Norte 20-yard line, causing the defender to fall without being touched. The Bruins’ kicker, senior Chandler Gotfried, took a direct hike to run the fake point after attempt in for the two-point conversion.

The special teams saw a greater amount of playing time during the game, as the Bruins were forced to punt the ball away more frequently. 

“We have a lot of work to do,” special teams coach Bruce Wales said. “We did find out that we have a versatile kicker that can not only kick but can run too when we need it.”

The Warriors put four more touchdowns on the books in the second half to make the final score of the game 8-52.

The Bruins have a bye week before beginning their Far West League by hosting Douglas High School at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, at the Elmer Bankus field in Brookings.