Upset! Northgate stuns No. 12 Las Lomas, hands crosstown rival first loss of season

WALNUT CREEK — Following Northgate’s 35-21 win over Las Lomas on Friday night, quarterback Brady Willis struggled to find the words to describe how he felt. 

The senior came off the field smiling and pumping his fist in the air as the clock hit zeroes at Northgate’s football stadium. 

“I’m just speechless,” Willis said after the game. “I’ve just been waiting for this for so long.”

In front of a ruckus home crowd, Northgate upset its crosstown rival at home to win the annual Battle of the Creek game. Las Lomas, which was No. 12 in the latest Bay Area News Group rankings, suffered its first loss of the season after winning its first five. 

The victory over Las Lomas was just the second win in the last seven games with Las Lomas for Northgate. The Broncos last defeated Las Lomas in 2022 in the NCS playoffs, but haven’t beaten the Knights in a regular season game since 2017. 

“We haven’t won the Battle of the Creek in seven years,” said wide receiver Blayne Ballard. “Tonight was just unbelievable. This was just something special for everybody.”

Willis completed 8 of 12 passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Ballard hauled in five catches for 130 yards and two scores. 

“They play each other, grow up with each other, and so this game is a big deal,” said Northgate coach Ben Ballard. “But we really just talked about one play at a time and they did a really good job of that.” 

Northgate defensive lineman Liam Fruchtenicht was a game changer from the outset. 

Early in the first quarter, the sophomore picked off a Las Lomas pass at the line of scrimmage, setting up the Broncos first score of the game. Northgate went up 7-0 after Willis found Blayne Ballard for a 14-yard touchdown pass just minutes after Fruchtenicht’s interception.

On the ensuing possession, Fruchtenicht made good on another Las Lomas mistake, this time recovering a muffed handoff in the backfield. The fumble recovery led to another Willis-Ballard touchdown connection as the senior pass catcher took a screen pass 29 yards to the house, giving Northgate a 14-point lead.

“Just the turnovers on defense alone gave us a great start in the beginning,” Ben said of Fruchtenicht’s impact. “I think that just set the tone for the rest of the night.”

Las Lomas’ offense started to get going midway through the second quarter. Landon Gilmore made a spectacular one-handed catch near the right pylon for a five-yard score that cut the Northgate lead to seven. 

But the first half momentum was short-lived. On the next possession, Northgate went 68 yards in five plays capped off with a 11-yard touchdown pass from Willis to sophomore receiver Dax Gordon. 

Northgate led 27-14 at halftime. 

“We just didn’t do well in that period and we came out flat,” said Las Lomas coach Doug Longero. 

Las Lomas started the second half firing on all cylinders. On Northgate’s first possession of the third quarter, senior cornerback Joshua Lim picked off a deep pass and gave Las Lomas the ball 58 seconds into the second half. 

The Knights capitalized on the key turnover, scoring on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Dylan Thomas to junior fullback Cole Havrilenko to make it a one-score game once again. 

But as the moment got bigger, so did Northgate’s confidence. The Broncos got the ball back with 1:37 left in the third and completed a nearly five minute drive that ended with Willis keeping the ball on an option play and scoring from five yards out to make the score 35-21. 

Down 14 points, Las Lomas moved down the field quickly through the air. But Northgate’s defense was stingy in the red zone, and after 14 plays, got the stop on a crucial fourth down that gave it the ball back with three minutes left to ice the game. 

As Northgate’s student section rushed the field, the energy from the win reverberated throughout the Broncos’ sideline. Players celebrated by taking selfies with the Battle of the Creek plaque while fans screamed with excitement from the stands. 

“The Battle of the Creek is always a hyped game,” Ben said. “It never mattered what our records are. I’m just happy that the boys came out today and played hard. At the end of the day it was a great game and a great win.” 

Though Northgate’s offense was explosive in the win, it was the Broncos’ defense that kept the team ahead. Coming into Friday’s game, Las Lomas averaged 40.6 points per game, led by a potent rushing attack. But Northgate forced three turnovers and kept the Knights out of the end zone when it mattered.

“We just came down, stopped the run and then they couldn’t get many passes off,” Fruchtenicht said. “We just had energy as a defense and we played together.”

For Las Lomas, Longero hopes the loss serves as a learning lesson. 

“It’s a wake up call,” he said. “We got to get better as a team.”

Northgate returned to .500 as it improved to 3-3 with the win. The Broncos will get a bye week before playing Benicia in its first league game of the year. 

Las Lomas dropped to 5-1 and will start league play next week when the Knights host Clayton Valley.

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