RIDGE FOOTBALL RETURNS

Durham gets within 27-21 late but Paradise pulls away to seal it

PARADISE >> For the first time since November 2019, the Paradise High football team returned to Om Wraith Field to play a football game.

The Bobcats, who lost to Sutter in the Division II Section Championship game in November of 2019, beat their visitors Durham High 33-21 Friday night.

With the win the Bobcats opened their abbreviated 2021 spring football schedule, they’ll play just five, of which two will be in Paradise.

The Bobcats opened the scoring with a 25-run by Tyler Harrison with 9 minutes, 20 seconds to go in the first quarter. But the Trojans tied the game when Dominic Tovar caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jace Buck at the 5:17 mark of the first quarter.

But Paradise would retake the lead on a 7-yard run by Ashton Wagner to open the second quarter. Durham looked like they were set to tie the game when Buck tossed a beautiful 60-yard pass to Tovar, only to see Stetson Morgan poke it away.

On the next drive, Harrison scored on a 5-yard run to push

the lead to 21-7 with 4:23 left in the first half. The Bobcats closed out the firsthalf scoring with an Aiden Luna 27-yard field goal as time expired.

Luna would open the scoring in the second half with a 37-yard field goal to make it 27-7. Durham senior Jacob Christensen pounded in a 1-yard run with 3:59 left in the third quarter to cut the lead to 27-13.

After a Bobcat turnover at midfield, Durham drove down to the Bobcats 1 on the strength of a 40-yard pass from Buck to Tovar on a third down-and-13. But three plays later, Durham would fumble at the 1. Durham got another chance to cut into the lead, scoring on a Tovar 4-yard run with 5:02 left in the game. Buck would score on a two-point conversion, to get within 27-21.

Late in the fourth quarter, Paradise pulled away after Harrison scored another touchdown a run with 1:43 remaining to seal the win in the season opener.

Paradise will now travel to East Nicolaus to play next Friday night.

It’ll be a rematch of the 2019 game between the two schools which marked the first road game following the 2018 Camp Fire. Paradise won that contest 35-28.

Durham will play at Hamilton on Friday.

MATT BATES — ENTERPRISE-RECORD Paradise High School cheerleaders circle up before the Bobcats’ game against Durham on Friday in Paradise.

PHOTOS BY MATT BATES — ENTERPRISE-RECORD Paradise running back Tyler Harrison breaks off a big run during the Bobcats matchup against Durham on Friday in Paradise.

Durham’s Jacob Christensen stiff arms a Paradise defender during the Trojans’ game against the Bobcats on Friday in Paradise.

MATT BATES — ENTERPRISE-RECORD Paradise’s Stetson Morgan runs by Durham’s William McJunkin during the Bobcats’ matchup against Durham on Friday in Paradise.