Northwood’s football team won its first CIF home game against Big Bear 35-21 on Nov. 5 at Irvine High School.

After winning all three league games in previous weeks, the football team became the Pacific Valley League Champions for the first time in 18 years.

“It’s always gratifying to win the championship,” Football Defensive Coordinator Dean Toohey said. “It’s gratifying that our kids got to experience that.”

Freshman Joseph Harper scored a 28-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, and junior Adam Harper scored both an 18 and 52-yard touchdown in the second and third quarters, the highlights of the night. 

“For me, what I do depends a lot on my teammates,” Harper said. “All their blocking helps me to score, so even though I get all the touchdowns and yards, I really got to give it to my linemen for helping me get there.”

But the key to success for the football team lay within its efforts and strategies. 

“We always game plan for the team that’s coming,” Toohey said. “Our head coach Clarke and our coordinators do a great job. We study what they plan for offense, defense, and special teams.”

Northwood football will face Riverside Polytechnic High School on Nov. 12 for their second CIF Playoff game. 

“It’s the playoffs, so every team we play will get better and better,” Harper said. “We just got to trust in ourselves that we’re a good team and see how far we’ll go.”