GALT, CA (MPG) - It was a great game to watch, but a heartbreaker for the Warriors when they came from behind to get ahead of Argonaut on Friday, Oct. 18. Unfortunately, there was too much time left on the clock, and Argonaut put one more touchdown on the board, winning a close game 17-21.

Argonaut scored first in the latter part of the first quarter. After a few turnovers, the Mustangs managed to score again, but the Warriors kept fighting and Pedro Ramos literally fought his way and punched through the Argonaut line to score from the two-yard line. 

The Warrior defense held on for the next Argonaut possession and forced a turnover. Once again, the Warriors started marching down the field. On a fourth down, it didn’t look like the Warriors would be able to score a touchdown before halftime, and with the clock running down to seconds Hayden Miller kicked a field goal, keeping the Warriors in the game only behind 10-14.

After half, the Galt defense held tough against the Mustangs, and you could hear the Warrior spirit on the sidelines as the players supported and cheered each other on. Suddenly, lineman Leo Garcia caught an interception and knew what to do. He high-tailed it to the endzone, scoring a pick-six and putting the Warriors ahead 17-14. The Warriors hadn’t been ahead in a league game all season, so it was a very exciting moment.

The Mustangs managed to regain the lead with one more touchdown in the fourth quarter and the Warriors just didn’t have enough time to get down the gridiron and score again.

Head Coach Mark Waldon said their biggest priority this season was to have the boys play like a team and it happened.

“I am super proud of the effort; we just couldn’t make the key plays when we needed to,” said Waldon. “There are still a lot of positives that came out of this game, and we will keep building on those. They really worked together and supported each other out there and this young team has a great future to build on.”

Assistant Coach and Galt football alumnus Dan Bitondo was bursting with pride after the game:

“Big things are coming for these boys,” said Bitondo. “I think they sensed the shift in momentum and the shift in energy. Hard work fuels that change and that shift. Keep it rolling, guys.”

The Warriors will face the second-place team in the league, Union Mine, on Friday, Oct. 25 in El Dorado.