ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - With their win over the Pleasant Grove Eagles in a wet and slippery game at Sheldon-Pleasant Grove Stadium, on Friday, Nov. 1, the Laguna Creek Cardinals came out victorious by a score of 34-19.

Both teams came into this ballgame with a 3-3 Delta League record and looking for a win to place higher in the seeding for the playoffs.

“We’ve talked about it all year, about how we believe we are a very good football team, and our kids believe it, our coaching staff believes it and I’m proud of everybody in this group right now because we showed up and showed out,” head coach of the Cardinals Ryan Nill said.

The Cardinals did not start on the right foot as the Eagles scored quickly on their first drive to go up 8-0 after a touchdown catch for senior Jacob Beals, who also rushed into the endzone for the two-point conversion.

“I’ve coached this team for a couple of years now and just when you think things are going to go one way, they’re going to go another,” head coach of the Eagles Josh Crabtree said. “It was a great start, but I know that team too, that team’s got character, they got tough kids and they had a lot on the line tonight.”

As for the Cardinals, Nill said that the motto for his team is to persevere despite going down early.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs this year with our starting quarterback goes down, starting running back going down, we fall behind against this team but they don’t quit,” Nill said.

The Cardinals responded by moving downfield resulting in senior quarterback Mitchell Labrado connecting with junior Ryan Eddy for a touchdown catch to put the game within reach at 8-7 after the extra point.

Labrado went on to complete six of his seven attempted passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Of those six passes, four went to Eddy which combined for 58 yards and that touchdown.

At this point, the conditions were dry and did not affect the running game which allowed one of the Cardinals biggest offensive threats to run loose.

Senior Armon Thorntona rushed for 286 yards on 36 carries for four touchdowns.

He missed a few games at the beginning of the season due to injury yet finished the regular season second in rushing yards in the Delta League with 1,065, led the league in touchdowns with 21 and fifth in total yards with 1,178.

“I think he’s (Thorntona) learned from the people before him.” Nill said. “He’s watched these guys over the years, and he learned from those guys and then it’s his job to pay it forward and be a leader for our guys now.”

Thorntona gets a lot of credit for his success, but Nill made sure to credit his offensive line as the reason they won the game.

The only offense that the Eagles were able to generate was a field goal in the dying seconds of the first half to put the game at 27-11.

The third quarter was a mess for both teams, as the pouring rain caused the ball to slip and fall out everywhere. The Cardinals and Eagles were not able to sustain offensive drives.

“It’s really hard to replicate playing in these conditions,” Crabtree said. “It’s a factor but here’s my thing, it wasn’t raining on our side and not on theirs. They adjusted to it better.”

The fourth quarter brought some adjustments and momentum for the Eagles as a rushing touchdown from senior Bobby Mitchell put the game at 27-19 which brought the crowd alive with many believing that this could create a comeback.

“We went into halftime today and we were down 16 points, and I told them I want to see fight,” Crabtree said. “They competed in the second half and I’m proud of them and that’s the character that this team has demonstrated for ten weeks.”

With two minutes left in the game, this comeback was put to bed after another Thorntona touchdown put the game out of reach as well as an interception by senior Elias Cooley, his second of the game, ended it with 47 seconds left.

The Cardinals clutched up and won four of their last five games to clinch their spot in the playoffs and for Nill it doesn’t matter who they play in the postseason.

“We just want to play, we want an opportunity to compete in the postseason and we secured that opportunity tonight,” Nill said.

The No. 11 seed means they will travel to take on the No. 6 seed Turlock Bulldogs on Nov. 8 (after press time), a team who finished their season 7-3 overall and 5-0 in their league.

Last season, the Cardinals played postseason football in the Division II bracket of the CIF San Joaquin Section where they were bounced in the first round by Del Oro.

This season they have a chance at redemption in the Division I bracket.

“I think this was a big game not just for this year but the future of our program,” Nill said. “We want to continue a winning culture, and we want to continue to push.”

As for the Eagles, this loss dropped them to a 6-4 overall record and a 3-3 league record which led to the No. 12 seed for them.

They will travel to take on the No. 5 seed Granite Bay Grizzlies in the Division I bracket on Nov. 8 (after press time), a team who finished with a 7-3 overall record and a 4-3 league record.

Last season the Eagles also had a first-round exit in the playoffs and will look to improve on this.

“I’m glad we get an eleventh week of football because I love them to death,” Crabtree said.