In another Frontier League opener:Nordhoff 15, Santa...

In another Frontier League opener:

Nordhoff 15, Santa Paula 12--Strong safety Ben Harrold intercepted Willie Zavala’s pass intended for Robert Ramirez at the goal line with 44 seconds left to preserve the victory for Nordhoff.

Playing without injured two-way standout Russell Farrar, Nordhoff (5-0-1) came from behind after Santa Paula (3-3) used two third-quarter touchdowns to take a 12-7 lead.

Jeff Lyon caught a seven-yard scoring pass from Matt Cresto to cap the decisive, 15-play, 93-yard drive for the Rangers with 3:20 to play. Cresto connected with Kevin Zielsdorf on a two-point conversion for the three-point lead.

Cresto completed six of 12 passes for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Zielsdorf rushed for 54 yards in 17 carries and Harrold rushed 14 times for 39 yards. Harrold also caught a 10-yard scoring pass for Nordhoff’s first score.

Santa Paula’s last-ditch drive started at its own 17-yard line. Zavala completed five of six passes for 65 yards on the drive before he was intercepted. Zavala finished having completed 15 of 26 passes for 184 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jorge Torres caught five passes for 50 yards.