Third quarter turnovers ground Falcons in opener

Turnovers was the name of the game in the 2025 opener as Abbotsford hosted Loyal/ Greenwood on Friday for a non-conference contest to kick off the new season. The hosting Falcons led at halftime but five second- half turnovers shifted momentum to Loyal/Greenwood, who emerged victorious 24-12.

Five of Abbotsford’s six possessions in the final 24 minutes of the contest ended in either a fumble or an interception, four of which set up the visiting co-op squad with excellent starting field position. While the Abbotsford defense held up relatively well, the short breaks and shorter fields put the Falcons constantly on the back foot. Loyal/ Greenwood was able to convert two of those opportunities into touchdowns in the third quarter, reversing their fortunes both in the contest and their struggles against Abbotsford in recent years.

Up 12-8 at halftime, the Falcons received the opening kickoff and appeared primed to expand upon their advantage. While their final drive in the second half had resulted in a turnover on downs in the red zone, momentum still felt like it favored the home team. Outside of a single scoring drive in the second quarter, Loyal/Greenwood had yet to muster much production on offense while Abbotsford had three solid drives under their belt.

Things started to take a turn as the Falcons lost their first fumble of the game on their opening drive. Disaster was momentarily averted as Abbotsford’s defense held strong and forced a punt, but a good kick by Loyal/Greenwood pinned the Falcons inside their own five-yard line. A desperation heave on third and long by Abbotsford’s Irvin Aguilera resulted in an interception and the visitors did not miss on their second opportunity. Without needing to cover much ground, the co-op squad pushed into the end zone and snatched the lead, going up 16-12.

Fumbles on back-to-back drives by Abbotsford completely turned the game on its head. While penalties set Loyal/Greenwood back following the first fumble, resulting in a turnover on downs as Abby’s defense held, the second fumble gave the visitors the ball in the red zone. This time Loyal/Greenwood took advantage, punching it in and converting the two point conversion to make it a two score game at 24-12.

The Falcons, led by runs from Aguilera and Chase Boller, managed to work their way into Loyal/Greenwood territory for the first time in the second half, but a penalty killed momentum and, forced into another third and long, Loyal/Greenwood jumped on the opportunity to pick off another pass. Abbotsford’s defense seemed to have a three-and-out, but another penalty for trying to draw line offsides gave the visitors a first down and let precious time run off the clock. Between the Falcons’ earlier lengthy drive and the extra plays allotted to Loyal/ Greenwood by the penalty, too much time had expired for Abbotsford to muster a comeback.

It was a tough half for a Falcons’ squad that had looked to be the better team in the opening two quarters. On their second drive of the game, a long run by Jaxon Ploeckelman sparked the Abbotsford offense and set up the home team in Loyal/Greenwood territory. Later in the drive, Christian Fuentes found Carter Cihlar on a deep pass across the middle on fourth down and six, Cihlar not only getting the yards required for a first down but escaping to the end zone to score the Falcons’ first points of the season.

While Loyal/Greenwood scored on their best offensive drive of the game on the next possession, Abbotsford responded immediately. Early in the drive, Boller burst through the line, hurdled through a wouldbe tackler in the Loyal/Greenwood secondary and then had a clear path to the end zone for a monster touchdown that quickly shifted momentum back into Abbotsford’s favor. The senior then came up with a big play on defense, coming down with an interception to end Loyal/Greenwood’s next drive.

Key Moment

Hindsight may be 20/20, but Abbotsford would have likely wanted to have back their final drive of the first half.

Already leading 12-8 and feeding on the energy brought by Boller’s two big plays, the Falcons drove into the red zone and looked like they were going in for their third score in as many possessions. However, a false start penalty eventually resulted in a fourth and long and Abbotsford came away empty-handed. Though they had dominated the first half for the most part and held a lead into half time, going up at least 18-8 would have solidified their hold on the contest and helped them weather the first few turnovers to start the second half.

Statistics

Boller led the team in rushing, picking up 97 yards on 10 carries and scoring the Falcons sole rushing touchdown. Ploeckelman added another 48 yards on six carries, Aguilera had 29 on 10 carries and Fuentes finished with 28 on five touches. Jesus Reyes also had three carries for 13 yards and Cihlar had one for two yards. In total, the Falcons had over 200 yards on the ground and averaged 6.2 yards per carry, but also gave away three fumbles.

There wasn’t much production through the air to complement the run game. Fuentes finished 2-for-4 for 38 yards and a touchdown while Aguilera went 0-for-4. Cihlar had both catches for Abbotsford.

On defense, Fuentes was the Falcons’ lead tackler, ending the game with 7.5 tackles. Aguilera finished with 5.5 tackles, three of which went for a loss. Ploeckelman, Nathan Dukelow, Julian Aguilera and Landon Auberg all had three tackles each.

What’s Next?

Abbotsford will look to bounce back when they host the neighboring Colby Hornets on Friday, August 29. Last season, the Falcons came out on top to win the traveling trophy for the first time since inception, defeating Colby 21-6. The Hornets are 1-0 this season and will be coming off a 29-12 road victory over the Stanley-Boyd Orioles. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.