RANCHO BERNARDO ---- There are those who questioned the inclusion of Fallbrook High in the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs. After a two-win regular season some of those questions were certainly justified.
Defensive tackle Zack Brickell has a message for all of those doubters.
"I'd say look what we did now," Brickell said. "There's your answer."
Fallbrook intercepted three passes in the fourth quarter and shut out Rancho Bernardo over the final 37 minutes Friday night for a surprising 7-6 victory in the first round of the playoffs at Rancho Bernardo High.
"It's playoffs, and in the playoffs everybody's even," Fallbrook running back Jerrod Moore said, "0-0. It's a whole new game."
Cameron Remy scored the only touchdown for Fallbrook (3-8) on a 9-yard run with 3:37 to play in the third quarter and Martin Barajas converted the extra point.
Rancho Bernardo (8-3) scored in the first quarter on a 1-yard run by Tyler Gomogda, but missed the extra-point kick. A Fallbrook fumble deep in its own territory set up that score.
"We actually had some things go wrong," Fallbrook coach Joe Silvey said. "But we just kept battling, which is something I've been proud about in the two years I've been here ---- they fight. Even when things don't go their way, they keep coming back. They showed that tonight."
The Warriors lost their final four games of the regular season, but all of them came against playoff teams. Fallbrook didn't have its quarterback, Chris Fuetterer-Lindsey, for any of those games after he broke his collarbone.
Most of the offensive punch against Rancho Bernardo was provided by Remy (77 yards rushing, 20 receiving) and Earl Smith (11 carries, 99 yards), with Remy taking direct snaps out of the wildcat formation. Moore came off the bench to provide 43 yards on 11 carries, all in the second half.
"We've been doing more (wildcat) as the season went on," Silvey said, "with our quarterback situation. We're just trying to get the ball into the hands of our good athletes."
The Fallbrook defense got the ball in its hands, generating all four of its turnovers in the second half. It held Rancho Bernardo to 101 yards passing and 109 rushing.
"This isn't the way we wanted to end it," Rancho Bernardo coach Brad Elrod said.
"We've just been inconsistent lately, and we didn't finish things. I just didn't have them ready to play this game."
Brickell had one of Fallbrook's three interceptions, making a diving catch when teammate Taylor Edelman deflected a fourth-down pass from Rancho Bernardo quarterback Devin Saunders with 3:46 to play.
All three Fallbrook interceptions came in the fourth quarter.
Michael Mapston picked off a Saunders pass over the middle in the final minute near midfield and Aaron Lopez stepped in front of Broncos receiver Kenan Saldivar in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.
A fumble by Fallbrook quarterback Rafael Cachero (11-for-15, 61 yards) was recovered by Justin Adams at the Warriors 14-yard line to set up the only score of the first half. The Broncos ran the ball five consecutive plays and Gomogda punched it over from 1 yard out, running between tackle Troy Tarr and guard Alex Stoffel.
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