The Falcons’ Varsity football team battled the Northside Christian Chargers in a heart-stopping matchup on Friday night. The Falcons beat out the Chargers for their fifth win of the year, including the spring and preseason games, a big improvement over last year’s winless season.

The Falcons dominated offensively throughout the first quarter. Senior Herman Israelsson rushed for an 80 yard touchdown on his first possession of the game and scored the Falcons’ second touchdown of the night soon after. Senior Tim Nutter followed up with a touchdown of his own, putting the Falcons up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Chargers, coached by ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mike Alstott, came back in the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns. Going into halftime, the score was 21-14, Falcons.

The Falcons scored early in the second half, with Israelsson rushing for his third touchdown of the night with 8:50 left to go in the third quarter. The Chargers bounced back within a few minutes, scoring off a deep pass, but the Falcons’ special teams unit was able to block the extra point, holding the Chargers to a six-point gain.

The score was 28-20 going into the fourth quarter. The Chargers scored their fourth touchdown of the night with 8:26 but failed to make the two-point conversion. The Falcons, unsatisfied with their two-point lead, rushed in one final touchdown with 2:28 left in the game. An interception by sophomore Luc Goeders prevented the Chargers from scoring again and wrapped up the game for the Falcons.

The final score was 35-26, Falcons.

Nutter, who played offensive linebacker this season, rushed for 71 yards in Friday’s game and also contributed a sack and a touchdown to the Falcons’ win. He said the team was proud of their performance in the game and was excited about the win.

“It felt great to win our last game, especially for the seniors. We definitely achieved some of our goals this season, and overall it was a great year,” Nutter said.

Head Coach Tod Creneti said the win reflected the progress the team has made.

“The performance of our team Friday night shows growth. To have a team that never dressed more than 22 players develop a tough and physical demeanor and produce a record setting rushing performance on offense is a great sign of things to come,” he said.