The Briar Cliff football team fell in their season opener Saturday to Waldorf, 35-20 in Forest City, Iowa. In his first start in the Blue and Gold, Matthew Mason rushed for 143 yards on 26 carries and secured his first career touchdown.
 
"I'm proud of how we competed for all four quarters tonight," said head coach Shange LaDage. "We talked about needing to take advantage of every moment, and we left some plays out there that tipped the game in Waldorf's favor. Hats off to Waldorf for taking advantage of some key opportunities. Typically, a team sees its biggest growth from week one to two, so I'm excited to see how we respond."
 
The contest started with a pair of three-and-outs from both offenses. The Chargers crossed into Warrior territory in their second drive after a Luke Davies to Aaron Okoro connection and a nine-yard run by Mason. BC would stall out and fail to convert on fourth and eight from the 38. On the first play of the following Waldorf drive, Jatoviay Hill took it 57 yards for a touchdown.
 
The Warriors put together a 11-play, 79-yard touchdown drive after a Charger three-and-out.
 
The Chargers, looking for a big play to swing the momentum back in their favor, forced a turnover with a Zach Buick interception. The Chargers were forced to punt back to the Warriors following the pick, but the defense would again hold strong. The Warriors drove 65 yards down to the BC three-yard line, but on fourth and three, Carlos Lopez stuffed the Warrior running back for no gain.
 
The next drive featured Mason heavily with rushes of 7, 12 and 17 yards but the Chargers were forced to punt but would regain possession after a fumble on the return. Mason punched home the BC touchdown on a one-yard rush cutting the deficit to 14-6. With seconds left on the clock, the Warriors took a shot to the endzone, but was picked off by Buick for his second INT of the half.
 
The Charger offense marched down the field to begin the second half, with a steady attack of Johnny Bauser, Mason and Jeremy Koenck on the ground. Bauser hit Aaron Okoro through the air for a splash play of 32 yards to set BC up inside the red zone. However, with first and goal from the five, the Chargers were unable to punch in for a TD.
 
Davies found Okoro for a 16-yard touchdown in the fourth on a 10-play, 77-yard drive, and would later hit Cory Carignan for a 16-yard touchdown. Despite the late touchdowns, the Warriors would hold on for a 35-20 win.
 
Mason held a 5.5 rushing average and had a long of 17 yards. Davies completed 7-of-22 passes for 93 yards and two TDs. Bauser completed 3-of-6 for 41 yards and had 13 rushing yards. Okoro led the wide receivers with five catches for 67 yards and a TD.
 
MJ Montgomery and Carlos Lopez each recorded nine tackles and one sack. Montgomery forced one fumble, which was recovered by Kellen Murphy. Tulsa Janish tallied four pass breakups. Christian Mendoza averaged 43.3 yards per punt and pinned the Warriors inside their 20-yard line three times.
 
The Chargers will head to Yankton, South Dakota next Saturday for a meeting with Mount Marty. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m.