MURRIETA — Even though his team jumped to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and held a 35-7 lead over Norco at halftime Thursday, Murrieta Valley football coach George Wilson knew the Nighthawks were in for a battle. And right he was. The Cougars mounted a spirited comeback in the second half but could not overcome some self-inflicted wounds that led to Murrieta Valley’s 42-27 triumph in the Big West Conference-North Division opener. “I didn’t anticipate an easy blowout or anything,” Wilson said. “They’re a physical team, so we knew it was going to be physical on physical, not physical on finesse. Credit to them.” Murrieta Valley improved to 5-1. The Nighthawks visit Chaparral on Oct. 11 in a matchup of two top 25 teams in California as ranked by MaxPreps.com. Norco dips to 2-4 and hosts Roosevelt on Oct. 11. Penalties in the first half stifled Norco’s momentum, and a high center snap in punt formation was recovered by Murrieta Valley’s Lima Tofilau-Hernandez in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead for the Nighthawks barely four minutes into the game. “You can’t beat a team like that with that many mental mistakes,” Norco coach Dan Barlage said. “A penalty killed a drive. Had we scored there and scored right out of the half, it’s a one-score game. We just couldn’t get it back to close in on them. “I’m proud of them because they battled. We’re really young, but it feels like we’re getting better.” Trailing 35-7, Norco opened the second half Thursday with a 10-play drive and scored on a 39-yard pass on fourth down from Joseph Stoffel to Blake Wong. Then the Norco defense, which surrendered 237 yards in the first half, bent but didn’t break on Murrieta Valley’s next possession and eventually forced a punt. The Cougars responded by marching 80 yards in 11 plays to narrow Murrieta Valley’s lead to 35-20 after a 3-yard touchdown run by Trevor Schneider. Related Articles High School Sports | Canyon Springs football team outpaces Heritage in Inland Valley League opener High School Sports | Bloomington football team runs past Arroyo Valley in Skyline League opener High School Sports | IE Varsity’s previews of the top high school football games Friday, Oct. 4 High School Sports | IE Varsity’s previews of the top high school football games Thursday, Oct. 3 High School Sports | Trio helping lift Murrieta Valley boys water polo back to the future But Murrieta Valley freshman quarterback Ty Isaia knows how to rally his troops, too. Isaia took command in the huddle, reminded the offense of how it dominated in the first half, and the Nighthawks offense responded by doing what it does best: open holes for Dorian Hoze. The senior running back rushed eight times on Murrieta Valley’s next possession, finishing with a 4-yard touchdown run that restored the Nighthawks’ three-score cushion with 5:59 to play in the game. “I told them to remember that feeling we had in the first half, about how good it felt,” Isaia said. “That was our motivation.” Hoze rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Isaia completed 7 of 12 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns. In one sequence just before halftime, he had a 35-yard touchdown pass to Julian Treadwell erased by a penalty. After the five-yard infraction was stepped off, Isiaa on the next play completed a 40-yard strike to Kurelle Thomas for a touchdown as the half ended. “Every week he’s a little bit better, and we expect that trend to continue. You can’t ask for anything more than that,” Wilson said. “He’s mobile, so we’re excited about his future.”