NORCO — Just under 8 minutes of football stood between the Norco football team and its final push for a playoff bid in 2024. After claiming a 16-14 lead by way of a 40-yard field goal, the Cougars forced a punt and seemed to have a chance to extend their lead and potentially keep their season alive. Instead, a muffed return off the bouncing punt handed the ball back to the visiting Vista Murrieta squad, who converted the blunder into a touchdown en route to a 20-16 win in a Big West Conference-North Division game Thursday night. “It was one of those games where you just didn’t know what was going to happen,” Vista Murrieta coach Coley Candaele said. Opening the second half down 14-7, Norco (3-7 overall, 1-4 league) drove downfield – getting some help from timely Vista Murrieta penalties and third-down conversions – and looked to tie the game following a 27-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore Trevor Schneider. However, the Broncos blocked the subsequent point-after try to keep the game at 14-13. From there, it was all defense. Neither team could convert on their fourth-down attempts on the following two drives, then the Cougars forced another punt. Yet just two plays, later, Schneider fumbled – a mistake that somehow didn’t come back to bite Norco. “There’s a lot of gifts that were given on both sides today, and both offenses weren’t quite taking advantage of turnovers. So you just didn’t know,” Candaele said. “You didn’t know if we were going to make a play.” After an interception in the end zone by the Cougars was nullified on a roughing the passer penalty, the Broncos coughed up the ball themselves on two consecutive plays. The first ended up back in the hands of Vista Murrieta (6-4, 2-3). The second belonged to Norco. Schneider made up for his earlier error after his team regained possession with a 54-yard carry down to the Bronco 24-yard line, with the drive ultimately ending in the field goal by Mauricio Aguilar that made the score 16-14. But the subsequent special teams miscue haunted Norco, as Vista Murrieta quarterback Bryson Beaver found wide receiver Sean McCullough on third down for a 36-yard, go-ahead touchdown. The Broncos squashed any comeback chances with a fourth-down interception in their own territory and ran out the clock from there. “We’ve been in a lot of games and had opportunities, we just made too many mental mistakes,” said Norco coach Daniel Barlage. “If you just changed five plays, our record is probably 7-3. It’s just been one of those years.” Vista Murrieta will now wait to find out if they receive an at-large playoff bid, having finished 2-3 in a Big West Conference-North Division that features three of the state’s top programs in Centennial, Murrieta Valley and Chaparral. “It’s unpredictable, and where we are, it’s tough,” Candaele said. “We’re going to end up the fourth-place team in the third-toughest league in Southern California, and I don’t know if we’re going to get any love or not.”