WHITTIER – Whittier Christian fell behind for the first time in the game midway through the fourth quarter.
The Heralds only needed less than a minute to regain the lead, and they held on to defeat Duarte, 29-26, in a nonleague game at Whittier College on Friday night.
The Falcons (0-4) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half to take a 26-21 lead with 6:25 remaining in the game.
The Heralds (3-2) wasted little time marching 63 yards in four plays and 57 seconds with Justin Osborn scoring his third touchdown of the night on a 24-yard run and a 2-point conversion that provided the final margin.
Osborn finished with 173 yards rushing to go along with three catches for 37 yards.
The Heralds clung to only a 14-6 lead at halftime despite forcing four turnovers, including a fumble recovery by Hunter Jauregui, who then ran it back 83 yards for the first score of the game.
The defense also came up big in the fourth quarter as it held the Falcons scoreless on their final two possessions, and Nick Watase made a saving tackle on a fake punt late in the fourth quarter to end a Falcons drive.
Watase also added an interception to go along with a team-high six catches for 54 yards.
