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Reagan Toki threw two touchdowns to Nico Bland and Aiden Migirdichian kicked a field goal as Orange Lutheran’s football team opened its season with a 17-14 victory at Northwestern of Florida in a clash of nationally-ranked teams on Saturday.
In his first start for Orange Lutheran, Toki connected with Bland for touchdowns in the second and third quarters.
Migirdichian, the first-team All-County kicker last season, added a field goal in the fourth to lift Orange Lutheran (1-0), ranked No. 54 in the nation by MaxPreps.
Northwestern (0-1), ranked No. 11 by MaxPreps, trailed 14-12 going to the fourth quarter and added a safety in the fourth.
“We didn’t play perfect but we played well enough to win,” Rod Sherman said from Miami. “We had so many young players playing. We played five freshmen and sophomores on our defense for a good portion of the game.”
“(Northwestern is) an incredibly talented team and deserving of their high national ranking,” the coach added.
Toki, a junior, emerged as the starter after a competition with freshman Ezrah Brown and senior Jared Juliano.
Bland, also a junior, was slowed by injury last season. He nearly matched his touchdown total of three for all of 2024.
On Friday, Orange Lutheran plays Rancho Cucamonga (0-1) at Orange Coast College.