PALO CEDRO, California. - The Simpson football squad welcomed Mayville State Comets this weekend in its 2025 home opener at Bill Johnson Community Stadium at Foothill High School. 

Simpson won the toss and scored immediately on its first drive of the game as they marched 50 yards in four minutes to get on the board first. 

Facing a third-and-long, quarterback Kaleb Anderson connected with wideout Talan Ramirez for an explosive 38-yard pitch and catch to keep the drive alive as they marched into Comets territory. 

Kicker Brayden Smith capped off the nine-play drive with a 37-yard boot to give Simpson the early lead. 

The Comets answered on their first offensive possession of the game as they started with excellent field position in thanks to a 46-yard return to set up the Comets' offense in Red Hawks territory. 

Mayville wasted no time as they found the end zone in four plays that included a 31-yard touchdown reception to give the Comets the 7-3 lead after a successful PAT try. 

But Simpson answered back as running back Ezekiel Anderson exploded for a 44-yard scamper to the Comet's 2-yard line. Anderson capped off the 10 play drive with a two-yard run through the middle to help Simpson regain the 10-7 lead on a good PAT try by Smith. 

The Red Hawks' defensive and special teams units played a key role as they held the Comets off the scoreboard for the rest of the first half. 

The defense forced a punt and made a huge fourth down stand to stall the Comets drive in Simpson territory while the special teams unit forced two missed field goals to hold the Comets to seven points in the first half. 

The Red Hawks offense closed out the first half in grand fashion as they took over with just over one minute left in the half. 

Three completions by Anderson to Nathaniel Mointicelli, Eli Cortinas, and Joel Gomez Jr. moved Simpson into Mayville territory with just under thirty seconds on the clock. 

Anderson threw a dime to wideout Talan Ramirez for a 42-yard connection to put an exclamation to a first half that saw Simpson holding onto a 17-7 lead. 

However, the Comets found the end zone at the end of the third quarter to cut into the Red Hawks 10-point lead as they recovered an onside kick to retain possession. 

The Simpson defense made a huge stand as linebacker Joshua De La Cruz Jr. shot through the gap on a third-and-short play to pluck a would-be pitch out of the air to stop the Comets' threat and put the Simpson offense at midfield. 

The Comets scored midway through the fourth quarter to grab their first lead of the game, 21-17. 

Unfortunately, the Simpson offense could not find the end zone as a couple of huge penalties late in the game came back to haunt the Red Hawks as they fell 21-17 in their home opener. 

Talan Ramirez had a big night as he notched his first 100-yard game of the season as he posted 105 yards through the air with one touchdown. 

Ezekiel Anderson led the team with 93 yards on the ground with one touchdown, while De La Cruz led the defense with seven tackles and one fumble recovery. 

Simpson looks to hit the road as they are back in action this week Saturday against Valley City State University at 2 pm on Saturday. 
 

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