WALNUT CREEK >> After Northgate’s 35-21 victory over Las Lomas on Friday night, quarterback Brady Willis struggled to find the words to describe how he felt.

The senior came off the field smiling and pumping his fist in the air as the clock hit zeroes at Northgate’s football stadium.

“I’m just speechless,” Willis said after the game. “I’ve just been waiting for this for so long.”

In front of a raucous home crowd, Northgate upset its crosstown rival at home to win the annual Battle of the Creek game. Las Lomas, which was No. 12 in the latest Bay Area News Group rankings, suffered its first loss of the season after winning its first five.

The victory was just Northgate’s second in the past seven games against Las Lomas. The Broncos last defeated Las Lomas in 2022 in the North Coast Section playoffs, but hadn’t beaten the Knights in a regular season game since 2017.

“We haven’t won the Battle of the Creek in seven years,” wide receiver Blayne Ballard said. “Tonight was just unbelievable. This was just something special for everybody.”

Willis completed 8 of 12 passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Ballard hauled in five catches for 130 yards and two scores.

“They play each other, grow up with each other, and so this game is a big deal,” Northgate coach Ben Ballard said. “But we really just talked about one play at a time and they did a really good job of that.”

Northgate defensive lineman Liam Fruchtenicht was a game changer from the outset.

Early in the first quarter, the sophomore picked off a pass at the line of scrimmage, setting up the Broncos’ first score of the game. Northgate went up 7-0 after Willis found Ballard for a 14-yard touchdown pass just minutes after Fruchtenicht’s interception.

On the ensuing possession, Fruchtenicht made good on another Las Lomas mistake, this time recovering a muffed handoff in the backfield. The fumble recovery led to another Willis-Ballard touchdown connection as the senior receiver took a screen pass 29 yards to the end zone, giving Northgate a 14-point lead.