Del Norte High's field hockey team has outscored opponents 25-2 through six games, opening the 2026 season with the best start in program history.
The Nighthawks entered the week of Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 6-0 and ranked No. 5 in the San Diego Section, as first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. The previous school record was four consecutive wins to start a season, set in 2025.
Third-year coach Tucker Warford said the fast start traces back to November 2025. That is when Del Norte lost the CIF San Diego Section Division 2 championship to Eastlake, 5-4 in a shootout after a scoreless tie in regulation.
"We had so many chances; shots that normally would go in, didn't. We're talking high percentage shots," Warford told the Union-Tribune on Sept. 22. "It took a while to get over that because we wanted more and now, we know what it will take. Eleven girls who played in that game are back this season."
The sting stuck.
The Nighthawks graduated only four seniors from that 2025 squad. This year's roster features seven seniors, all with varsity experience. Most of Del Norte's players also compete year-round for the Coastal Clash Field Hockey Club, which Warford directs.
Warford rattled off six names when asked who has driven the 6-0 run. Abbigail Francis, the 2025 Palomar League Player of the Year, leads the attack. Janie Wilson recorded back-to-back hat tricks. Molly Freer has played every minute of every game. Chloe Angstead, a standout soccer player, and center midfielder Gia Smith anchor the middle of the field.
Then there is goalkeeper Gaby Datanagan, who had allowed just one goal through six games. That lone goal came in Del Norte's tightest contest, a 2-1 double-overtime win over Mission Hills. Datanagan stopped all four shots she faced in the shootout, and Del Norte converted two of its four attempts to win. Warford said Datanagan, also a softball catcher, was injured for much of the 2025 season but returned stronger after working on her footwork.
Del Norte won the CIF San Diego Section Division 1 title in 2019. Warford took over the program before the 2024 season and led the Nighthawks to 13 wins and a Palomar League championship in 2025.
He said he expects the team to move up to the eight-team Open Division for the postseason, a bracket typically led by Bishop's, Canyon Hills, Scripps Ranch and Torrey Pines.
Before that, the Nighthawks have a Northern California road trip in October against Tamalpais, Davis and Redwood, plus Palomar League play still ahead.
