In short: Northwood Timberwolves high school football (Irvine, CA), 2026 season: 4-5 in the Iota League. Last game: W 42-0 vs Kennedy on October 24, 2026. Next: vs Cypress, October 30, 2026. Schedule and results, player season stats, stat leaders, unit grades, ScorePirate ranking and the game-by-game log.
The turnover battle could decide Northwood's next game, against Cypress, and the recent returns favor Cypress. Northwood forced 2.0 takeaways per game over its first 4 games (3-1), #65 in CIF-SS in that timeframe. In the 5 games since that hot start (1-4), the Timberwolves have forced 0.0 takeaways per game, a 100% drop, #389 in CIF-SS in that window. The schedule has a lot to do with it: Northwood's last 5 opponents have averaged 1.1 per game, a #146 offense in CIF-SS on the season, against 1.3 per game, #215 for the first 4. Measured against those opponents' norms (1.1 per game), Northwood forced 100% fewer turnovers than those offenses usually give up. Meanwhile, Cypress' ball security has been middle of the pack in recent weeks. The Centurions have committed 1.4 giveaways per game over their last 5 games (4-1), #215 in CIF-SS during that time. Those games came against a middle-of-the-pack set of defenses in CIF-SS (1.2 per game on the season, which would rank #211). Against those norms, Cypress turned it over 12% more than those defenses usually force. Cypress offers Northwood a fair measuring stick for whether the trend is real.
The number to watch when Northwood meets Cypress is Northwood's scoring defense. Northwood allowed 16.5 points per game over its first 4 games (3-1), #113 in CIF-SS through those games. In the 5 games since that hot start (1-4), the Timberwolves have allowed 22.6 points per game, a 37% rise, #189 in CIF-SS through that stretch. The schedule doesn't explain it: the opponents in both stretches have averaged about 23.4 points per game on the season. Meanwhile, Cypress' offense has been middle of the pack in recent weeks. The Centurions have averaged 29.0 points per game over their last 5 games (4-1), #146 in CIF-SS over that stretch. Those games came against a middle-of-the-pack set of scoring defenses in CIF-SS (24.9 points per game on the season, which would rank #224). Against those norms, Cypress scored 17% more than those defenses usually allow. Cypress offers Northwood a fair measuring stick for whether the trend is real. Northwood is 4-2 this season when it holds opponents under 29, and 0-3 when it doesn't.
NOTES
The biggest shift in Northwood's season has come in its offense. Northwood averaged 21.2 points per game over its first 6 games (3-3), #257 in CIF-SS within that period. Over the stretch of 3 games that followed (1-2), the Timberwolves have averaged 29.0 points per game, a 37% rise, #154 in CIF-SS across those games. The schedule has a lot to do with it: Northwood's last 3 opponents have averaged 21.9 points per game, a #170 scoring defense in CIF-SS on the season, against 26.3 points per game, #250 for the first 6. Measured against those opponents' norms (21.9 points per game), Northwood scored 33% more than those defenses usually allow. On the season, Northwood ranks #218 in CIF-SS in scoring. That form gets a real test against Cypress, whose defense ranks #15 in CIF-SS (10.1 points per game).
Northwood's ground game has come a long way since the season's early weeks. The Timberwolves averaged 5.4 yards per carry (485 yards on 89 rushes) over their first 3 games (2-1), #191 in CIF-SS during those games. In the 6 games since that slow start (2-4), Northwood has averaged 6.9 yards per carry (621 yards on 90 rushes), a 27% rise, #94 in CIF-SS during that period. The schedule has a lot to do with it: Northwood's last 6 opponents have averaged 5.1 yards per carry, a #138 run defense in CIF-SS on the season, against 5.8 yards per carry, #220 for the first 3. Measured against those opponents' norms (5.1 yards per carry), Northwood ran for 35% more per carry than those run defenses usually allow. On the season, the Timberwolves rank #139 in CIF-SS in rushing. That form gets a real test against Cypress, whose run defense ranks #19 in CIF-SS (3.4 yards per carry).
TIDBITS (6 found)
• Club Northwood is 26-2 all time when scoring 30-39 points. Northwood's last loss when scoring 30-39 points was September 2, 2022 against Laguna Beach (L, 31-35).
• Player Lj Ulmer has 447 rushing yards over his last 4 games (111.8 a game, September 11, 2026 through October 9, 2026) -- his most in a 4-game stretch on record.
• Player Xayn Ali has 39 tackles over his last 4 games (9.8 a game, August 21, 2026 through September 11, 2026) -- his most in a 4-game stretch on record.
• Player Jacob Harper has 4 sacks over his last 4 games (1.1 a game, October 23, 2025 through September 4, 2026) -- his most in a 4-game stretch on record.
• Player Jacob Harper has gone 2 straight games recording two or more tackles for loss, the longest such streak of his career.
• Player Bert Chubb has gone 5 straight games without catching a touchdown pass. The last time he caught a touchdown pass was August 28, 2026 against El Segundo (W, 23-14) — 1 TD catch.
MILESTONE WATCH
Northwood
Xayn Ali needs 11 tackles for 50 (averaging 9.8 a game)
Win chances are the site's own game projections where one is on file, otherwise the SP Strength Index gap with a small home edge. The realistic range covers 80% of outcomes (10th to 90th percentile).
Every player with a stat on file, listed only where he has one. Open the arrow beside a name for his game-by-game line. Stats through the Oct 9 game; last updated Oct 31; roster and numbers checked Oct 6.
Click a column heading to sort. MIN hides players below that many attempts.
2 CIF-SS titles · 1 CIF-SS runner-up finish · 1 CIF State runner-up finish · 4 CIF-SS Players of the Year · 1 league title
YEAR
HONOR
2022
CIF STATE RUNNER-UP (lost to Escalon 28-7)
CIF-SS Division 8 CHAMPION (def. Lakewood 35-14)
CIF-SS Defensive Player of the Year (Division 8): DANIEL KAMEL
CIF-SS Offensive Player of the Year (Division 8): ADAM HARPER
Pacific Hills LEAGUE CHAMPION (3-0 in league)
2021
CIF-SS Division 11 CHAMPION (def. Jordan 37-14)
CIF-SS Defensive Player of the Year (Division 11): DANIEL KAMEL
CIF-SS Offensive Player of the Year (Division 11): ADAM HARPER
2005
CIF-SS Div. IX RUNNER-UP (lost to Tesoro 27-6)
Section and state results and Players of the Year: CIF-SS Record Book. League finishes judged from league schedules on file (2022-2025 seasons); earlier league titles are not on file.
PPG/OPP PPG use every played game on file. YPG/PLAYS-PER-GAME columns only ever come from games with a full box score on file, which can be a smaller sample than GP -- see the coverage note below when that's the case for this team.
Averages use only games with that number on file (offense 7/9, defense 7/9, sacks/INT 7/9, sacks allowed 7/9, turnovers 8/9 games). SACKS ALW comes from the opponent's box score; TO FORCED is takeaways; TO MAR is takeaways minus giveaways, and its bottom cell is the season total. Dashes mean not on file.
UNIT INDEX
Pass Offense: grade 50.6/100 (-13 yds/gm vs average)
Rush Offense: grade 39.4/100 (-33 yds/gm vs average)
Pass Defense: grade 30.2/100 (+24 yds/gm vs average)
Rush Defense: grade 65.0/100 (-33 yds/gm vs average)
Unit grades: 0-100 league percentile, adjusted for the opponents faced.
NOR finished 2025 at 4-6. Missed playoffs. Notable win: 22-14 over PORTOLA (PORTOLA finished 55% that season). Toughest loss: 14-20 to PACIFICA (6-point margin).
"N/A" stands in for a box score that does not have stats entered. A total followed by a count in parentheses covers only the games with that stat on file.
NOR's defense has averaged 0.0 takeaways per game over their last 3 games. Their 30-game average is 0.8 takeaways per game. (-100%)
NOR's defense has averaged 210.5 rush yards per game over their last 3 games. Their 27-game average is 121.5 rush yards per game. (+73%)
NOR's defense has averaged 6.5 YPC over their last 3 games. Their 27-game average is 4.7 YPC. (+40%)
NOR's defense has averaged 24.5 points allowed per game over their last 15 games. Their 31-game average is 18.2 points allowed per game. (+35%)
NOR's defense has averaged 125.0 pass yards per game over their last 3 games. Their 27-game average is 168.2 pass yards per game. (-26%)
(moved to the Appendix, Data Export 1, to keep this section shorter -- the full spreadsheet-paste table is there unchanged)
APPENDIX
Full-length explanations and full-size data exports for the shortened notes and relocated tables referenced throughout this report, numbered in the order their pointers appear above.
Explanatory Notes
Note 1 -- SEASON OUTLOOK
Every remaining game is projected from schedule-adjusted ratings; already-played games carry their real result. Records are simulated distributions, not a single guess -- MOST LIKELY FINAL is the single most probable record and its own probability, PROJECTED RECORD is the season's expected win total expressed in record form (an average across every simulated outcome, so it can land on a fraction of a game).
Note 2 -- OPPONENT TRACKER -- why some cards have no record shown
Only meaningful for an opponent who is ALSO a tracked team in the library -- an opponent with no games on file here at all shows the date and site alone.
Note 3 -- MOST IMPORTANT NUMBERS -- how a number is scored
Every split this report computes is scored on how strong the number is and how much it sets this team apart from its opponent and the rest of the field, and the top 5 per team are listed. A condition needs at least 8 occurrences to count.
Full Data Exports
Data Export 1 -- TRENDS — TAB-SEPARATED (10 columns)
Where NORTHWOOD sits among 399 section teams on the two Unit Index composites -- Offense Grade 49.0, Defense Grade 53.4.
RUSH YARDS ALLOWED / GAME: NORTHWOOD VS THE SECTION
NORTHWOOD ranks #41 of 356 section teams in rushing yards allowed per game (40.0) -- a strength worth a look.
NORTHWOOD: SP STRENGTH INDEX BY SEASON
The program's index across 5 seasons on file -- 11.5 in 2022 to 13.2 in 2026.
These graphs were chosen by the program from this season's most notable numbers. Build your own -- any stat against any other, for any mix of teams, seasons or players, with a JPEG download -- in the Graph Builder.
