Nordhoff High junior defensive lineman Cody Burr stands all of 5-foot-7 in his cleats, but he was feeling 8 feet tall on Friday night after blocking a Nipomo field-goal attempt in overtime to secure a 23-20 CIF-Southern Section Northwest Division first-round playoff win for the host Rangers.

"I had a gap and went through it," said a beaming Burr after the game.

"Of course, they were more worried about Kacy (Reed, Nordhoff's 6-3 defensive end who lines up next to Burr), and they underestimated my quickness."

Nipomo had tied the game at 23 on a 30-yard field goal four plays earlier, but opted to take the points off of the board after Nordhoff was flagged for a roughing-the-kicker penalty, giving the Titans a first down at the 7.

Their first overtime foray featured a memorable series of pass plays into the end zone with Nipomo's leading receiver Kyle Webb going one on one against Nordhoff's best cornerback, Albert Mireles.

But Nipomo only threw Webb's way once on the latter series, opting to run — only to be stopped, first by Chad Gibson (six tackles, two sacks) and Damian Kaiser (nine tackles) and then by Alex Miotti.

"Our defense did a tremendous job holding them not once but twice," said Nordhoff coach Cliff Farrar. "I challenged Albert when he went out there at the end and said, This is when you make All-County. This is when you make All-CIF.' "

Nipomo led 7-6 at halftime, having scored on a 48-yard play-action pass from Mason Sperakos to Webb. The Rangers answered on a 28-yard pass from Garrett Graham to Tyler Wadsworth, who caught the ball in stride on a post pattern.

Both teams missed early opportunities: Nordhoff fumbling the ball away twice in the red zone and the Titans missing a 35-yard field goal.

The second half featured a series of sustained drives by each team.

Nordhoff took its first lead after taking the second-half kickoff and marching 61 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown on a Chris Gibson sweep.

Nipomo regained the lead early in the fourth on another Webb touchdown catch, but failed to convert on its two-point attempt when Chris Gibson (five tackles, one sack) pressured the quarterback.

Kaiser gave the Rangers a 20-13 lead with 5:31 remaining, capping a 65-yard, 11-play drive — highlighted by a pair of 14-yard runs by Mireles — with a 3-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion carry, following his key blocker, Reed, on both plays.

Unphased, Nipomo seniors Sperakos and Webb guided the Titans 77 yards in the closing minutes to tie the game, scoring on a quarterback sneak from the 2 and an Eryk Fernandez extra-point kick with 29 seconds left.

Nordhoff had the first possession in the overtime, and with starting quarterback Graham sidelined by injury and one of the best kickers in the state in David Brown in the wings, was content to run three times and call on Brown, who — despite having had an extra point blocked earlier in the game — converted what would prove to be the winning field goal from 37 yards.

Nordhoff, Tri-Valley League co-champion, advances to play Centennial-Compton next Friday on the road.