BACKUP QB RALLIES PALMDALE AFTER INJURY STARTER HOLMES HURTS SHOULDER; TRIMM STRONG IN RELIEF PALMDALE 15, UPLAND 7.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Their thoughts were with Javonte Holmes, Palmdale High's starting quarterback who left Friday night's game against Upland midway through the second quarter with what's believed to be a separated shoulder.

And such thoughts might have inspired the Falcons to a 15-7 nonleague victory over the Highlanders.

``I think that was a big factor,'' Palmdale coach Jeff Williams said. ``Obviously they were concerned about their teammate, but I think they knew they had to pick their game up or it was going to be a long night, and they did.''

Palmdale (3-1) trailed 7-3 when Holmes suffered the injury, but sophomore Rodney Trimm rallied the Falcons, completing 5 of 12 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown. He completed three of his last four attempts for 107 yards.

Palmdale running Adrian Jenkins rushed for 110 yards on 17 carries.

``I went out there like I had to win it for him,'' said Palmdale running back Adrian Jenkins, a close friend of Holmes who said he planned to check on him later in the night. ``I had a little incentive on what to play for.''

Palmdale took an 8-7 lead early in the fourth quarter when Upland (3-1) snapped the ball out of its own end zone on a punt attempt from its 18-yard line.

But the Highlanders wouldn't have been in that position if not for an outstanding effort from the Palmdale defense, which in the second half held Upland to one first down and forced it to punt seven times.

Palmdale's defense also came up with a key goal-line stand with just more than three minutes remaining in the first half, when it held Upland scoreless after it started on the 13 following an interception of Trimm on his third pass of the game.

``I've never seen a more courageous effort from our defense, they put it all on the line tonight,'' Williams said.

Palmdale took an early lead on Benjamin Royce's 36-yard field goal, but Upland drove 72 yards on its next possession, eventually scoring on a Brandon Sellers 10-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

Palmdale closed to within 7-6 going into the intermission on Benjamin Royce's 29-yard field goal with 1.4 seconds remaining. Matt Bishoff made an interception at midfield, and Trimm completed a 22-yard pass to Jenkins on a third-and-10 play from the Upland 34 with just seconds left in the half.

Gideon Rubin [phone]

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com