Agoura, CA — With the shock now behind it, the Agoura High football team paid tribute to fallen teammate Carter Stone on Friday night. "It was emotional. It was beautiful," said Agoura coach Dustin Croick. "Last week was such a shock for all of us. We played a game the next day. This was a chance to honor him." The night marked the first home game for the Chargers since the death of Stone, a freshman offensive lineman with the JV team, on Aug. 25. Stone died during what was considered routine surgery on his shoulder. It was later discovered that the 15-year-old Stone was afflicted with T-cell leukemia that led to a tumor inside his heart. The Chargers passed out over 400 T-shirts to students with the inscription "Be Like Carter." The team now sports decals bearing the No. 76. Following a moment of silence, the tribute to Stone carried into the football game. The Chargers lined up with 10 players for the first play of the game, with the empty spot on the offensive line. His helmet was hung at the start of the varsity game against Nordhoff High School. "I can't say enough good things about their coach (Dillon Lowen) and the Rangers players," said Croick. "They handled everything with so much class." Agoura completed the night with a 33-3 victory for its first win of the season. Kyle Zeman piled up 20 combined tackles on defense and rushed for two scores to earn the Chargers coveted "Wardaddy" award for the game. The offensive line was boosted by the return of Calvin Cummings. Junior quarterback Harrison Novak, filling in for injured starting quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, completed 10 of 11 pass attempts for 142 yards and two touchdowns. "That's what we expect from him," said Croick. "He's a great athlete and he's not afraid of the pressure." Novak will retain the quarterback role for at least the next few weeks. Agoura got good news earlier in the day with the revelation that Dieffenbach escaped serious injury last week vs. Ventura and will be back in action in the near future. Croick said the Chargers will be cautious. "We won't rush him back until we know he's completely healed," said the coach. "He's got a great future and we won't jeopardize that. I've spoken to the coaches at UNLV. We will be careful." Dieffenbach wanted to return to action as soon as Friday night. He warmed up with his teammates and seemed ready to go. "He's such a great leader," said Croick. "He'll support his teammates and do everything he can to help (Novak) until he can return." Agoura (1-2) will play at district rival Calabasas this Friday.