High School Sports

Postgame stuff from Petaluma-Rancho Cotate

PrepSports — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:48:06 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
Odds and ends after Petaluma’s 12-7 win over Rancho Cotate in the first round of the NCS Division II playoffs:
* Due to the wild ending, I didn’t even mention Petaluma quarterback Mike Russell in my game story, but he ran for 113 yards on 21 carries and had several terrific runs. In the first half, he bobbled a snap, retrieved it in the backfield and weaved through several defenders for a 12-yard gain. On two other occasions, he attempted to hurdle over tacklers for extra yargade. A nationally ranked junior boxer, Russell doesn’t have game-breaking speed. But he’s tough, strong and has a nasty stiff-arm.
* Rancho Cotate quarterback Poueu Peleti-Gore was brilliant on the Cougars’ final drive. It’s not easy to drive a team 73 yards and 6 inches in 72 seconds with no timeouts. But Peleti-Gore appeared perfectly poised while calling his own plays.
* In retrospect, I didn’t do Rancho Cotate wide receiver Sean Fish’s 24-yard catch in the final seconds justice in my game story. Fish leapt high to grab Peleti-Gore’s pass and made a few nice moves to pick up at least another 10 yards after the catch to get down to the 1-yard line.
* I have no idea if Fish scored or not. My vantage point from 50 or so yards away in the press box meant I wasn’t surprised when a referee didn’t raise his hands in the air. But I also wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been ruled a touchdown. In other words, it sure looked close.
* For what it’s worth, I thought Petaluma played a litle tight as the No. 1 seed with a 10-0 record. After the game, a few Tojans said doubt began creeping in as Rancho Cotate held on to its 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
“Yeah, I started thinking ‘Oh, my God, we’re going to lose this game,’” said Petaluma linebacker Dalton Berncich. “Then I’d think ‘No, we’re not.’ Then it would be ‘Oh my God, we’re going to lose this game.’”
After getting a second life, I wouldn’t be suprised if the Trojans played a little looser — and better — next week. It might also help that they won’t play Rancho, another triple-option school whose defense resembles the Steel Curtain whenever they play Petaluma.
* Berncich on his emotions after the game’s final play, “I felt like my head exploded.”

Go to Cloverdale, see a Hall of Famer

PrepSports — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:23:42 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
Valley Christian of Dublin, in its first full year of football, doesn’t have much tradition.
But the Vikings do have some big names.
Valley Christian’s coach is John Parrella, a former NFL defensive tackle who played for the Bills, Chargers and Raiders from 1993-2004. Hall of Fame safety Rod Woodson, whose son, Demitrius, is a junior safety/wide receiver, is an assistant coach. Josh Taves, who played three years as a defensive end for the Panthers and Raiders, is another assistant coach.
The No. 12 Vikings (5-5) will visit No. 5 Cloverdale (9-1) on Saturday night in the first round of the NCS Division IV playoffs.

NCS playoff predictions

PrepSports — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:44 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
Last week: 7-1. Season: 56-18.

Division II
The pick: No. 1 Petaluma 33, No. 16 Rancho Cotate 14

The pick: No. 2 Casa Grande 27, No. 15 Maria Carrillo 14

The pick: No. 3 Montgomery 20, No. 14 Mt. Diablo 7

The pick: No. 9 Cardinal Newman 28, No. 8 Windsor 7

Division III
The pick: No. 1 Encinal 49, No. 16 Sonoma 7

The pick: No. 5 Healdsburg 22, No. 12 Miramonte 17

The pick: No. 7 Acalanes 24, No. 10 Analy 14

Division IV
The pick: No. 4 Middletown 52, No. 13 Harker School 14

The pick: No. 5 Cloverdale 28, No. 12 Valley Christian 13

The pick: No. 7 Fort Bragg 35, No. 10 McKinleyville 21

The pick: No. 3 Salesian 48, Willits 7

The pick: No. 6 St. Patrick/St. Vincent 24, No. 11 Clear Lake 16

Division V
The pick: No. 1 St. Vincent 41, No. 8 Calistoga 6

The pick: No. 2 St. Elizabeth 33, No. 7 Point Arena 13

The pick: No. 5 Tomales 32, No. 4 St. Bernard 20

Last week’s picks:
The pick: Petaluma 34, Healdsburg 17
The score: Petaluma 62, Healdsburg 15

The pick: Cardinal Newman 22, Maria Carrillo 16
The score: Cardinal Newman 29, Maria Carrillo 20

The pick: Rancho Cotate 24, Santa Rosa 14
Comment: Rancho Cotate 35, Santa Rosa

The pick: Ukiah 44, Elsie Allen 12
The score: Ukiah 35, Elsie Allen 0

The pick: Windsor 33, Analy 21
The score: Analy 10, Windsor 7

The pick: Casa Grande 42, El Molino 14
The score: Casa Grande 41, El Molino 6

The pick: Montgomery 38, Piner 10
The score: Montgomery 62, Piner 24

The pick: Cloverdale 28, St. Vincent 20
The score: Cloverdale 38, St. Vincent 7

Division III football playoff notes

PrepSports — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:21:29 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:

Friday’s games
No. 16 Sonoma (4-6) at No. 1 Encinal (9-1), 7 p.m.
No. 12 Miramonte (4-6) at No. 5 Healdsburg (6-4), 7 p.m.
No. 10 Analy (6-4) at No. 7 Acalanes (5-5), 7 p.m.

* Healdsburg coach Tom Kirkaptrick was pleased with his team’s hard-fought 25-14 loss to Casa Grande two weeks ago. But the Greyhounds’ 62-15 loss to Petaluma last week wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. He said he doesn’t quite know where his team stands entering the postseason, “It’s hard to say when you come off a game like the Petaluma game,” Kirkpatrick said. “We were feeling very good after the Casa game. But I think overall we’re where we need to be.”
* Healdsburg is making its sixth straight playoff appearance. The Greyhounds lost to Miramonte, 27-20, in the Division III quarterfinals last year in Orinda.
* Encinal is the defending section champion and has won 22 of its past 23 games.
* Notable Encinal alums: Willie Stargell, Jimmy Rollins, Dontrelle Willis and Isaiah Rider.
* Notable Acalanes alum: Norm Van Brocklin.
* Analy is seeking its first postseason win since 2003. The Tigers have three first-round losses since 2005.

Division II football playoff notes

PrepSports — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:54:53 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:

Friday’s games
No. 16 Rancho Cotate (6-4) at No. 1 Petaluma (10-0), 7 p.m.
No. 15 Maria Carrillo (4-6) at No. 2 Casa Grande (9-1), 7 p.m.
No. 14 Mt. Diablo (6-4) at No. 3 Montgomery (8-2), 7 p.m.
Saturday’s game
No. 9 Cardinal Newman (6-4) at No. 8 Windsor (6-4), 7 p.m.

* Rancho Cotate could be missing two of its top linemen. Defensive lineman Scott Reid is out and offensive lineman Andrew Richardson is questionable. Coach Ed Conroy said both were injured against Cardinal Newman on Oct. 30.
* Petaluma coach Steve Ellison hasn’t won a section title in his 31 years at the school. Ellison led the Trojans to nine straight playoff appearances from 1989-97 when Petaluma had a combined record of 79-26-1. But the Trojans were bounced from the playoffs by Marin Catholic in six of those years. The coach for Marin Catholic in four of those wins over Petaluma was Larry Gondola, now the offensive coordinator at Casa Grande.
* Windsor coach Jason Fayter said star QB/S D.J. King is questionable due to a high ankle sprain. On Thursday morning, Fayter said he expected King to practice for the first time that afternoon. If King doesn’t play, either senior Miles Williams or junior Lorenzo Camarena will play QB.
* Fayter didn’t tip his hand regarding what offense the Jaguars would run. With King either out or limited to defense in previous games this year, Windsor used the double wing. “We’re going to try to score more points than the other team,” Fayter said. “We could run the spread. We could run the double wing. We could run the double wing spread.” Double wing spread? Guess I might find out Saturday.
* Cardinal Newman coach Paul Cronin on his team flying under the radar as the No. 9 seed after reaching the Division III state title game two of the past three years, “I don’t think Cardinal Newman will ever be flying under the radar. I think teams will always be pretty focused to beat us, especially this year they might be even more excited to beat us.”
* When the Cardinals switched from the spread to the double-wing offense three weeks ago, Cronin hinted they would eventually pass more out of the run-oriented system. It hasn’t happened yet — Newman had four pass attempts last week — but Cronin said that day is coming, He was reluctant to tip his hand during the regular season. And he didn’t need to as Newman won each of its last three games by at least nine points, “There will come a point when we will use some of this other stuff we’ve been working on,” Cronin said. “But like last week, we were able to win without it. So the idea is to win the game and move on.”
* Cardinal Newman sophomore quarterback/safety Matt Sullivan and freshman defensive lineman Dakota Albaum, who sat out last week’s game for disciplinary reasons, will not play in the postseason.
* Mt. Diablo of Concord is making its first postseason trip in the modern era of the NCS playoffs. NCS championships were not held from 1931-1974. The Red Devils have clinched their first winning season since 1993.

Rancho QB Peleti-Gore might play after all

PrepSports — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:27:49 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
Rancho Cotate quarterback Poueu Peleti-Gore might play in the 16th-seeded Cougars’ first-round game against No. 1 Petaluma in the North Coast Section Division II playoffs Friday night.
According to Rancho Cotate athletic director Henri Sarlatte, Peleti-Gore was ineligible to play in last week’s win against Santa Rosa, but he could be eligible to play this week. Sarlatte declined to say why Peleti-Gore was ineligible and Rancho Cotate principal Robert Steffen did not return a phone message.
Cougars coach Ed Conroy, who said on Sunday that Peleti-Gore would not be avilable for the postseason, said there is a “good possibility” that Peleti-Gore will play. If Peleti-Gore does return, he won’t start but will see action, according to Conroy.

Why sports are great: An epic third game

PrepSports — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:32:13 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
This is cliche, but it’s true: One of the great things about sports is that you never know what’s going to happen. You never know when you might see something that you’ve never seen before.
A running back could gain 407 yards. Or a pitcher could strike out four batters in an inning. Or a fan could make a half-court shot at halftime and win a college tuition. Or an athlete could have a move, a pass, or a catch so out-of-this-world that it will leave your jaw on the floor.
Well, I had that kind of experience tonight. I saw Petaluma beat Maria Carrillo, 34-32, in the third game of the Trojans’ four-game win in the North Coast Section Division II semifinals.
Petaluma trailed 21-12, but stormed back to win 12 of the next 13 points. Then Maria Carrillo fought off nine match points. Then the Trojans escaped two match points before star outside hitter Kaitlyn Dunaway finished the game with one of her 20 kills.
During the last 20 or so points, there were almost no errors. No choke-job serves into the net. No tentative swings. Just thunderous kills, did-you-see-that digs and rallies that made your palms sweat even if, like me, you weren’t rooting for one team to win.
When the fans weren’t screaming, they were sharing can-you-believe-this looks. I swear even one of the linesemen was smiling through his whistle after another ridiculous rally.
At one point, a guy behind me summed up what everyone was thinking, “This is crazy,” he said.
Yes, it was crazy. And wonderful. And the best Petaluma coach Ben Stern has ever witnessed.
“Toward the end of that game was the most exciting volleyball I’ve ever seen — high school, college or professional,” Stern said.
Maybe that sounds like hyperbole from a winning coach.
But I disagree. I was there.
Lucky me.

PD Preps video

PrepSports — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:36:53 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
This week we discuss — what else? — the North Coast Section football playoffs.

Final regular-season rankings

PrepSports — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:00:44 +0000

Posted by Staff Writer Eric Branch:
Cardinal Newman leapfrogs Windsor and takes the No. 4 spot. The Cardinals and Jaguars are both 6-4, but Newman’s losses were against Central Catholic, Del Oro, Palma and Montgomery. Windsor’s losses were against Inderkum, Casa Grande, Petaluma and Analy.
Edge, Newman.

LARGE SCHOOLS
1. PETALUMA (10-0)
Perfect Petaluma peaking for playoffs. Isn’t alliteration fun?
2. CASA GRANDE (9-1)
Has won five straight, by an average of 25.6 points, since Egg Bowl loss.
3. MONTGOMERY (8-2)
Only losses to Grant and Casa Grande — teams with a combined 19-1 record.
4. CARDINAL NEWMAN (6-4)
If at first you don’t succeed, install the double wing.
5. WINDSOR (6-4)
Limping into playoffs on three-game slide, with star QB D.J. King nursing injury.

SMALL SCHOOLS
1. MIDDLETOWN (9-1)
Peaking at the right time? Mustangs haven’t allowed a point in past 12 quarters.
2. CLOVERDALE (9-1)
Eagles impressive in 31-point romp over St. Vincent.
3. FORT BRAGG (8-2)
Who wants to play this No. 7 seed in the playoffs? Hello? Anyone?
4. ST. VINCENT (7-3)
Top-seeded Mustangs begin defense of Division V title.
5. TOMALES (6-3)
Braves, seeded No. 5 in Division V, seeking first section title since 2002.

Dewey’s playoff picks

PrepSports — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:13:11 +0000

Posted by Press Democrat correspondent Dewey Forget:
With the football playoffs beginning this Friday, it’s always good fun to take a look at the brackets. Hey, we go crazy with March Madness bracketology, so why not take a look at high school football? For what it’s worth, here’s my take on Division II, III, IV and V.
Div. II — Petaluma got the top seed and deservedly so. The Trojans will have a tough time against Rancho Cotate, but should prevail and meet Cardinal Newman in the second round. That could be the Trojans toughest game before the finals. It looks to me as if the Trojans will meet Ygnacio Valley in the semis. In the bottom half of the bracket, there are several intriguing games. Montgomery, No. 3, and Casa, No. 2, will win first-round games and advance to take on Concord and Las Lomas, respectively. Casa must be wary of 7th-seeded Las Lomas (5-5) out of the Diablo Foothill League. The Vikings most likely will play No. 6 Concord in the quarters to set up a showdown with Casa for the right to take on Petaluma. Hard to make a choice here, but I think Casa may have a slight advantage. Championship game: Petaluma and Casa. Petaluma wins.
Div. III — A tough draw for our three Empire schools. Healdsburg will advance with a hard-earned win over Miramonte, and I give Analy a fighting chance against Acalanes. Sonoma, the last team to get in and the 16th seed, must take on No. 1 Encinal in the opening round. Healdsburg will probably get Novato in the second round. It certainly appears No. 1 Encinal (BSAL) and No. 2 Marin Catholic (MCAL) will have smooth sailing right to the finals. Championship game: Encinal defeats Marin Catholic.
Div. IV — This is a very competitive division. Outside of top-seeded St. Mary’s, there are many intriguing possibilities, expect an upset or two. I like Middletown (No. 4), Cloverdale (No. 5) and Fort Bragg (No. 7) to advance to the second round, but from there it gets pretty doggone tough. Middletown and Cloverdale should meet in the second round – a nice match-up. I’ve seen both.I think Middletown, which beat the Eagles 27-17 in the regular season, might be a tad stronger. Middletown will face St. Mary’s in the semis, with Ferndale (No. 2) and Salesian (No. 3) in the other half of the draw. Championship game: Salesian upsets St. Mary’s.
Div. V — Defending champ St. Vincent is the top seed. Don’t let the regular season ending loss to Cloverdale fool you — the Mustangs are the class of this division. St. Elizabeth (BFL, 5-5) is the second seed off strength of schedule. The only mystery in this division is whether Hoopa Valley, which got a gift into the second round when Anderson Valley decided not to compete, can upset St. Elizabeth. I don’t think so. Championship game: St. Vincent defeats St. Elizabeth.

Division champs:
Division II — Petaluma
Division III — Encinal
Division IV — Salesian
Division V — St. Vincent