BY HAROLD ABEND
The new weekly Redwood Empire Roundup will mainly focus on the Redwood Empire Conference Football – Adobe League, the coverage of the Adobe will not be exclusive and for this week’s Roundup we are featuring defending CIF North Coast Section Division 6 and state CIF Northern Regional Division 6-AA and CIF state Division 6-AA Bowl Game state champion St. Vincent de Paul-Petaluma.
Coming into the matchup on Saturday afternoon between host St. Vincent de Paul and Lowell of San Francisco, the Mustangs were heavy favorites, and they played the part perfectly after dominating both sides of the line of scrimmage in a 46-0 whitewashing on homecoming of last year’s third pace finisher in the Academic Athletic Association/CIF San Francisco Section.
It was the second-straight victory over a team from the San Francisco Section after a 54-14 victory two weeks ago over Balboa. The victory helped St. Vincent de Paul (3-1) to continue to bounce back from a 42-22 loss three week on the road at Truckee to a Wolverines that is currently 5-0 and finished 13-0 last season while winning a Nevada small school state championship.
Gabe Casanovas, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior quarterback who was the star of the St. Vincent de Paul 27-6 victory over Wasco in the state CIF Division 6-AA Bowl Game state championship, led the offense after going 18-of-23 for 228 yards and three TDs passing.
While no one player on the St. Vincent de Paul offense, including Casanovas, produced astronomical numbers, five Mustangs players on the offensive side of the ball managed to find the end zone.
Romel Miggins, a solidly built 5-foot-9, 235-pound senior running back scored the first St. Vincent de Paul touchdown after rushing for a 29-yard TD at 4:42 of the first quarter that gave the Mustangs a 6-0 lead they would never relinquish.
From that point the rout was on.
After the defense forced a three-and-out the Mustangs took advantage of a 37-yard punt return by 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior standout Mason Caturegli to set up Casanovas for a 27-yard TD pass to 5-foot-9 senior wideout Tyler Chelew that stretched the lead to 13-0 with 2:54 left in the first quarter.
The first quarter ended with St. Vincent de Paul holding a 13-0 lead while the Mustangs defense held the Lowell offense to minus-2 yards of offense in four possessions.
Caturegli made it 19-0 in the early second quarter on an 11-yard TD run, and then midway through period Miggins got his second TD on a 16-yard run that stretched it to a 26-0 lead. Just before halftime 6-foot, 175-pound senior Tye Nickens hauled in a 5-yard TD pass from Casanovas to make it 33-0 after two quarters.
Jack Ellis, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound tight end and defensive end, pulled in a 13-yard TD pass from Casanovas and it was 39-0 after three quarters.
The final Mustangs tally came in a running clock fourth quarter with St. Vincent de Paul head coach Trent Herzog playing mostly reserves and it was senior running back Jack Stevenson getting the score on a 33-yard run on his lone carry of the game.
Miggins only had four carries in the game but two of them went for scores and he finished with 57 yards rushing, plus he had an 11-yard pass reception. Caturegli only had four carries for 21 yards with the one TD, and he also had 57 yards receiving on four receptions.
Nickens and Ellis each had 41 yards receiving on four catches with one touchdown, and Stevenson was the fifth and final Mustangs player to find paydirt.
The St. Vincent de Paul defense ended up giving up 79 yards of offense on 37 plays for Lowell, but 52 yards came on two pass plays and 31 of the yards came on the final drive of the game that ended with an interception by Mustangs junior Jameson Malvesta.
“We executed pretty well on both sides of the ball,” Herzog remarked. “It was a little sloppy and we had too many penalties but overall, I’m happy with the performance.”
Any time you can get a shutout on homecoming, and everyone can play and contribute, that’s a good thing, and we came out of the game healthy heading into a bye week and then Fortuna.” Herzog continued. “I really like this team, I really like this depth so as long as we keep working and keep pushing each other we’re going to have another great season.”
Lowell (1-3) also has a bye next week before beginning SF Section action in two weeks with the same Balboa team St. Vincent de Paul bested by 40 points two weeks ago.
As for the matchup with Fortuna (2-2) in two weeks, St. Vincent de Paul will be facing a Huskies team they defeated 45-21 in last years NCS D6 semifinals and a team that is coming of a 29-26 loss to Ferndale and has a date next week in Redding with University Prep.
San Marín escapes Casa Grande
Visiting San Marin got all it could handle from Casa Grande-Petaluma and needed a 30-yard field goal with 1.1 seconds left by junior Nate Mandelbrot to pull out a 39-37 to remain perfect at 4-0 this season.
Casa Grande scored with around a minute left on a rushing TD by senior quarterback Danny Mercado, but when San Marin got the ball on the ensuing kickoff junior quarterback Daniel Rolovich took them down the field and in position to set up Mandelbrot for the game winner, except it almost didn’t happen.
San Marin committed three consecutive penalties that moved the ball back and turned what would been almost a PAT into a 30-yarder. No problem for Mandelbrot who split the uprights with plenty of distance to spare.
“I lost my headset,” remarked San Marin head coach Dominic DiMare about the three-straight penalties.
Rolovich was 10-of-19 for 157 yards passing with three TDs, all to standout wide receiver Wesley Timmel who caught eight passes for 145 yards. Rolovich was responsible for a fourth score when he took a keeper 36-yards to the house.
The game was another example of Casa Grande (2-2) playing up in the preseason against teams from the Adobe League, and they almost made it two-straight for a Gauchos team that defeated Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park last week and would at this point appear to be the favorites of the “B” Valley League.
San Marin travels to Ukiah this week in its final non-league game while Casa Grande opens Adobe League action hosting Napa.
Cardinal Newman routs Bishop O’Dowd behind freshman quarterback Tino Retamoza
The old cliché “a star is born” pretty much tells it all with respect to the first varsity start for Cardinal Newman quarterback Tino Retamoza.
Retamoza, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound freshman, used his right arm and some very deceptive speed running the ball to account for five touchdowns in a stunning 56-0 Friday night whitewashing of a solid visiting Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, and it came in a game that went to a running clock with 4:30 left in the first half.
“I felt confident throughout the week with the coaches getting our guys ready, both on offense and defense,” responded Cardinal Neaman head coach Richard Sanchez when asked if he could have foreseen such a lopsided win. “Our kids were clued in all week long and I’m proud of the preparation, and when they put it all together in the first half it feels really good.
At the core of things was Retamoza. He had seen action in all three previous Cardinal Newman victories but with three quarterbacks still vying to see who would emerge, it was the freshman that won out and it appears to be a great decision for the Cardinals.
“I thought the game plan fit his talent set,” remarked Sanchez. “He kept his poise and did well with the ball. It worked out really well and I’m very proud of him.”
Retamoza completed his first six passes and was 7-of-8 for 145 yards and three TDs, plus he rushed the ball five times for 88 yards and two TDs, all in a first half that saw the host Cardinals take a 49-0 lead. Retamoza did come out for the second half and threw two incompletions before Newman head coach Richard Sanchez decided he had done enough for his initial varsity start calling the signals.
“It’s just really a blessing to be out here with an incredible line, an incredible atmosphere,” said Retamoza. “I just love my whole team, and it couldn’t have been a better opportunity for me.”
“I came into this game as a freshman and I really didn’t know what to expect,” responded Retamoza when asked if he had any pre-game jitters for his first varsity start. “But I knew I had to just go out there and do my thing.”
There was more than one star for Cardinal Newman and coming in right behind Retamoza was Jamari Gentry. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound running back had 135 yards rushing with one TD, plus he had 69 yards receiving on two pass receptions, both for touchdowns, once again all before halftime.
In fact, it was Gentry that ignited the rout.
Cardinal Newman (4-0) kicked off to start the game after deferring and they gave up a first down to O’Dowd before the defense forced a punt that left the Cardinals with the ball at their own 39-yard line.
On the very first play Retamoza handed off to Gentry and he took off around right end, broke free and raced down the sidelines 61-yards for a touchdown and the blitz was on.
O’Dowd got another fist down on its second series before punting and Newman had great field position once again at its own 34.
This time, on the very first play of the drive, Retamoza showed his speed by racing past several defenders pretty much straight up the gut for 47 yards to get the ball to the 19 of O’Dowd. After a 9-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Carmine Guevara, Retamoza took it himself once again straight ahead for a 10-yard TD run and it was 14-0 Newman.
An O’Dowd three-and-out gave the ball back to Newman at the Dragons 41 and a 5-play drive was capped by a 5-run and a 4-yard TD run by 6-foot-4, 293-pound sophomore lineman turned fullback Kahlio Vaetoe that made it 21-0 after one quarter.
The final play of the first quarter was a 48-yard pass from Retamoza to 6-foot-1, 165-pound junior wide receiver Jonah Bertoli that set up a 1-yard TD pass on the first play of the second quarter to 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior defensive end turned tight end Jesse Myers. Myers, in his first game at full strength after getting dinged up in week one against Casa Grande-Petaluma, had two sacks, both in the first half.
The fifth Newman touchdown came on a 63-yard pass from Retamoza to Gentry. The sixth Cardinals TD came on a 10-yard from Retamoza in which he ran over would be tacklers to find the end zone, and finally the seventh score that gave Newman a 49-0 lead at halftime was via a 6-yard TD pass from Retamoza to Gentry.
The game’s final tally came with mostly reserves in the game and on the Cardinals opening drive of the second half when junior running back Brody Estrella broke loose for a 34-yard TD run after a 24-run helped set up the score. Estrella finished with the one TD and 61-yards rushing on three carries.
While the offense was clicking under Retamoza and Gentry, the defense led by Myers, 6-foot-2, 221-pound senior linebacker Logan Rodriguez, and 6-foot-2, 245-pound defensive end Jimmy McKenzie, was manhandling the O’Dowd offense.
O’Dowd’s quarterback Devin Wilson and star wide receiver Deji Ajose were totally taken out of the game by the Cardinals defense, and primary running back Saliou Sow didn’t fare much better. Sow had 19 carries for 67 yards, but 52 yards of his total came on seven carries of the game’s final drive and against Newman subs. That drive ended when Cardinals senior defensive back Joe Khoury intercepted O’Dowd reserve quarterback Dale Smith and returned it 25-yards before the offense took a knee to end the game.
Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior, was only 4-of-11 passing for 10 yards. He was sacked three times and finished with minus-10 yards rushing, meaning the Neman defense held him to a zero output. Ajose, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound Washington-committed senior, caught two of the completed passes from Wilson but for minus-5 yards.
With the win over a Bishop O’Dowd team that was fairly high up in some local media rankings after a win on the road at Monte Vista-Danville two weeks ago that preceded a solid outing in a loss against to Oakland rival McClymonds, Cardinal Newman has stamped itself as a favorite to capture the new Redwood Empire Conference Football Adobe League.
For Bishop O’Dowd (2-2) it doesn’t get easier, and in fact it is going to be even tougher next week when the Dragons travel to Folsom to meet the Cal-Hi Sports No. 11 ranked Bulldogs.
Cardinal Newman has one more non-league game with visiting Pleasant Valley-Chico next Friday night before beginning Adobe League action in three weeks after a bye with host and archrival Windsor.
Marin Catholic blanks Tamalpais
After facing three tough big school opponents that left Marin Catholic with a 1-2 start this season, the Wildcats went into Mill Valley evened their record at 2-2 after totally dominating the host Red-tailed Hawks in a 44-0 whitewashing.
Marin scored two TDs in each of the first three quarters before the game went to a running clock in the fourth quarter.
The first three Marin Catholic TDs were set up by interceptions by a Marin Catholic defense that also had six sacks.
Marin Catholic junior quarterback Caedon Afsharipour had 233 yards passing and three TDs with two going to star senior wide receiver Braiden Bachich-Dixon.
Marin Catholic travels to Stockton next week to face Edison, then has a bye week before opening league play with a road game on October 11 against San Marin.
Tamalpais (0-4) has to regroup and opens Valley League play at home next week versus Justin-Siena-Napa.
Windsor 48, Dublin 7
Windsor joined Cardinal Newman and San Marin as the only teams in the Redwood Empire Conference Football Adobe to start 4-0 after an easy road win at Dublin.
Windsor scored first, but Dublin, under first-year head coach and former Oakland Raiders star running back and former Bishop O’Dowd head coach Napolean Kaufman, tied it up at 7-7 but from there it was all Windsor.
After a bye next week Windsor hosts Eureka before beginning Adobe League play hosting archrival Cardinal Newman.
Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park 37, Freedom-Oakley 0
Visiting Rancho Cotate (3-1) rebounded from its loss to Casa Grande by blanking a Freedom team that has yet to win a game in four matchups.
Vintage-Napa 44, Jesse Bethel-Vallejo 14
Vintage improved to 3-1 after a sold home win over Jesse Bethel.
The Crushers have a bye this week before facing cross-town rival Napa and then opening Adobe League play on October 11 at Rancho Cotate.