The 2014 season for Moreau Catholic ended in much the same fashion as it opened, with a one-sided loss to Saint Mary’s of Albany. The Mariners were outscored 100-27 in the two games last year, so it was easy to expect a Panthers’ victory in the 2015 opener.
What happened instead, though, was a wire-to-wire victory for Moreau Catholic, a statement that Mariners’ football is definitely on the rise, especially after last year’s playoff victory over Fort Bragg, the first post-season win in school history.
“Our guys just came out firing on all cylinders,” said Mariners’ coach Andrew Cotter. “It seems like all we do is prepare for Saint Mary’s, and our guys really worked hard after losing twice to them last season.”
The dominating performance was not limited to any single player in Moreau’s 33-14 win, although junior running back and defensive Jullen “Booda” Ison turned heads around the section by rushing for nearly 300 yards and two scores. Senior wideout Gustavo Borrayo also took a slant pass from quarterback Ryan Regner, and turned it into a long score, while senior Hadari Darden punched in another goal-line touchdown.
The defense, though, might have provided the most satisfying performance for Cotter and his staff. After giving up 61 points in a playoff loss to the Panthers last year, Moreau allowed two long scores, but otherwise controlled the game. Alex Johnson played big at his cornerback position, while Richard Hampton played well at outside linebacker. UCLA commit Johnny den Bleyker had double-digit tackles to anchor the defense from his inside linebacker spot.
“Defensively, our guys did tremendous,” Cotter said. “Take away those two big plays for scores, and it was just an awesome night for them.”
Adding to the mix of strong performances for the Mariners was a special teams feat which Cotter referred to as “unheard on his teams,” as kicker Evanco Sinay drilled two field goals in the game.
Lions prove to be rude hosts: After spoiling Central High School’s home opener down in Fresno last season with a thrilling 27-26 victory, Liberty coach Jeff Walters prepared his team to face a fired-up Grizzlies’ squad in the Lions’ home opener this year. With just four returning starters from last year, however, Liberty dominated its visitors in a 30-7 victory.
With a handful of players who saw action on the offensive and defensive lines last year, the Lions expected their play up front to be a strength, and it did not disappoint in the opener, forcing Central’s offense to put the ball in the air on a regular basis, where it was unable to sustain any kind of consistency.
Offensively, meanwhile, transfer quarterback Christian Haffner was coolly efficient, completing 9-of-10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, while also leading the team in rushing, with 12 carries for 91 yards and a score.
Liberty also displayed depth among the young players on its team, as 10 different Lions carried the ball in the win, and seven different players caught passes. Junior Trejon Hawkins also lived up to pre-season billing as a player to watch, as he scored on a 54-yard route down the seam and also broke loose for a 53-yard kickoff return.
“It was great to get that first win of the season, and to see the kids play hard and fight as a team,” said Liberty coach Jeff Walters. “We have some things to clean up as we move forward, but everyone contributed, and there were some major growing up moments from a team with very little varsity experience.”
Cardiac kids from Piedmont ... After beating Justin-Siena in the 2014 opener, the Piedmont Highlanders saw their undefeated season end against the Braves in the playoffs, struggling with turnovers in a 14-3 loss. So it would have been easy for the Highlanders to let their heads get down a little in the 2015 opener at Justin-Siena, trailing 21-14 entering the fourth quarter.
Instead, they broke through for 21 fourth-quarter points to pull away from the host Braves.
This time, it was the Piedmont defense forcing the turnovers, as they stepped up and gave the offense the ability to win the game.
“This was a great team win, seeing our boys play with resiliency and really handle the adversity we faced,” said Piedmont coach James Holan. “To force those turnovers the way we did and then capitalize on them says a lot about our young men and their commitment to each other.”
The Highlanders got their scoring accomplished through the ground, as junior Nick Pacult ran for three touchdowns and senior Gabe Watson ran for 106 yards and two more scores. The overall production had balance, however, as senior quarterback Miles Kim added 169 yards through the air. Holan was quick to credit not just the performance of his players, but also his staff that made adjustments throughout the game.
“Really proud of my assistant coaches because they did an amazing job making my first game (as head coach) easy,” Holan said. “My defensive coordinator, Nick Safir, did a great job making adjustments and getting his guys to play hard all night, while my quarterbacks coach, John Trotman, was essential in helping me call the game and putting our guys in the best position possible to make plays.”
Holan also reminded his team that although they are on the right path, there is a lot of work to be done in order to be a consistent championship-caliber program such as Justin-Siena.
“We have a tremendous amount of respect for Justin-Siena and (coach) Rich Cotruvo,” Holan said. “They are a class act, and have run a championship program there for a long time. We wouldn’t be surprised to see them again in the playoffs.”
Closer than the final score: Defending state-champion Campolindo beat host Hayward on Friday night by the final score of 34-14, but the game was much closer than it sounds. The Farmers led 6-0 after one quarter, and probably should have been ahead by two touchdowns, but fumbled on the one-yard line going in. Then, midway through the fourth quarter, while trailing 21-6, Hayward intercepted a pass and returned it 65 yards for an apparent touchdown, only to have the return called back for a blocking penalty during the run.
Campolindo may be replacing a number of players from last year’s team, but the Farmers might also be a team to watch in the WACC-Shoreline division and Division II. Senior quarterback Juni Moi Moi completed 10-of-19 passes for 234 yards and two scores in the loss.
Could have been worse: The final score of Monte Vista’s 42-14 win over Castro Valley does not justice to the actual game, as the Mustangs took their foot of the gas before halftime. Monte Vista led 42-0 at the break, after quarterback Jake Haener completed 17-of-22 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns. All four scoring passes went to Noah Sol, who had six catches for 167 yards. Sol missed eight games last season with a broken arm.
A tale of two explosive offenses: The most entertaining game of the weekend may have taken place at Pinole Valley, where Miramonte downed the Spartans, 52-42. The Matadors had 595 yards of total offense, while Pinole Valley had 451 yards of its own.
Miramonte quarterback Tim Tague completed 27-of-44 passes for 473 yards and seven touchdowns, five of them to Sutter Lindberg, who had 11 catches for 278 yards. Meanwhile, Pinole Valley quarterback Troyante McConico ran for 232 yards and five touchdowns, and backfield mate Michael Kyle ran for an additional 152 yards with a score.
NCS finishes weekend even with Texas: It may not have been a nationally televised matchup like the De La Salle loss to Trinity, but Division V St. Bernard’s of Eureka also traveled to Texas, knocking off Round Hill, 43-40. Junior Jack Rice, last year’s leading receiver, led the team with 223 yards and two touchdowns passing, to go with another 146 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Different year, same story for league strength: The two leagues long considered the strength of the North Coast Section flexed their muscle again to open the 2015 season. The Bay Valley Athletic League went 5-1, with the lone loss coming to Amador Valley of the East Bay Athletic League. The EBAL, meanwhile, went 5-2, with both losses coming to BVAL programs.
The Diablo Football Athletic League also got off to a solid start, going 5-2, with one loss each to the BVAL and EBAL. Two leagues trying to break into that upper echelon, meanwhile, struggled in week one, with the Tri-County Rock division and the West Alameda Foothill division combining to go 3-7.
