SANTA ROSA, CA – For the better part of the first half it looked like host Cardinal Newman was in for a game against a fired up Windsor. However, after all was said and done it was still all Newman in a 51-14 victory that went to a running clock in the fourth quarter.
After the visiting Jaguars scored with 3:49 left in the first half they cut it to a 17-14 deficit, but from that point on it became the same Jordon Brookshire show that seems to be repeating itself each week.
After the Windsor kickoff Newman (7-1, 5-0 North Bay League) got the ball on its own 46 yard line. Brookshire rushed for five yards, threw a short pass to Tanner Mendoza, rushed for 13-yards, threw an incomplete pass, rushed for 14, nine and four yards, and then when everyone in the house thought he would try to take it in himself, he pulled off a perfect fake and gave the ball to Kyle Carinalli who scored on an 11-yard end around with 47 seconds left in the second quarter.
Windsor got the ball at their 37 after the kickoff, but on the first play of the drive lost it on a strange play. Jaguars quarterback Kobe Roman was being sacked by Cardinals linebacker Dino Kahaulelio and extended his arm to try and throw an incomplete pass, but the ball popped straight up and defensive lineman Jake McElderry caught it out of the air. After querying the officials it was ruled an interception at the Windsor 35, a feat that is rare for a defensive lineman.
On the very first play Brookshire found a wide open Carinalli for a 35-yard TD and Newman had scored two TDs in 15 seconds to totally take the starch out of the visitors.
Brookshire, a 6-2, 205-pound senior that also plays a hard-hitting defensive back, was 10-for-13 for 154 yards passing and two touchdowns, and also had 21 carries for 146 yards and two scores rushing, all in less than three quarters of action.
Carinalli had the rushing and receiving TD’s and Mendoza rushed for 75 yards and two scores.
Windsor (5-3, 2-3) got two short rushing touchdowns from Jackson Baughman and David Escarcega.
Even in an impressive win Brookshire still didn’t want to look to far down the road.
“We learned that as a team we need to come out fast and give full effort right from the beginning, and we’ve got to minimize mistakes the next two weeks,” Brookshire remarked.
Newman still has two games left in league that should be more competitive, first against Santa Rosa at home next week, and then at Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park, but regardless of what happens against those larger schools (Santa Rosa is D2 and Rancho Cotate is D3) the Cardinals are looking like huge favorites in the CIFNCS Division IV playoffs.
