Prep football arrives running

Forget about toddling and walking, high school football hits Petaluma running.|

Forget about toddling and walking, high school football hits Petaluma running.

The first week of the high school season will also be one of the best of the season, featuring a clash of last season’s top two Redwood Empire teams, a meeting of two ancient rivals and a big small school battle between north and south powers.

Gauchos vs. Tigers

The huge game is in Sebastopol where Casa Grande’s defending North Bay League champion Gauchos take on Analy’s defending Sonoma County League champion Tigers. Last season, both teams were undefeated in their respective leagues and both reached the North Coast Section semifinals, Casa in Division 2 and Analy in Division 3. The Gauchos finished with a 13-1 record, while Analy was 11-2. Neither team lost a game against North Bay opposition. Casa’s only loss was to Miramonte in the NCS Division 2 playoff semifinals, while Analy lost to Miramonted during the regular season and Marin Catholic in the NCS Division 3 playoffs.

While both teams are solid in all areas, their strengths are not in the same area.

Casa Grande has a potentially awesome front line with Tanner Shimek (235 pounds), Brendan Jackson (275 pounds), Julian Lopez (235 pounds), Peter Parrick (295 pounds) and Greg Poteracke (275 pounds).

Analy returns just one starter - guard Jesse Erdman - to its own front line, although the Tigers also have a pair of solid tackles in seniors Henry Campbell and Zach Vangrin.

Behind the line, the Tigers are loaded with speed and experience, while the Gauchos have to replace the super-talented athletes that made them so explosive last season.

Back for the Tigers are quarterack Will Smith, receiver Kerr Johnson, Jr. and running back Ja’Narrick James. Smith passed for 1,725 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. Johnson gained 1,202 yards receiving, scoring 11 touchdowns. James is a human comet. He ran for 1,176 yards and scored 25 touchdowns last season. Casa coach Trent Herzog says, “He is the closest thing to Barry Sanders I’ve seen in high school football.”

Casa has to counter the Tiger explosiveness not with statistics, but with potential. The Gauchos will put their offense in the hands of one of three gifted, but inexperienced, quarterbacks - senior Brent Eger, who backed up Jajuan Lawson last season; strong-armed junior J.J. Anderson or freshman Frank Gawronski.

The leading Casa ball carrier may well be a sophomore Spencer Torkelson whose only varsity experience came at the end of blow-out games late in the season last year, although Kevin Donohoe, Max Cerini and Andrew Floerke may all get carries. Fullbacks Casey Longaker, Nick Jensen and sophomore Charley Baldwin are also potential ball movers for Casa.

“Analy is very dangerous,” says Herzog. “They may have the best team talent in the whole area. Our strength is their weakness, but our weakness is their strength. For the first time since I’ve been head coach, we may not be the fastest team on the field.

“It will be a tough game, but we’re excited about the challenge.”

Trojans vs. Panthers

Petaluma will be trying to break a five-game losing streak to Santa Rosa’s Panthers, dating back to 2009 when it renews one of its longest standing rivalries.

Stopping that streak and beating the Panthers on their home turf will not be an easy task. “They are always physical and they have a lot more size than we do,” observes Petaluma coach Rick Krist. “They have a couple of key players in Devonte Manning (tight end) and Jahi Hayes (running back) who are very good. It is going to be important for use to pursue on defense.”

Santa Rosa was just 2-8 last season, opening with a win over Petaluma and following up with a victory over Antioch before injuries sent them into an eight-game losing streak tail spin.

With Manning and veteran wide receiver Shane Simpson catching, and either senior Harvey McPeters or sophomore Cassius Banks throwing, the Panthers should be able to move through the air. But they will again be primarily a ground team, featuring the fast and elusive Hayes, who is expected to be one of the Redwood Empire’s best running backs now that he is healthy following an injury-hampered junior season.

Led by Manning and McPeters, the Santa Rosa defense should be a good test for the improved Petaluma offensive front and its new look backfield with Brendan White at quarterback, Yusef Kawasami at fullback and Greg Thomas, Lucas Dentoni and Harrison Royal at running back.

SV vs. Crusaders

St. Vincent’s Mustangs get no bargain for their opener. What they do get is a good measuring stick for what their season might look like.

“It is going to be a good test for us,” says St. Vincent coach Gary Galloway. “St. Bernard’s has almost its whole team back and its JV team was really solid.”

The Crusaders lost only three games last season, while winning eight. One of those losses was put on their record by the Mustangs who beat them, 26-0, in last season’s opener in Eureka.

The game will be a good test for St. Vincent’s veteran offensive line and new-look backfield with Dominic Pedersen taking over at quarterback and varsity veteran George Sammon stepping into the role of main ball carrier.

The game will also provide a good first challenge for an offensive line of Will Tarrant (235 pounds), Tyler Schmidt (200 pounds), Jack Gatfield (250 pounds), Jordan Pech (190 pounds) and Justin Sablik (180 pounds) that is expected to be one of the Mustangs’ strengths.

Varsity kickoff Saturday will be at 2 p.m.

Braves vs. Warriors

Tomales renews a rivalry with a long-standing foe when it hosts Hoopa Friday night.

Although they have a long history, the Braves and Warriors haven’t faced one another in several seasons. The last time they did play, in 2011, Hoopa beat Tomales, 27-8, in the North Coast Section Division 5 championship game.

Hoopa hit on hard times last season, going 0-10, but football appears to be on the upswing this year with 37 players on the Hoopa roster.

Tomales has several new faces, but will rely on its trademark strengths of physical defense led by veterans Alex Palomores and Dante Feliciano, and grind-it-out offense featuring Willy Lepori and Ty Evenich to return it to the playoffs after a solid 6-4 season last year that was disappointing only because the Braves didn’t reach the playoffs.

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