PREP FOOTBALL 2016: Trojans try again for first win against Kennedy

The road doesn’t get any smoother for the Petaluma and St. Vincent football teams this week as both seek bounce-back wins. Petaluma’s Trojans are back on their home field to face Kennedy from Fremont, while St. Vincent’s Mustangs continue on the road, playing at Clear Lake.

Casa Grande’s Gauchos, coming off three very physical games, draw a much-needed bye as they prepare to begin North Bay League play against powerhouse Cardinal Newman on Sept. 23.

Unbeaten opponent

Petaluma’s Trojans, coming off consecutive losses to Windsor, 42-7, and Rodriguez, 42-27, now face a Kennedy team from the Mission Valley League that is undefeated after its first three games, recording wins over San Marin, 34-15, Berean Christian, 49-39, and Castro Valley, 39-13.

Like Petaluma, Kennedy is a ground-bound team. The Titans have passed for just 177 yards in three games, but they have run for 1,309 yards, an average of 435.3 a game. Senior Vincent Larsen is the man for the Trojans to stop. He has run for 522 yards in 72 carries, an average of 174 yards a game. Included in his resume are four touchdowns, one on a burst of 78 yards.

Defensively, the Titans have a tough run stopper in 5-foot-7, 210-pound nose guard Nicholas Loya and a wide-ranging strong safety in Darius Moses.

Petaluma, despite its two losses, has had some success with its triple-option offense, gaining 397 rushing yards in two games, using a bevy of ball carriers, including quarterback Justin Wolbert, Dominic Christobal, Jacob Rolistin, Dominic Ayers and Connor Richardson. When the Trojans get close, the call usually goes to Christobal, who scored three touchdowns against Rodriguez last week.

The junior varsities begin at 5 p.m., with the varsities kicking off at 7:30 p.m.

Lake County journey

St. Vincent tries for its second win of the season and first in the North Central League I as it plays Friday night against Clear Lake.

The home-standing Cardinals are looking for a fresh start under new coach Mark Cory after going 2-8 last season. So far, they are 1-1, opening with a convincing 35-0 win over South Fork before losing their NCL I opener to Fort Bragg, 32-9.

St. Vincent’s Mustangs pretty much mirror the Cardinals’ record, going 3-7 last year and standing 1-1 this season with a non-league win, 43-18, over Elsie Allen; and a league loss, 48-13, to Cloverdale.

So far, St. Vincent has been Davis dominated, with senior Michael Davis rushing for 295 yards and sophomore brother, Will, passing for 248. The junior varsity game is at 5 p.m., with the varsity contest at 7:30 p.m.