PREP FOOTBALL 2016: Trojans, Gauchos playing to keep playing

The high school football schedule plays out this weekend, but the season may not be over for Petaluma High’s Trojans and Casa Grande’s Gauchos. Both teams still hold North Coast Section playoff hopes as they play what may be their final home games of the season, but not their last games.

Casa Grande’s Gauchos still have a chance for the Division 2 playoffs, but will have to climb over a good Santa Rosa team to qualify. Petaluma has won five straight and is second in the Sonoma County League, but is ranked only 15th in Division 3.

In this week’s regular-season conclusion, both Casa Grande and Petaluma are home Friday night with Casa hosting Santa Rosa’s Panthers while Petaluma’s Trojans entertain Terra Linda’s Trojans from the Marin County Athletic League in a non-league match.

Playoffs start now

The playoffs essentially start Friday night for Casa Grande High School’s Gauchos, who from here on out are alive on a game-to-game basis. To enter the NCS Division 2 playoffs, Casa has to beat Santa Rosa. A loss and its season is over. Of course, once in the playoffs, it is more of the win or end situation.

Although just 3-6 for the season and 2-4 in North Bay League play, the Gauchos can qualify for the playoffs with a break-even or better record against Division 2 schools. Casa Grande goes into the game with a 2-2 record against D2 schools. Santa Rosa is a D2. The math is simple, the execution might be much more difficult.

Santa Rosa is concluding one of its best seasons since 2008, and comes onto the Casa Field with a 5-5 record, although it is just 2-5 in league. The Panthers have the kind of big-play athletes that have plagued the Gauchos all season.

“Their quarterback, Isiah Steele, has a strong arm and he can run,” said Casa coach Trent Herzog, “and they have two talented receivers.”

Through Santa Rosa’s first eight games, Steele had completed 100 of 180 passes for 1,870 yards, averaging 233.8 yards a game. He had thrown for 26 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He had also run for 374 more yards and five touchdowns.

He has two outstanding receivers in Cody Banks and Kalei Aukai. Both have more than 700 receiving yards. Aukai has 13 touchdowns and Banks eight.

Meanwhile, Herzog is still counting healthy bodies.

Herzog said starting quarterback Garrett Buffo, who engineered two thrilling last-minute wins over Maria Carrillo and Montgomery, but suffered concussion-like symptoms against Windsor last week, had cleared all the concussion protocols, but the coaches were still taking a cautious approach with the senior.

Another Gaucho injured in the Windsor game, defensive standout Billy Brown, will definitely be out with a neck injury, joining running backs Spencer Torkelson and Jack Leonetti on the sidelines.

And there is a whole bench of key players who will be participating with various hurts.

Despite the injuries, Herzog is convinced his team can get the job done. “We have a lot of people banged up, but they know what they need to do,” he said. “This will be Senior Night and maybe the seniors’ last game on their home field. I expect them to be ready.

“We did not play very well last week at Windsor (a 48-14 loss). “Now it’s up to the players. If they show up and play with heart and passion, I like our chances.”

Trojans vs. Trojans

Petaluma’s solid season and current five-game winning streak should be enough for a playoff berth, but in a division that includes the likes of Rancho Cotate, Analy, Marin Catholic, Bishop O’Dowd, Miramonte and Kennedy of Fremont (a team that beat Petaluma, 49-3), the Trojans are only ranked No. 15 in what will be a 16-team bracket.

The quality of the bracket adds a little extra urgency to the Trojans as they face off with the Trojans from Marin County, who come into the game with a 5-4 record and are 4-3 in a very good Marin County Athletic League.

The Trojans have been meeting for the last several seasons, with Petaluma’s version winning last season, 24-0.

Terra Linda comes to town working on a three-game winning streak that includes a 21-14 win over Justin Siena, a 45-3 spanking of San Rafael and a 28-14 win last week over Tamalpais.

The first four games of Petaluma’s winning streak were all won by shutout, 21-0 over Sonoma Valley; 28-0 over Piner; 53-0 over Healdsburg and 35-0 over El Molino. In the fifth and latest in the string, Petaluma set a school scoring record with a 70-20 victory over winless Elsie Allen.

Trying for bookends

St. Vincent will be attempting to finish a season that started with a win with a bookend finishing win when it hosts Portola on Saturday afternoon. However, between that opening win over Elsie Allen, 43-18, and Saturday’s contest, the Mustangs have lost eight straight North Central League I games to finish 0-for-league.

Portola has had an even tougher season than the Mustangs, losing all nine of its games, including five in the Mountain Valley League.

The contest was originally scheduled for Portola, a town of about 2,100 located on the middle fork of the Feather River. It is the only incorporated city in Plumas County. The location was switched to St. Vincent for fear of snow in the Sierra Nevada community.

Kickoff for the varsity game is at 1 p.m. The junior varsities start at 11 a.m.

St. Vincent goes into the game coming off one of its best efforts of the season. Although the Mustangs lost to Lower Lake, 44-22, they gave a school three times its size a good battle, and had the game tied, 14-14 at the half before wearing down over the final two periods.