Emotions run high, but friends at the end

“It was a respectful game, hard-fought too.” - Petaluma High lineman Luke Haggard.|

Emotions can run high after any football game. Athletes have just 10 sure chances a year to make a mark on school history.

After the 2017 Egg Bowl, players from Casa Grande and Petaluma high schools displayed emotion that was six years in the making.

The game is steeped in tradition, but to the players it was all brand new. Both teams had the opportunity to shape the future of the rivalry, win or lose.

“This is the biggest sporting event for both high schools,” Kurt Jastrow said before the game. Jastrow has coached softball at Petaluma since 1998. “It’s football. It’s the Egg Bowl.”

The event was put on hold in 2011 after on-field incidents rose to an uncomfortable level. Jastrow said the break was justified. “The last couple games were pretty testy,” Jastrow said.

The break was easier to execute after Casa Grande was placed in a different league.

Petaluma fullback and linebacker Jacob Rollstin didn’t think he’d ever play in an Egg Bowl. When he heard the news, he marked the day.

“They told us last year,” Rollstin said. “And I counted every day down.”

Players in 2017 said they liked competing against their childhood friends.

“We all go back to Pop Warner, playing on the Petaluma Panthers,” Rollstin said. “So we all know each other. It was great.”

Casa Grande defensive back Jeremy Bonner said much the same.

“It felt good to be able to look across the line and know most of those people on the other side,” Bonner said.

Casa Grande and Petaluma are positioned to play in the same league once again next year. New league configurations are expected to be approved by the NCS Board of Managers on Oct 3.

Whether the Egg Bowl is a league game or not, it’s always a rivalry game. And someone has to lose.

The Gauchos, who suffered a tough loss to the Trojans, showed resilience after the game.

“We’re upset obviously,” Casa Grande’s Jack Leonetti said. “But we’ll bounce back.”

Even as the loss visibly weighed on him, Leonetti, a senior, said he valued the experience.

“It was fun, but we didn’t come away with it,” Leonetti said.

But the Gauchos have yet to play a league game. Head coach Denis Brunk reminded his team the playoffs are still within reach.

“We know next week we really got to grind, so we can come into league and win,” Bonner said.

Petaluma players, meanwhile, weren’t as ready to move on. They were jubilant after their victory.

“I’m feeling great,” Petaluma lineman Luke Haggard said after the game. “This week was a big week for us. We’ve been looking forward to this game, and it felt great to win. It was a respectful game, hard-fought, too.”

If the respectful, hard-fought play from the 2017 Egg Bowl can be duplicated in future games, the town of Petaluma will have every reason to showcase its rivalry.

“It’s a game,” Jastrow said. “If you win, you win. If you lose, you lose. You go on, you know?”

Casa Grande and Petaluma share a long football history, but the rivalry is fresh. The athletes that thrilled fans on Saturday are the foundation of the Egg Bowl’s revival.

Both teams were ready for the moment. They showed poise in victory and defeat.

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