JJ SAYS; Trojans overcome distractions

Petaluma High School is quietly nearing the end of one of its most successful football seasons ever.

With only Elsie Allen left on their regular-season agenda, the Trojans are 7-1 and will almost certainly finish at 8-1. The odds are against it, but the Trojans could possibly win 10 games (by winning two North Coast Section playoff games) in a season where they played only nine regular-season games.

The only negative is that Petaluma will not win the Sonoma County League championship. That honor will again go to its old nemesis Analy. The Trojans got off to a horrendous start in its game against the Tigers and never recovered, losing, 48-32. There is a very slight chance the Trojans could share in the league championship, but that would only happen if El Molino shocks Analy in Friday night’s Apple Bowl. Considering that Petaluma totally dominated El Molino, 56-21, last week, those chances are closer to none than slim. But miracles do happen.

It is not only the won-loss success that has made the season so impressive for the Trojans, it is their remarkable dominating consistency. The Trojans have scored 48 or more points in six of their seven wins and even rallied for 32 points in their lone loss. Only that game against Analy and the Egg Bowl against a vastly underrated and emotionally fired up Casa Grande team (a 20-14 win) have been competitive.

Petaluma’s defensive statistics have been skewed by the large number of blow out games when the Trojans cleared the bench often as early as the first half, giving everyone playing time. Early on, it looked like they might be very vulnerable to passing attack, but they have improved their secondary play weekly and, aided by an aggressive pass rush, become a good overall defensive team.

That Petaluma has a good football team is not surprising. The Petaluma varsity has some outstanding athletes and Rick Krist and his coaching staff have built a solid program that has, and will consistently produce, good teams.

What is surprising is that the Trojans have been able to play at such a high level considering the disruptions in what is certainly one of the strangest Trojan seasons of recent years, if not of all time.

It has been especially difficult for the seniors whose final season has been anything but normal.

It began before the first practice when the realization that they would not have a home field began to sink in. Even before school started, their home field was being dug up to make way for a new synthetic turf.

Casa Grande has been very gracious as hosts and the two schools have worked well together to share the Gaucho field. The Gauchos lived through a similar situation last year when their season was disrupted by construction of their own field. They made due by playing games at Petaluma and Santa Rosa Junior College.

I can say, as one who has been guest of some very gracious and wonderful host families over the last couple of weeks, that staying with good people is enjoyable and appreciated, but it is not home.

And then there is the whole issue of homecoming. Since Petaluma has a bye on the last week of the regular season, another abnormality in an abnormal season, Saturday’s last game against Elsie Allen will be the last regular-season game and probably the Trojans’ last “home” game of the season. Among other things, that means that homecoming and senior night will happen at the same game.

The rest of what is usually a week-long celebration will be different this year.

The Homecoming Queen will be crowned, as is customary, during the halftime, of the football game, but the Homecoming Dance will be held the following Saturday on Nov. 4. There will be no Homecoming Parade. Instead there will be a community gathering after school on Nov. 3 with music, activities, and Homecoming Float displays.

On top of all of that, one of the worst natural disasters in Northern California history shocked five counties. Petaluma wasn’t impacted nearly as much as schools in Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Napa, but, for the Trojans it was one more problem in a year of distractions.

It has been a wild and crazy year for all, but it has been a successful year for the Petaluma High School football players - a success story they hope to continue in the North Coast Section playoffs.

(Contact John Jackson at johnie.jackson@arguscourier.com)