This week: First home game for Gauchos

The high school football world doesn’t get any easier for local teams this week as Petaluma and St. Vincent look for continued success and Casa Grande hopes home is sweeter than what it discovered on the road in its opening game.

All three teams play Friday night, with Petaluma at Santa Rosa, Casa Grande home to Montgomery and St. Vincent at San Rafael.

Traditional foe

Petaluma and Santa Rosa continue what could be the longest-standing football rivalry in the North Bay when they resume festivities on the Panther turf in Santa Rosa with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

Both teams are coming off successful starts. While Petaluma was rallying in the second half to defeat Montgomery, 21-7, Santa Rosa was shocking Analy, 34-3.

Petaluma’s defense will get one of its toughest tests of the early season as it has to make a stand against a Santa Rosa offense that ran over the Tigers for 300 yards and five touchdowns.

The man for the Trojans to stop is quarterback Jayvee Long who shreaded the Tiger defense for 180 yards on a yeoman’s 30 carries. Emilio Campos gained 106 yards and Jaime Lemus added 42 for the ground-pounding Panthers.

Petaluma won last season’s game, 49-12, but no one is expecting that kind of lopsided result Friday night.

Home opener

Casa Grande’s Gauchos bring the quest for a first win home to face their own long-time foe, Montgomery’s Vikings. Kick off is at 7 p.m.

Montgomery gave Petaluma a battle for a half in its opener, finally losing, 21-7.

Unlike Windsor, the team that beat Casa, 30-22, in the opening game last week by powering its way through the Gaucho line, Montgomery is more a wide-open opponent, relying on the passing and running of talented quarterback Cole Hallin and a bevy of swift receivers.

Casa Grande featured a similar look at Windsor with quarterback Jason Bosarge passing for 212 yards and three touchdowns, all to junior Dominic Mchale.

While the Gauchos mustered an impressive passing attack, the running game was missing, with potentially strong rusher Matt Herrera finding nowhere to go. He gained 25 yards. Subtracting the 16 lost by Bosarge to the strong Windsor pass rush, and the Gauchos had just nine net rushing yards, a number they are working hard to change against Montgomery.

Road test

St. Vincent’s Mustangs, with their first win recorded for new coach Trent Herzog, step up in opposition size this week as they go to San Rafael to play the Bulldogs from the Marin County Athletic League.

The game matches two teams trying to rebuild their programs.

St. Vincent was 1-8 last season, while San Rafael was 0-9. The Bulldogs are currently in the midst of a 25-game overall and 44-game MCAL losing streak.

However, things could be changing. Like the Mustangs, the Bulldogs have a new coach in Mark Lubamersky and the extra incentive of starting the season in a new stadium. Friday will not only be their first game of the year, but the first football game on their new turf.

The Bulldogs can be expected to throw the football with quarterbacks Michael Pulido and Jack Miller doing the passing.

St. Vincent has the advantage of having a game (and a win) under its belt.

The Mustang defense, led by Giovanni Antonini, was dominant in an 18-0 shutout over McKinleyville.

The offense showed a strong passing game led by veteran quarterback Trent Free, but didn’t fare as well on the ground, although senior running back Daniel Burleson showed potential.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.