Casa and Petaluma players concentrate on this week

Petaluma and Casa Grande are both home Friday night.|

Beware the trap. That is the mantra for both Petaluma’s Trojan and Casa Grande Gaucho football teams this week as they try very hard not to look ahead to next week’s little game referred to as the Egg Bowl.

There will be much at stake when Petaluma and Casa Grande meet on the Casa field on Oct. 27. There is just as much at stake when both play at home Friday night, Petaluma against Napa and Casa Grande against Justin-Siena.

Although neither local team will win the first Vine Valley Athletic League football championship, that honor will go to Vintage’s unbeaten Crushers, both teams have legitimate hopes of continuing their seasons in the North Coast Section playoffs.

Petaluma is 5-3 on the season and 2-2 in VVAL play. The Trojans are ranked No. 10 among North Coast Section Division 3 schools, with the top 16 teams making the playoffs.

It needs to be noted that playoff participants are chosen by a NCS selection committee and not by MaxPreps rankings.

Casa Grande is 3-6 overall and 3-1 in league play, and are guaranteed a break-even or better league record making it eligible for the playoffs. The Gauchos are ranked No. 17 among NCS Division 2 teams.

Dangerous Grizzlies

Napa comes to Steve Ellison Field to face the Trojans without a win to show for eight tries, four in league. That doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. In three of their losses, they have scored better than 30 points. Last week, they scored 27 in a loss to Casa Grande, and led the Gauchos by two touchdowns early in the game.

Quarterback Isaiah Newton is a threat both running and passing. Last week against the Gauchos he passed for 173 yards (18 of 30) and two touchdowns, and also ran for 98 yards. Running back Chase LaRue broke a 47-yard run to set up a touchdown and sophomore speedster Brock Bowers grabbed a touchdown pass and set up another score with a pass interception.

Napa’s problem has been defense. The Grizzlies give up an average of better than 43 points per game.

Petaluma hopes to take advantage of the Napa stop problems with its high-powered option running game. Led by senior Garrett Freitas, who is having another Player of the Year-type season, the Trojans are averaging 247 running yards a game. Freitas has 819 yards in seven games. He also has 132 receiving yards, just one behind team leader Jacob Havard.

Of some concern for Petaluma has to be stopping the high-scoring Grizzlies. The Trojans are averaging yielding better than 27 points per game, and will have to play well on the stop side of the ball to avoid an upset.

Tough chore

Casa Grande faces a tough job on its home turf Friday night as it faces a strong American Canyon team that has lost in league only to powerhouse Vintage. The Wolves’ problem is that it has won only in league after a tough early schedule, and is just 3-5 on the season. Included in the American Canyon record was a 43-16 whipping of Petaluma in the first VVAL game of the season.

There is no secret to what the Wolves hope to do Friday night. Their plan, as it has been all season, is to run senior halfback Eddie Byrdsong or junior quarterback Vance Eschenburg behind a big offensive line until they march into the end zone or one or the backs breaks a long run. Byrdson has rushed for 650 yards, while Eschenburg has run for 584 and seven touchdowns.

By contrast, the quarterback has completed just 12 of 40 passes for 349 yards.

Casa Grande’s challenge is for its underrated defense to stop the Wolves’ ground assault. That defense, led by roving cornerback Aaron Krupinsky and linebacker Jack Green, has generally played very well once league play started.

Offensively, the Gauchos offensive line is another area that has shown improvement in recent games, giving quarterback Jadon Bosarge more time to find his excellent receiving corps led by Dominic Mchale who has 34 catches and six touchdowns on the season.

It is an important Friday night for both Petaluma and Casa Grande, and until it is over, there is no such thing as an Egg Bowl.

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