JJ Says: A special St. Vincent team

Now that the St. Vincent High School football team stands atop the North Bay League Redwood, although on a shared podium, the question seems almost rhetorical. The answer is a loud, Yes, St. Vincent can compete in the North Bay League.

The Mustang team that resoundingly defeated Santa Rosa, 42-6 Saturday afternoon has no resemblance to the 2017 team that one just once (against Elsie Allen) in nine games and lost seven without a win in the North Central League. It is like comparing watermelons to raisins.

When Trent Herzog took over the football program in 2018, the school pulled out of the NCL to play as an independent and made overtures to the newly reformated NBL, people were more than skeptical. If St. Vincent couldn’t beat Willits (no slight intended) how could it compete with Piner?

The answer, delivered this fall in St. Vincent’s first full season in the NBL Redwood was 62-0 in favor of the Mustangs.

It has been a strange season in the NBL Redwood. With Elsie Allen opting out of football, there are only five teams in the league. Three of them tied for first place. St. Vincent, Montgomery and Santa Rosa each had one league loss. Piner and Healdsburg provided cannon fodder for the top three with Piner winning just one league game and Healdsburg losing all four of its NBL matches.

The logjam occurred because Montgomery beat St. Vincent 30-21. Santa Rosa beat Montgomery 20-14 and St. Vincent beat Santa Rosa 42-6. St. Vincent, had the best overall record, finishing 8-1, compared to 7-3 for Montgomery and 6-4 for Santa Rosa. The Mustangs made their point - they can not only survive, but thrive in the NBL Redwood.

In the interest of full disclosure, this is an exceptional St. Vincent team.

Dante Antonini and Kai Hall are two of the best football players and best athletes in the North Coast Section on any level. While the crucial win over Santa Rosa was a team effort with contributions from a number of players, Antonini and Hall were dominant.

The numbers tell part of the story.

Antonini, mostly taking direct snaps, rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown, left a mark on several Panthers as a devastating blocker and even threw a touchdown pass. On defense he made 10 tackles, five unassisted and two for loss.

Hall carried 20 times for 215 yards and four touchdowns, plus another receiving (on a pass from Antonini). He had four receptions in the game for 40 yards. That’s 255 yards in total offense. The excitement was palpable with his every step.

What the numbers don’t show were Santa Rosa’s futile efforts to block Antonini and equally ineffective efforts to tackle Hall. Senior Antonini spent the afternoon either tackling or harassing Panthers who dared to touch the football and those who did carry often paid a bruising price.

The word “star” carries the connotation of elitism. Antonini and Hall are definitely stars at St. Vincent, as they would be on any team they played for. But they are also aware that they are part of a team of players who have not only enjoyed a great season, but have turned around a program.

When talking about offensive numbers, quarterback Jaret Bosarge needs to be especially noted, not because his numbers are huge, but because they are small. On a team with an Antonini and a Hall, a quarterback is an administrator and Bosarge did his job well, but when a key play was needed, he was the man. He averaged 7.1 yards every time he carried the ball. He scored three touchdowns running and passed for seven more.

More than just being a quarterback, he was also one of St. Vincent’s best defenders. He had a huge game against Santa Rosa, making 11 tackles, 8 solo and coming up with a fumble recovery at a time when the game was still competitive. Bosarge’s top talent – he knows what it takes to win.

And there many others – players like Jake DeCarli, who had a happy habit of catching passes, both those thrown by his side, and by the opposition as well; Killian Collins, who was carted off the field in a game against Healdsburg and came back to play against Santa Rosa; Liam O’Hare, who always seemed to make a key block or a huge tackle and Ryan Gifilian who had nine tackles for loss this season.

Then there are the Rooks brothers – junior Nathan, sophomore Malcolm and freshman Robert, all important contributors to a championship season on both sides of the football.

A special mention should be made by Mustangs who are seldom acknowled except in season previews – the offensive line. For St. Vincent, that means Kyle Ghisletta at center, Dominic Minton and Samuel Reier on the left side and Cam Vaughn and the freshman Rooks (Robert) on the right.

As an added bonus, St. Vincent had an accurate kicker in Kieran Peterson who hit 29 PATs and allowed St. Vincent to be one of the few teams capable of kicking off deep.

I’m sure I missed a couple of key participants, and I apologize, but the point is that this year’s St. Vincent team was special.

Js the St. Vincent success sustainable?

The Mustangs lose Antonini, who will go down as one of the best football players ever at St. Vincent. Also gone will be Carter Payte, Collins, DeCarli, O’Hare, Gilfillan and Minton. That’s a hunk of talent, but Hall and many of the others will be back.

I’m not predicting a dynasty for the Mustangs. There will be some great years, some good years and a few lean years, but this season’s team has proven what some doubted – St. Vincent can play football in the North Bay League Redwood. What about in the North Bay League Oak? Let’s not get the cart before the horses. For right now, NBL Redwood champion sounds pretty darn good.

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