Best of area football players receive All-VVAL honors

Petaluma and Casa well represented on All-VVAL team|

Petaluma and Casa Grande high schools are well represented on the first All-Vine Valley Athletic League football team.

Two Petaluma Trojans, Garrett Freitas and Nick Siembieda, were selected by the league coaches to both the first-team offense and the first-team defense.

Matt Salyers was chosen to the first-team defense and Nick Ayers was named to the first-team defense.

Casa Grande’s Matt Herrera, Jordan Gramajo and Jack Faris were named to the first-team offense and Ian McKissik was the only punter named to the all-league team.

Freitas, last year’s Most Valuable Offensive Player in the Sonoma County League, moved his talents to the VVAL with no loss of effectiveness on either side of scrimmage as a senior.

Despite missing a game and a half and playing most of the season with a leg injury, he still rushed for 1,121 yards, averaging 10 yards per carry, and scored 11 touchdowns. He also caught a team-high 17 passes for 184 and a receiving touchdown.

On a team that seldom passed, Petaluma’s call when a long gain was needed was simply to give the ball to Freitas.

On the other side of the ball, the senior was Petaluma’s best cover defender.

Siembieda, a 6-foot, 3-inch, 245-pound senior, was Mr. Consistency on both offensive and defensive lines for Petaluma. He solidified the Trojan offensive front at guard, and he was an instrumental hole opener for a Petaluma team that rushed for 2,939 yards, an average of 267 yards per game. Defensively, he led the front line in tackles and was among the new league’s top run stoppers.

Salyers, a junior, solidified the Petaluma offensive front. His blocking and line leadership were key components for one of the best Trojan offensive lines in recent years.

Ayers, a senior, was not only one of Petaluma’s leading tacklers, but one of the team’s emotional leaders. He had the knack of being a drive stopper, seeming to always make the big play when it was most needed.

Gramajo was named to the offensive team as a wide receiver, but he really could have just been named as a “football player.”

For Casa Grande, he played both wide receiver and running back on offense and at linebacker on defense, leading the Gauchos on both sides of the football.

The senior finished with 118 yards and five touchdowns rushing, 38 catches for 378 yards receiving and 44 tackles on defense.

But the numbers don’t begin to tell the story of his worth to the Casa cause. More telling is his postseason honor as the team’s Most Valuable Player.

Herrera carried the rushing load for Casa Grande. Injuries to the offensive line and a pass-oriented offense made rushing life difficult early, but once the line settled in, he took off, finishing with 493 rushing yards and 115 yards receiving.

Much of Herrera’s success was the result of the blocking efforts of Faris, one of four juniors named to the offensive first team. He was a consistent factor all season and a leader of a line that, by the end of the season, was the equal of any in the VVAL.

McKissick, in his only year of varsity football, was a key factor in Casa Grande’s success, consistently punting the Gauchos out of trouble.

Five times he pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line.

He was also the team’s kicker, accounting for 25 points with his leg. He added on six points with a touchdown reception.

Named to the second-team offense were Chris Olvera and Danny DeCarli from Petaluma, along with Alex Johnson, Dominic McHale and Daniel Chavez from Casa Grande.

Olvera and DeCarli, both seniors, were other key members of the Petaluma offensive front. Olvera’s return from an injury allowed DeCarli to move from center to his preferred position at guard and made a good Trojan line better.

Johnson missed Casa’s first four games as he sat out because of transfer rules. Once activated, he joined Herrera to give Casa the solid ground game it had been searching for and badly needed. He ran for 419 yards and four touchdowns.

McHale, a junior, was Casa’s leading receiver, catching 42 passes for 488 yards and seven touchdowns.

Chavez was the main man on the Casa Grande line. His value was recognized by his being selected the Gauchos’ Lineman of the Year.

Petaluma’s Derrick Pomi and Casa Grande’s Aaron Krupinsky and Matthew Murphy were chosen to the second-team defense.

Ironically, although they were chosen to the second team, Pomi and Krupinsky may well have been the best defenders on their respective teams.

Both seniors led their team in tackles.

Pomi played inside linebacker for Petaluma, and he was not only always around the football, but made those around him better with his game knowledge and leadership.

Krupinsky played everywhere from linebacker to safety from what was officially a cornerback position, stopping both run and pass.

Murphy, a 5-foot, 10-inch senior, was a mainstay in the Casa defensive front. Not only was he a good run stopper, but he also gave Casa a strong up-front pass rush.

Jadon Bosarge, Nate Busse, Carson Kerrigan and Jack Green, all Casa Grande seniors, received honorable mention.

Bosarge was chosen Casa Grande’s Offensive Player of the Year. Playing quarterback, he not only led the Gaucho attack, but accounted for much of his team’s offense, passing for 1,452 yards and rushing for 465. He was responsible for 13 touchdowns, 10 passing and three rushing.

Busse and Kerrigan were key members of an outstanding corps of Casa Grande receivers, with Kerrigan making a circus catch for the touchdown that put Casa in a position to win the Egg Bowl.

Green was hampered by injuries, but when on the field he was a strong line blocker and tough defender.

Four Petaluma seniors - Colton Prieto, Connor Pedersen, Kenny Alexander and Dax Hogya - received honorable mention notice.

Prieto helped make the Petaluma offense work with his strong blocking at fullback. Rushing almost exclusively between the tackles, he ran for 697 yards and five touchdowns.

Pedersen was one of Petaluma’s leading tacklers from his outside linebacker position.

Alexander (6-feet, 4-inches) was a big man, both in size and importance, on the Petaluma defensive line.

Hogya was a valuable receiver for the Trojans, and an even more valuable kicker. He converted 38 of 42 extra points and hit five of six field-goal attempts. Including two touchdown receptions, he accounted for 54 Petaluma points.

Undefeated league champion Vintage swept top honors with Vilami Schaumkel the Most Valuable Player, Colton Fisher Defensive Most Valuable player and Luis Arroyo Lineman of the Year.

American Canyon’s Eddie Byrdsong was chosen Offensive Most Valuable Player.

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