Cloverdale to host St. Vincent Friday
The varsity football Eagles didn’t waste any time logging their first win of the fall campaign, notching an electrifying 28-24 come-from-behind victory over visiting Berean Christian in the season opener on Friday.
It was the first career win for head coach and former Eagles star Chad Prieskorn, who expressed both pride and relief with the outcome.
“It was an outstanding team effort,” he said. “We have a lot to fix but I couldn’t be happier with this group of kids. “Berean Christian was a good team.”
Played before a big legion of loyal fans, the victory provided the Eagles with a head of steam entering this week’s contest – a Friday, Sept. 4 home clash with St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma. Kickoff times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Cloverdale will have plenty of incentive as they line up against St. Vincent, a team that bounced the Eagles from the North Coast Section playoffs last year. The Mustangs took one on the chin in the form of a 55-7 loss to St. Helena in their opener on Friday and figure to be out for redemption this week.
Eagles show heart
Cloverdale dug an early hole against Berean Christian on Friday, spotting the visiting team a 17-0 lead in the second quarter.
The deficit proved just a wake-up call for the Eagles, as quarterback Chris Harms hooked up with receiver Marcus Poe on a 60-yard scoring strike to cut the Berean Christian lead to 17-7 at the half.
Trailing 24-7, Cloverdale began a stirring comeback midway through the third quarter when running back Luke Bernardi finished off a drive with a four-yard touchdown burst to cut the deficit to 24-14 at the end of three.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Eagles, using an interception to mount another drive resulting in a five-yard touchdown from Bernardi to make it a 24-21 ballgame.
Cloverdale would complete the comeback in spectacular fashion when Bernardi fielded a punt and took it 55 yards to the house for a 28-24 lead. On the play, Adrian Bernardi made two outstanding lead blocks, allowing his cousin to find daylight. With time winding down, the Cloverdale defense dug in to preserve the 28-24 win.
“Luke (Bernardi) was a standout with the stat line but everything he did was because of the other players on the field,” noted Prieskorn. “Our O-line blocked all game, and defensively our linebackers combined for over 30 tackles, showing our defense played as a team.”
Offensive leaders included Harms (8-14, 183 yards passing, TD), Luke Bernardi (27-145 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 55 yard punt return TD), Poe (3-137 yards receiving, TD) and Adrian Bernardi (3-38 yards receiving). Pat Ojeda converted all four of his PAT kicks.
Defensive stalwarts were Adrian Bernardi (11 tackles), Mason Meier (10 tackles, FR), Luke Bernardi (10 tackles, sack, INT, blocked PAT), Poe (five tackles, sack), Ojeda (three tackles, sack) and Harms (three tackles).
