Cloverdale extends record to 5-2; visits Middletown on Friday
The Eagles enjoyed a triumphant Homecoming on Oct. 17, jumping all over visiting Lower Lake in a 40-20 gridiron romp.
The win pushed Cloverdale’s record to 3-1 in league and 5-2 overall, with a titanic road clash at Middletown looming this Friday, Oct. 24. Kickoff times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
The Mustangs (3-1, 5-2) fell into a tie for second place with the Eagles in the NCL-1 standings following a 20-13 loss to St. Helena last week and will no doubt represent a formidable foe for Cloverdale on Friday.
“Middletown is always a very physical and well-coached team,” CHS head coach Rick Berry said. “They’re very tough at home so we’ll have our hands full. The players know what’s at stake and that it will be a very physical game. We’ll have to play our ‘A’ game to have a chance to win,” he added.
Eagles power past Trojans
Cloverdale came out with focus and intensity in the Oct. 17 meeting with Lower Lake, as junior running back Luke Bernardi got the party started with an 18-yard scoring run in the opening quarter. Quarterback Greg Scaramella directed another scoring drive later in the period, resulting in a 10-yard touchdown burst from Mason Meier. Bernardi ran in the two-point conversion as the Eagles led 14-8 at the end of one.
The Eagles padded the lead in the second quarter, cashing in on a pair of drives with a six-yard scoring pass from Scaramella to receiver John McMillan, followed by another two-yard touchdown dive by Meier to open up a 26-14 cushion at the break.
Cloverdale effectively iced the contest shortly after intermission, as Bernardi scored on a two-yard run. The Eagles increased their advantage to 40-14 after three quarters before easing up on the gas in the final period en route to a 40-20 victory.
Scaramella did a nice job in directing the offense, completing three of six pass attempts for 24 yards and one touchdown, while gaining 22 yards on the ground. Luke Bernardi continued his assault on the opposition, rushing 32 times for 208 yards and three scores. Other offensive leaders were Meier (9-47 yards rushing, 2 TDs), Luis Guterrez (6-30 yards rushing), and McMillan (3-24 yards receiving, TD).
Leading defenders included Luis Guterrez (12 tackles), Damon McKinney (7 tackles), McMillan (7 tackles), Scaramella (5 tackles), Luke Bernardi (4 tackles), Adrian Bernardi (7 tackles), Meier (2 tackles), Danny Bernal (2 tackles), Sam Swan (2 tackles), and one tackle apiece from Jose Calivo and John Janey.
