Teams return after layoff; ready for strong playoff push
Analy and El Molino football teams returned to the gridiron on Friday in a pair of Sonoma County League skirmishes, a welcome sight following the devastating fires that ravaged the area a week earlier and forced widespread cancellations of weekend games across the region.
On a night when scores seemed almost insignificant, the Tigers stayed unbeaten in league with a 51-0 rout at Healdsburg, while the Lions fell to a strong visiting Petaluma squad, 56-21.
With all North Bay League teams (and a few from the SCL) still idle due to poor air quality caused by the fires, the games served as a brief respite following a week of stress and uncertainty.
“It was great to get back on the field,” Analy head coach James Foster said. “With the devastation that has been happening, it was great for our kids to get back to some form of normalcy.”
The Lions (2-1, 4-3) and Tigers (3-0, 4-3) are now in full preparation for the 53rd annual Golden Apple Bowl on Friday, Oct. 27 in Sebastopol. Kickoff times starting with the JV are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Tigers in a rout
The Tigers wasted no time in setting the tone on Friday at Recreation Park, as senior quarterback Brenden Medina fired the first of his six touchdown passes on a 70-yard bomb to Jacob Ponzo on the first play from scrimmage as Analy raced to a 24-0 lead at the end of one quarter.
Leading 38-0 at the half, the Tigers eased up on the gas after intermission in coasting to a 51-0 romp.
“We played really well,” Foster noted. “Our defense played solid the whole night and our offense executed extremely well.”
Medina finished up a personal highlight reel with 19 completions on 25 pass attempts for 369 yards and six touchdowns. Other offensive standouts included Ponzo (5-142 yards receiving, 4 TDs), Sam Ballenger (3-78 yards receiving, TD) and Tyler Nebozuk (5-48 yards receiving, TD). Danny Chidester led the defensive unit with seven tackles.
Trojans tame Lions
The Lions paid tribute to local firefighters, along with Las Vegas shooting victim and El Molino hall of famer Kurt Von Tillow in a pre-game ceremony before taking the field against Petaluma on Friday.
The Petaluma Trojans (3-1, 7-1) cranked up their vaunted ground attack in the first quarter, powering to a 21-0 cushion at the end of one. El Mo’s Jacob Sani got the Lions on the board early in the second period, pouncing on a Petaluma fumble in the end zone to make it 21-7. The Lions countered three more Trojans’ scores later in the quarter when Sani found receiver Jack Fricker on a touchdown pass to make it 42-14 Petaluma at the half.
The Trojans used an effective ground game to work on the clock after intermission, with the Lions finding pay dirt in the fourth quarter on a 62-yard run from fullback Sire Clark as Petaluma cruised to a 56-21 win.
“They out-played us and that is all there is to say,” a disappointed El Mo head coach Randy Parmeter said later.
Sani finished the night with 13 completions on 21 pass attempts for 159 yards and one touchdown, while churning up 60 yards on the ground. Other top offensive players included Clark (3-62 yards rushing, TD), Jalen Hall (11-27 yards rushing), Fricker (7-96 yards receiving, TD), Avery Ransome (1-45 yards receiving), Hall (4-11 yards receiving) and Andy Junge (1-7 yards receiving).
