There are times on a high school football field when a loss on the scoreboard can be considered a victory in the locker room.
Windsor’s visit to state power Marin Catholic was one of those moments, with the Jaguars giving the Wildcats all they wanted before falling, 27-17. Despite the loss, the game stamped the Jags as a team to be reckoned with and one that can play with anybody.
“We played well considering a few key injuries,” Jags coach Brad Stibi said. “We definitely improved from last week and Rancho (Cotate) will be a good test for us.”
Saturday’s clash in Kentfield was a showcase for the Windsor defensive unit, recording several quarterback sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
The game came just a week after the season opener against state ranked Cardinal Newman and a week before the home opener against NBL juggernaut Rancho Cotate.
Windsor (0-2) will play host to the Cougars this Friday, April 2 in the home opener at Kirkpatrick Stadium. Kickoff times for the JV and varsity are 4:30 and 7 p.m.
Jags battle Wildcats
Saturday’s trip to Marin Catholic featured a slow start and a strong finish from a Windsor perspective, as the Wildcats built an early lead. The ’Cats drew first blood in the opening period on a 73-yard scoring pass from quarterback Blake Wilson to receiver Michael Ingrassia. The Jaguars answered with a 25-yard field goal from Joey Skinner to cut the lead to 6-3.
Disaster struck when Wildcat defender Matt Jacobsen returned a Windsor fumble for a touchdown and a 13-3 lead.
But the Jaguars refused to go quietly, finding pay-dirt on scoring runs from running back Damian Escarcega (3 yards) and quarterback Chase Vehmeyer (1 yard) to stay within striking distance in the second half.
Clinging to a slim 20-17 lead, the Wildcats iced the contest with two minutes left in the final period on a 55-yard scoring burst from Matteo Perez to seal a 27-17 victory.
Vehmeyer turned in another solid performance, completing 18 of 37 pass attempts for 138 yards, adding 35 yards rushing and one touchdown. Other strong offensive efforts came from Escarcega (10-61 yards rushing, TD) and Skinner (9-40 yards rushing). Leading pass catchers included Makhi Johnson (5-40 yards), Grant Huls (4-4-42 yards), Nico Contreras (2-22 yards), Dominic Roderick (1-12 yards), Drew Gehrett (1-10 yards), Nico Zamora (22-8 yards and Trent Matthews (1-4 yards).
Leading tacklers included Zamora (5 tackles, 6 assists), Escarcega (3 tackles, 7 assists, INT), Matthews (1 tackle, 5 assists), Skinner (1 tackle, 3 assists), Julian Pell (7 assists, fumble recovery), Cayden Homan (3 assists), Roderick (3 assists), Arnie Meineke (3 assists), Kaleb Torres (1 tackle, caused fumble, fumble recovery), Kaeden Timmons (3 assists), Hulls (2 assists), Contreras (1 assist, INT), Gehrett (1 tackle) and Angel Solorio (1 assist).
