Windsor falls to 2-3; visits first place Rancho Cotate on Friday
The varsity football Jaguars saw their two-game win streak snapped in a Sept. 29 meeting with Montgomery, as the visiting Vikings capitalized on costly mistakes to spoil the Windsor Homecoming, 24-13.
It was a disappointing outcome for the Jags following wins over Hayward and Maria Carrillo, but may serve as a learning tool for a team seemingly on the cusp of great things.
“We did a poor job of taking care of the football all week in practice and it carried over into the game,” WHS head coach Kevin Ballatore said of the loss to Montgomery. “We played extremely well on defense against a very athletic receiving corps, but Montgomery made the big plays and we didn’t.”
Things won’t get any easier for the Jags this week, as they travel to take on North Bay League power Rancho Cotate in Rohnert Park on Friday, Oct. 6 (5/7:30 p.m.). The Cougars (5-0, 2-0) are fresh off a 56-7 rout over Casa Grande and have outscored opponents by a whopping 262-38 this season.
“We have a huge test this week against an incredible team,” Ballatore noted. “All we can control is working hard as a team and improve daily.”
Jags fall short
Friday’s game with the Vikings was much closer than the score would indicate, with quarterback Nick Pariani engineering a scoring drive resulting in a touchdown run from Lorenzo Leon. The score was knotted at 7-7 at the half.
Windsor’s Patrick Tappin returned a kickoff 55 yards for a touchdown to keep the game close, while the Jags had plenty of chances to add on throughout the game.
But a series of big plays from Montgomery’s Austin Rapolla would sabotage an otherwise solid Windsor effort. Starring on both sides of the ball, Rapolla hauled in a 55-yard touchdown grab to put his team up 21-13 in the third quarter, and finished the game with three critical interceptions on defense to help secure an eventual 24-13 Vikings win.
“This game will be one will look back at as a huge learning opportunity for our young team,” Ballatore said. “We have a great senior class and I’m very confident they will continue to lead.”
Pariani finished up a challenging night 17-37 for 254 yards passing and five interceptions. Other offensive leaders were Jorgen Sarganis (9-128 yards receiving, 15-67 yards rushing), Leon (8-42 yards rushing, TD) and Tappin (3-76 yards receiving, 55-yard kickoff return, TD).
Leading defenders were Ryan Weir (7 tackles, 2 sacks), Oscar Mayorga (7 tackles), Brett Stibi (7 tackles) and Clay Woo (7 tackles).
