By John Linker
After last week’s first win in three years, a mix of nerves, anxiety and hope filled the Rec Park grandstand to capacity. The anticipation was palpable. The crowd outside the snack bar was more of a tangle of humanity than a line, the student section emitted a low tremulous roar and the Greyhounds were drinking pre-game Gatorade like they were filming a commercial.
But less than a minute after Christian Camacho Ruiz’s kickoff for Healdsburg, the Greyhounds ended up with possession of the ball. And a few seconds later Areum Romero caught a 33-yard pass from Nova Perrill II to take a lead the Greyhounds were never to fully relinquish, and the crowd’s anxiety let up.
Unfortunately for the visitors, their star running back, Sam Beck, went down with a game-ending injury after only two series of St. Helena downs. Still, the Saints put a score on the board with 5:18 left in the first quarter though the extra point eluded them.
Although the Saints threatened with another running attack, the Hounds’ defense persevered, and thanks to Leo Kluse making a saving tackle the Hounds again were in good scoring position.
Two downs later, Perrill again threw a spiraling beauty to Romero, making the score 13-6 at the end of the first quarter. But the Greyhounds’ passing attack was just beginning.
The Saints almost tied the game in the second quarter, bringing the score to 13-12 behind quarterback Troy Taber. But their extra point failed again, and the rest of the first half belonged to the Hounds.
If any anxiety was in the house, the Hounds were having none of it. The team played with unmatched confidence: The offensive line was snappy and strong, while the defensive line was tenacious and unforgiving. Coach Criss Rosales praised them both, saying, “Our line, on both sides, is the strongest part of our DNA. Our offensive line is led by Andy Duran, Isaiah Robles, Esteban Guzman and Milo Timmsen-Miller. These guys are the true foundation of our offense.”
Then agile Frank Rea, also known as “The Tank” (though at 5-feet-8-inches and 150 pounds, he’s built more like a Porsche), returned the kickoff over 30 yards, setting up the Hounds for success. Within minutes, Perrill found Max Morris for a 36-yard touchdown pass, and with Comacho Ruiz’s extra point, Healdsburg led 20-12 five minutes before halftime.
But what a five minutes. The Saints took their running game on a long-haul journey downfield to score on a run by quarterback Troy Taber to close the gap to 20-18.
With only 2:39 left, the Hounds quickly got to work. Perrill began a stunning pass attack, with a completion to Rea for 38 yards, then to Hayden Mariani for a touchdown, making the score 27-18 with less than a minute left in the half.
But they weren’t done yet. Linebacker Dillan Jocius recovered a Saints fumble on the 26-yard-line, then Perrill found Frank Rea for the touchdown. In less than 60 seconds, the Hounds had scored two touchdowns to take a 34-18 lead into the half.
In the second half, the Hounds did what this year’s Hounds do best. Smooth running by Rea on returns and pass receptions, along with Perrill’s pass accuracy—he completed 10 of 15 including six touchdowns for a “perfect” passer rating of 149.3—led to three more TDs before the final buzzer.
The Saints scored their last points near the end of the quarter, but they looked tired. Rea kept taking kickoffs for big returns, Alexander Harms kept grinding out the yards and the Greyhounds started the final quarter with a 48-25 lead, which turned out to be one TD short of the 54-25 final score.
The last time the Hounds Varsity football team scored more than 50 points in a game was in 2016, another non-conference game against the Emery Spartans (62-0).
Perrill ended Friday night with an impressive eight total touchdowns (two on the run, six in the air), and broke school records for passing touchdowns (6) and for passing yards (257) in one game. Perhaps not since 1966 has there been such a performance by a Healdsburg quarterback.
Still, the team as a whole plays grounded, acts disciplined and performs like they love what they do. As Rosales put it, “These kids are a true representation of the original Greyhound football identity.”
Only two games into the season, the Hounds are showing heart, joy and promise. Their next match-up is an afternoon outing in Walnut Creek on Saturday against the Berean Christian High Eagles, also 2-0, at 12:30pm. The sole bright light in last year’s Greyhounds season was their 42-42 tie against Berean Christian on Sept. 29, 2023.
The next home game is Friday, Sept. 20, against Montgomery, 7pm at Rec Park. It will be the last non-league game of the year, followed on Sept. 27 by a meeting with Mountain division rival San Rafael.
