There were few highlights in the final week of the high school football campaign for both Analy and El Molino, but there was a silver lining for at least one local team.
While the Tigers suffered a 48-6 pounding at the hands of North Bay League champion Cardinal Newman on Friday to end their season at 1-4 in league and 3-7 overall, the Lions (2-3, 3-6) recorded a win by forfeit over Elsie Allen, who could not field a full team.
On Sunday, El Mo was awarded the 11th seed in the 12-team North Coast Section Division 4 playoff tournament, drawing a first-round match-up at #6 seeded Fortuna in the NCS opener this Friday, Nov. 2. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Huskies (4-5) are coming off a 42-13 loss at the hands of Humboldt-Del Norte Big-4 champion Eureka on Friday, but figure to give the Lions all they can handle this week.
“They are big and physical,” El Mo head coach Randy Parmeter said when asked about his playoff opponent.
Should the Lions win, they’ll advance to play at #3 seeded Kennedy of Richmond in the quarterfinals on Nov. 9 or 10 (date TBA).
The complete list of NCS Division 4 teams in order of seeding is as follows: Moreau Catholic, Del Norte, Kennedy, San Marin, St. Bernard’s, Fortuna, Piedmont, St. Patrick/St. Vincent, St. Mary’s, Justin Siena, El Molino and Albany.
Tigers fall to Cardinals
Analy had a fitting conclusion to a rough season in Friday’s league finale at Cardinal Newman, needing to pull an upset to remain play-off eligible. It was not in the cards, as Newman flexed their muscles early and often in racing to a 42-0 cushion at the half. Things didn’t improve significantly after intermission as the Cardinals cruised to a 48-6 rout.
“We knew coming into the game that it was going to be tough, but our guys went out and battled for four quarters and had some fun,” Analy head coach James Foster said. “That Cardinal Newman team is very good, and they played with a lot of class.”
Junior quarterback Gavin Allingham made his first career start with one touchdown toss for the Tigers, while top receivers were Kolby Elledge (5-54 yards) and Matt Dupret (3-43 yards, TD).
Overall, it was a challenging season on many fronts for the Tigers, who had several players quit the team abruptly this month. After winning a record six straight league pennants in the former Sonoma County League, the North Bay League Oak Division proved to be tough sledding in the first year following league realignment.
“This season was quite the roller coaster,” Foster reflected. “I can’t say I’m happy with the overall result, but I’m proud of our players who finished out the season even when it got rough.”
