Cloverdale evens record to 2-2, visits Fort Bragg on Friday
The varsity football Eagles staged a spirited comeback bid against perennial league power St. Helena in the NCL 1 home opener on Friday, but the second-half rally came up short in a 41-20 loss to the Saints.
The setback pushed Cloverdale’s overall record to an even 2-2 and 1-1 in league play.
“We got off to a slow start and made some early mistakes that cost us,” Eagles head coach Chad Talley reported. “The effort was there, it was just a lack of execution on our part.”
The Eagles are in full preparation for their next obstacle, a Friday, Sept. 22 visit to Fort Bragg. The Timberwolves (0-4) appear to be in a rebuilding mode after several years at the top of the food chain, giving Cloverdale a chance to come out on top this week.
“I don’t know how many years it’s been since we’ve even scored on them, but we may be catching them at the right time this year,” Talley said, noting Fort Bragg has changed from a spread offense to a run-oriented scheme this season. “If we can clean up a few things I think we’ll be a team to be reckoned with in league.”
Rally falls short
The final score didn’t tell the whole story in Friday’s clash with visiting St. Helena, with the Saints jumping out to a 14-0 lead at the end of one.
Trailing 21-0 in the third quarter, Eagles’ quarterback James Wirt got the offense rolling on a pair of scoring drives, the first resulting in a 25-yard touchdown scamper from Cesar Buenrostro. Wirt called his own number on the next possession, breaking loose on a 49-yard keeper to pull within seven points to trail 21-14 at the end of three.
With the Cloverdale fans on their feet, the Saints put the Eagle’s comeback bid to rest with three touchdowns in the final period. Cloverdale found paydirt once more on a 25-yard run by running back John Wesele, but it wasn’t enough in an eventual 41-20 St. Helena win.
Wirt finished up a productive night under center with eight completions on 19 pass attempts for 174 yards, while adding 69 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Other top offensive players included Buenrostro (10-78 yards rushing, TD), Wesele (2-35 yards rushing, TD), Shane Scalese (6-29 yards rushing), Christian Chavez (6-153 yards receiving), Benn Paine (1-17 yards receiving) and Mel Alonso (1 4 yards receiving).
Defensively, leading tacklers included Wirt (11), Scalese (7), Alonso (6), Ray Sayago (6), Eli Arreola (6), Wesele (5), Buenrostro (5), Daniel Lopez (4, 1 sack), Luis Pesqueda (2), BJ Grady (2) and a tackle apiece from Alex Segobiano and Paine.
