Jaguars finish up rollercoaster season with 5-6 record
The varsity football Jaguar finished up a remarkable 2017 campaign on Friday in the North Coast Section Division 2 semifinals in Moraga, falling to the #1 seeded Campolindo Cougars, 45-14.
The #5 seeded Jags advanced to the NCS semis by virtue of playoff wins over #12 Mt. Eden (28-7) and #4 ranked Livermore (20-9).
The loss to the defending Division 3 state champion Cougars signaled the end of a wild rollercoaster season which featured a slow start but strong finish, giving Windsor a final season record of 5-6.
“It was an up and down year with lots of injuries in key spots,” head coach Kevin Ballatore reflected. “Offensively, I was pretty happy with the progress of our sophomores stepping into key roles, and the offensive line did an incredible job of learning a difficult scheme in a short period of time.”
The Jag’s defensive unit, anchored by a line that evolved into a run-stopping sack machine, carried the team into the third round of the NCS playoffs.
“Defense was the strength of the team,” Ballatore noted. “Coach Stibi did a great job of having kids prepared, using the strength of the line to put together the best run defense in the league.”
Early deficit too much to overcome
The #5 seeded Jaguars entered Friday’s clash with Campolindo as a big underdog and the Cougars wasted no time in demonstrating why they’re regarded among the state’s top teams.
Campo scored on each of their first three possessions, taking advantage of a short field and a pair of Windsor turnovers to grab a quick 14-0 lead at the end of one. The floodgates opened in the second quarter, as the Cougars tacked on four more touchdowns to take a commanding 42-0 cushion into the half.
The Jaguars refused to go quietly in the third quarter, as sophomore quarterback Nick Pariani capped a Windsor drive with a two-yard scoring plunge to make it 42-7 at the end of three. All-purpose back Jorgen Sarganis capped a great senior season in the final period, finding pay dirt on a touchdown scamper as the Cougars powered to a 45-14 win.
