By John Linker
On Friday night, beneath the shimmer of a cold daylight-saving half-moon, the Healdsburg Greyhounds varsity football team ended their season playing against the No. 1 and undefeated Sonoma Valley Dragons.
The score at the end of the night was 35-7, which may seem lopsided, but in fact the Hounds held the mighty Dragons to one of their lowest scores of the season. But it’s Sonoma Valley that goes into the playoffs undefeated, while Healdsburg goes to the locker room, of all things, “confident.”
Said head coach Criss Rosales, “Going into Friday’s game versus Sonoma, we imagined we would have the whole water works and sad speeches post-game. It was the complete opposite.
“On Friday the boys fully turned the page on a new chapter of Healdsburg Football. Against our toughest opponent of the year, the boys came out the most confident,” Rosales added. “They wanted to show that Healdsburg no longer is an ‘easy win’ on the opponents’ schedule.”
Play Action
The Hounds kept the No. 1 Dragons to two touchdowns in the first half, but were less successful in the second as Sonoma Valley hit for three. Healdsburg itself did not score until the last three minutes of the game, with a 50-yard pass from Noval Perrill II to Areum Romero.
In the second half, Healdsburg did not even play all of its first string players, while coach Rosales gave the graduating seniors play time.
This year’s Greyhounds’ much improved 3-7 record (it was 0-9-1 last year) does not give justice to what the team accomplished. Even Sonoma Valley coaches praised the team’s turn around in a single season.
“Statistically, I believe we held Sonoma to one of their least productive games all year,” Rosales said. “Regardless of the record, after every game every single opposing head coach was astonished and thrilled that the ‘Greyhounds were back.’”
Some individual statistics: Quarterback Perrill hit 10 of 19 attempts (with a TD and two interceptions); and the running game was held to only 70 yards, with Perril leading the rush with 25 and Frank Rea and Nate Rowland—usually a defensive player—with 13 each.
Areum Romero led pass receivers with five catches for 74 yards including that fourth-quarter touchdown. Hayden Mariani caught three for 25 yards.
Defensively, junior Tasman Ouchida led with three tackles and Rowland had two. Rowland also got a sack in the fourth quarter, making a final statement for the Dragons to remember him by.
Sonoma Valley’s star running back Cayden Waldrop showed what all the fuss was about with a 198-yard game, with his longest run for 66 yards, including three touchdowns. Dragon quarterback Dalan Lopata was 9 for 15, including two touchdowns and two interceptions (by Mariani and Romero).
Retrospective
The Hounds began their season with a 3-0 win streak, but then were unable to overcome the close games of the regular season. But the team this year was more than wins and losses. Rosales was able to turn around a defeated culture, and turn it into a season of hope and even glory.
“I have a history with Healdsburg,” said Rosales, an HHS grad, “and I can say with confidence that this is the most important team in Healdsburg football history. Yes, there are better teams with championships. But all of those teams were a part of an established culture, standard and a power-house program. Given the last 10 years and the almost extinction of Healdsburg football as a whole, this team has had the motto to ‘bring Healdsburg football back.’
“They understand how to be leaders, how to be teammates, how to push past your limits,” the coach added. “Overall, being tenacious and never backing down.”
This was evident watching from the stands. Every home game night was full of excitement and expectation, and fans were never let down. There was Perrill with his accurate arm, Frank “The Tank” Rea with his elusive running attack, Romero with his spectacular catches, Hayden Mariani with his athletic leaps, the relentless pursuit of Nathaniel Rowland and John Wallace, the dominant play on both sides of the ball by Max Morris, and the indefatigable enthusiasm of both defensive and offensive linemen.
Wait Till Next Year
So, even though Friday night put another loss in the league column for Healdsburg, the season ended on a note of courageous play and spirited hope for a winning season next year. Said Rosales, “Thanks to what we all did this year, I know Healdsburg will be able to have a power-house program in the years to come.”
He concluded, “I believe it is not a stretch to say that one of next year’s goals is to be league champions.”
