When the Greyhounds look back on the 2006 football season,
Friday¹s 28-20 come-from-behind win over St. Patrick/St. Vincent
may be remembered as a harbinger of great things to come.
Down 20-14 in the fourth quarter to a tough Bruins squad, the
Hounds clawed back with a pair of late touchdowns to seal an
eight-point victory. The win ran Healdsburg¹s record to a perfect
2-0.
³I think the second half against St. Patrick¹s was a defining
moment for our football team,² said Hounds head coach Gale Bach.
³We got bounced around a little bit early in the game, but in the
second half our guys came together and really executed.²
Healdsburg had every reason to be concerned heading into hostile
St. Pat¹s territory in Vallejo on Friday. The Bruins, running a
potent veer offense, were coming off a 52-0 romp over Tamalpais a
week earlier in their season opener.
For the second straight week, the Hounds were missing several
starters and suited up just 21 players for the game. The lack of
bodies against a physical St. Patrick¹s team was not a favorable
situation, especially late in the game when fatigue begins to set
in.
³We worked our guys pretty hard to get them ready for the
season,² noted Bach. ³I think our strong second half showed we were
in better condition than they were.²
Healdsburg drew blood in the opening quarter when quarterback
Corey Harms directed a drive culminating in a three-yard touchdown
scamper by sophomore running back Andrew Phillips. Jon Cattalini
followed with the first of his four PAT kicks on the night, and the
game was knotted at 7-7 after one quarter. The tough Bruin defense
continued to throttle the Hounds throughout the second period, as
St. Pats went to the locker room up 14-7 at the break.
The Greyhound defense, led by run stopping linebacker Mitch
Arreguin and a superb effort from cornerback Chris Saulter, began
to throttle the Bruins in the second half. The Hounds drew even
when Arreguin found pay dirt on an 11-yard touchdown burst to knot
the game at 14-all at the end of three.
St. Patrick¹s answered with a go-ahead touchdown early in the
fourth quarter, but missed the PAT kick for a 20-14 lead.
Harms, showing great poise and athleticism, led the team on a
decisive drive that ended with a four-yard scoring burst from
Arreguin for a 21-20 lead. Harms would later find the end zone on a
28-yard scramble for a late insurance touchdown and a hard-fought,
28-20 win.
Harms ended a solid night over center, connecting on 12 of 19
pass attempts for 169 yards, and added 50 yards on the ground with
a touchdown. Other top offensive performers included: Arreguin
(15-70 yards rushing, 2 TDs, 2-51 yards receiving), Phillips (9-39
yards rushing, TD, 4-4 yards receiving), Jared Garcia (3-68 yards
receiving), Peter Everson (1-29 yards receiving), Uly Espinosa
(1-10 yards receiving) and Tom Cochran (1-5 yards receiving).
The Hounds defense was anchored by Arreguin (14 tackles, 10
assists), Garcia (7 tackles, 3 assists), Andrew Baroni (5 tackles,
8 assists), Daniel Erdman (4 tackles, 5 assists), Noah Van der Zee
(4 tackles, 5 assists), Phillips (7 tackles, 2 assists), Saulter
(tackle, 3 assists, 3 interceptions, caused fumble, FR), Connor
Collins (2 tackles, 6 assists), Chris Bach (3 tackles, 2 assists),
Cochran (2 tackles, 2 assists), Nick Fore (tackle, 3 assists),
Espinosa (tackle, assist), and an assist from Harms and AJ
Quiroga.
JV stay unbeaten
The Hounds JV squad (2-0) also remained unbeaten with a 21-14
win over St. Patrick/St. Vincent. The offensive line provided
superb blocking for running backs Kyle Mancini (22-130) and Paul
Wilson (14-81). The defensive unit was led by Mikey Nieto and Kyle
Mancini, who finished with seven tackles apiece. Other top
defenders were: Caleb Rummonds (6 tackles), Placido Lopez (5
tackles) and Anthony Barnes (4 tackles, FR). Tommy Belli also
returned an interception for a 28-yard touchdown.
Next up for the Greyhounds is a non-league road clash at Oakland
HS this Friday, Sept. 22. Healdsburg returns home on Sept. 29 for
the SCL opener against Sonoma.
