Windsor will resume NBL action on Friday at Casa Grande
The varsity football Jaguars will make a welcome return to the gridiron for the first time in three weeks this Friday, Oct. 27, following the devastating fires that swept the area this month.
Windsor (1-3, 2-4), which had cancelled scheduled home games against Santa Rosa and Cardinal Newman, will resume North Bay League action in when it visits Casa Grande in a much-anticipated meeting in Petaluma.
Kickoff times for the JV and varsity are 5 and 7:30 p.m.
The Jaguars were able to practice as a team for the first time in nearly two weeks when they met last Wednesday, a welcome event after so much uncertainty. During their time away from school, many Windsor athletes chipped in to help fire victims in a show of community and compassion.
“I’m very proud of how much volunteering our team did during the fires,” head coach Kevin Ballatore said. “Multiple players helped at the school while it was an evacuation site and several still continue to volunteer at animal shelters and serving food.”
With so many kids involved in humanitarian efforts, the WHS coaching staff rearranged the practice schedule to accommodate the players.
“We moved practices and even shortened them to allow players to continue to serve since school has started back up,” Ballatore noted. “I couldn’t be more proud of these young men and how hard they’ve worked to help wherever possible in the community.”
Windsor looking for a win
The Jaguars will be out to snap a two-game losing skid when they square off with the Gauchos, a team that has endured its share of setbacks this season.
After a tough start, Casa Grande (0-3, 1-6) logged its first victory of the campaign on Oct. 20 in a 34-28 non-league win over Terra Linda, and will not be taken lightly by the Jags this week.
“I’m very impressed with Casa Grande’s coaching staff and how hard they have the team playing,” Ballatore said. “Offensively, we need to take care of the football and it’s time to start seeing mistakes become minimized. Defensively, it will be vital to stay sound up front and allow our linebackers to fill.”
NCS waves .500 rule
Officials from the North Coast Section met this week in a special session, agreeing to make concessions relating to NCS playoff football eligibility. Since recent fires have reduced the number of games played for local schools, the standard requirement of a .500 record will be waived.
In past years, teams were required to have at least a .500 mark in at least one of three categories, including overall record or within their respective league or division. There will be no change made to the size of divisional tournament brackets, which remains at 16. The NCL seeding meeting will take place on Nov. 6, with the playoffs set to begin on Nov. 10.
