Windsor evens record to 2-2; hosts Montgomery this Friday
The Jaguars scored a “W” in their first barnburner of the 2017 varsity football campaign on Saturday against Maria Carrillo, coming from behind to notch an electrifying 37-33 win over the host Pumas.
Contested at Bailey Field on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus, the North Bay League opener was a battle of hard-punching middleweights, with both teams taking their opponent’s best shot only to respond with a flurry of counter-punches.
The final period was one for the ages, with the lead changing hands three times in the last 98 seconds before the Jaguars emerged with the unlikely victory.
The hard-fought win gave the Jaguars a league mark of 1-0, pushing their season record to an even 2-2.
Windsor returns home this Friday, Sept. 29 when it plays host to visiting Montgomery in a 7:30 p.m. varsity kickoff. The Vikings (2-2) are coming off a 63-0 shellacking at the hands of Rancho Cotate on Friday.
Jags survive gut check
Windsor threatened a blow-out early in Saturday’s contest, riding the strong arm of sophomore quarterback Nick Pariani on a series of big plays for an early 17-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Jags’ defensive unit, led by senior Bas Osborn, dominated the trenches with a relentless pass rush in providing their offense with great field position.
As it turned out, the game was far from over, as the Pumas mounted a second-quarter comeback that had the Jaguars clinging to a 17-14 lead at the half.
The Jags padded the lead with a touchdown in the third quarter for a 23-14 advantage, but it would only set the stage for a series of late-game heroics. The teams traded scores in a wide-open fourth quarter, with the Jaguars taking a 30-27 lead with 7:40 remaining.
After holding a lead for the entire game, Windsor finally gave it up when the Pumas scored with 1:38 remaining for a brief 33-30 advantage. But the Jags didn’t flinch, as Pariani engineered a 77-yard drive culminating in a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jorgen Sarganis with 18 seconds left.
Pariani finished up with a season best 29 completions on 57 pass attempts for 416 yards and five touchdowns. Sarganis hauled in a school record 16 catches for 143 yards and two scores, while receiver Patrick Tappin had a 71 yard touchdown grab. Scott Evans chipped in four catches for 124 yards receiving.
Osborn led the defense with five tackles and a team-high three sacks.
