It was a great week on the high school gridiron for Analy and El Molino varsity football teams, with both scoring statement wins to open the Sonoma County League schedule.
Analy (2-2, 1-0) put to rest any thoughts of a changing of the guard in the 2017 SCL hierarchy, running all over league contender Petaluma in a 48-32 drubbing in a much anticipated Friday night home match-up.
“Our players really wanted that win and they showed it all week in practice,” Tigers head coach James Foster said. “They came out and executed our game plan well – I was very happy with their performance.”
Meanwhile, the emerging Lions (3-2, 1-0) effectively spoiled a Piner homecoming party on Saturday in Santa Rosa, gaining separation with a series of big second-half plays to pound the Prospectors, 35-7.
“We played poorly in the first half, but came out in the second half and executed well on offense,” Lions head coach Randy Parmeter reported. “Our defense stopped Piner from moving the ball much at all.”
Both teams will be back on their home turf this Friday, Sept. 29 when the Tigers finish up arguably their toughest preseason schedule ever in a home clash with North Bay juggernaut Marin Catholic, while the Lions entertain visiting Healdsburg in the annual “Battle for the Paddle.”
Kickoff times starting are 5 p.m. for the junior varsity and 7:30 p.m. for the big match-ups.
Tigers maul Trojans
Analy entered Friday’s meeting with Petaluma riding a 32-game SCL win streak dating back to 2011, with murmurs of cracks in its armor of invincibility echoing through Chip Castleberry Stadium.
The Tigers put an end to all that talk shortly after the National Anthem, when senior quarterback Brenden Medina hit receiver Jacob Ponzo on a 61-yard bomb on the first play from scrimmage. Moments later, defender Nic Visser picked off a Petaluma pass at mid-field, setting up another 25-yard hookup from Medina to Ponzo to make it 13-0.
Analy finished off its next possession when Medina bulled over from a yard out for a 20-0 advantage. The carnage continued early in the second quarter when Danny Chidester pounced on Trojan’s fumble, setting up a 31-yard scoring pass from Medina to Ponzo. Leading 27-8, Analy finished off an explosive half with an 11-yard touchdown dagger to Carson Pforsich for a commanding, 34-8 cushion at the half.
Analy used the big lead to empty its bench after intermission. Medina hooked up with Visser on a pair of second-half touchdowns, and the Tigers held off a late Petaluma comeback bid en route to a 48-32 rout.
Medina enjoyed his best game of the season with 23 completions on 36 pass attempts for 346 yards and six touchdowns. Ponzo hauled in nine catches for 168 yards and three scores, while Visser had four receptions for 93 yards and a pair of house calls.
Lions’ second half sinks Prospectors
The final score didn’t tell the story in El Mo’s Sept. 23 visit to Piner, as the team played to a pedestrian 7-7 deadlock at the half.
The Lions erased an early 7-0 deficit with a 26-yard pass from quarterback Jacob Sani to big-play receiver Jack Fricker at the end of the opening quarter, accounting for all the scoring in the first 24 minutes.
It was all Lions after intermission, finding pay dirt in the third quarter on a long scoring pass from Sani to Avery Ransome, followed by a 60-yard scamper by running back Sam Wilson-Mietz to make it 21-7. The Lions put the hammer down with another hookup from Sani to Fricker, and finished off a second-half explosion with a 1-yard plunge from Robert Rader in the fourth quarter in an eventual 35-7 victory.
