HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW…WEEK 7….AND DOWN THE STRETCH WE COME
October 18th, 2007 . by JoetheSportsGuyThe League Races are halfway home and while the North Bay League has a clear favorite, the Sonoma County League has four teams with one loss meeting each other this week, trying to keep pace with undefeated Healdsburg.
NBL(FRIDAY GAMES)
PINER (1-5, 0-3) AT CARDINAL NEWMAN (4-1-1, 3-0)…With games with Rancho Cotate and Montgomery in the victory column Cardinal Newman is looking solid for a NBL title and a No. 1 seed in the Redwood Empire edition of the North Coast Section Playoffs. This game looks like a no problem as they meet a Piner team who hasn’t won since the opening week. Of note: since leaving Piner, Paul Cronin’s Cardinal Newman team is 4-1 vs. Piner, the only loss 21-14 in the 2003 North Coast Section Playoffs.
RANCHO COTATE (4-2, 2-1) AT MONTGOMERY (3-2-1, 2-1)…Both of the team’s league losses to Cardinal Newman. The loser of this game, unless something very strange or a series of strange happens in the last three weeks, is out of the NBL Race. Also at stake could be a home playoff game in the first round of the North Coast Section Playoffs.
SANTA ROSA (5-1,2-1) AT ELSIE ALLEN (0-6, 0-3)…The bright side of the loss to Rancho Cotate for Santa Rosa was their offense. Working uphill most of the evening, besides Therman McGowan doing his thing, they also showed their best passing game of the season. Home games with Montgomery and Cardinal Newman follow this game.
SATURDAY’S GAME
UKIAH (2-3-1, 1-2) AT MARIA CARRILLO (2-4, 2-1) 1 PM…Critical game if either team hopes for a playoff spot and with both teams having Cardinal Newman and Montgomery left on the schedule, its a slim chance at best. Carrillo won last year 30-14 in Ukiah the first road team to win in this series since 2002. The last time Ukiah won at Maria Carrillo was in 2001
SCL(ALL GAMES FRIDAY NIGHT)
HEALDSBURG (6-0, 2-0) AT EL MOLINO (2-4, 0-3)…The league bye treated Healdsburg well as they are not only the only undefeated team left in Sonoma County but the only undefeated team left in the Sonoma County League race. When last seen in the SCL race Healdsburg was pulling a miracle like win over Windsor, scoring two touchdowns in the last sixty five seconds for a 23-19 win. Next week Healdsburg host Casa Grande. El Molino has lost three straight and are the only team in the league that doesn’t have a league win.
WINDSOR (3-3, 1-1) AT CASA GRANDE (4-1-1, 2-1)…This is a rematch of one of the best games of the 2006 season won by Casa Grande 21-14 in Overtime and decided the Sonoma County League Championship. Casa Grande’s loss to Sonoma last week was their second league loss in twenty eight games dating back to 2002. Windsor snapped a two game losing streak by rallying to beat El Molino 28-14.
SONOMA (4-1-1, 2-1) AT PETALUMA (3-3, 1-1)…Sonoma threw a monkey wrench into the SCL race with their win over Casa Grande last week. Petaluma dominated Analy in the 2nd half to snap a three game losing streak. Petaluma has given up at least 20 points in every game they have played. This is one of the closest series in Sonoma County. Sonoma is 4-2-1 in the last six years including a 2004 playoff game. All but two of the games have been decided by five points or less. Both need the win to stay in the Sonoma County League Race.
ANALY (2-4, 1-2) bye…The Tigers are the only Sonoma County League team that during their league bye don’t have a game scheduled.
