SV dominates Clear Lake for a happy homecoming

Homecoming couldn’t have been much happier for St. Vincent High School Saturday afternoon.

Playing in a stadium that still has a “new-car” feel on a mattress-soft, but track-quick turf, the Mustang football team turned a bright autumn afternoon even brighter, not just beating, but dominating Clear Lake’s overmatched Cardinals, 42-6.

It was sweet redemption for the Mustangs, who manhandled the only team to beat them in North Central League I South play last season. The victory was the third in succession, all against league opponents, for the Mustangs, who are now 5-2 on the season.

The game continued the rejuvenation of the St. Vincent defense, a unit that has allowed just one touchdown in three league games.

“That was the best defense we’ve played all year,” said St. Vincent coach Gary Galloway. “We focused on defense all week, and they came to play. They did a good job against a good football team.”

Kris Farinha had a monster game for the St. Vincent defense, making 15 tackles, seven unassisted. Mitch Reddick not only made a big fumble recovery, but matched his season high with nine tackles. Marco Giron had eight tackles and Jeff Matthews and Anthony Battaglia five apiece.

On the other side of scrimmage, Farinha, already the leading career ground gainer in school history, added another 195 yards and three touchdowns to his growing totals.

“He’s a load,” Galloway said of the Mustang senior. “He just won’t go down. He added weight and worked on his speed this summer, and he is tough to bring down.”

Farinha was impossible to bring down on his second play from scrimmage following Reddick’s fumble recovery, blasting through a hole on the right side of his line for 25 yards and the touchdown that started a St. Vincent rout.

It was three and punt for Clear Lake in its next possession, and then an impressive 53-yard St. Vincent drive culminated with a picture-pretty 17-yard touchdown pass connection between Wheless and Nick Eastham, who simply gabbed the ball over the head of the Clear Lake defender.

A little later in the opening quarter, Michael Meiswinkel recovered a muffed punt return in the end zone for the Mustangs, but by rule a muff in the end zone is an automatic touchback, and the Mustangs were denied both points and possession.

It mattered little on this bright day, where the Mustangs were at the top of their game on both sides of scrimmage.

Just before the halftime break, St. Vincent swept 75 yards in less than two minutes, chewing up big chunks of yardage on a 31-yard run by Wheless and a 34-yard pass connection between the quarterback and Farinha. Farinha did the scoring duties from the two-yard line.

Jenna Va De Ryt was crowned homecoming queen at halftime with her Mustangs leading, 21-0.

Lead quickly turned to domination in the second half. Clear Lake kicked off into the end zone, but on the half’s first play from scrimmage, Wheless ripped off a 35-yard run. Just three plays later, he passed 14 yards to Eastham, who was quietly minding his own business in the end zone. Jeff Kesler, who converted on all six St. Vincent touchdowns, made it 28-0.

A 76-yard drive finished with Farinha running in from six yards out to complete his day.

Fourth-quarter running chores for the Mustangs were turned over to junior Connor Ciocci, who ran for 89 yards of his own.

St. Vincent kept Clear Lake’s Kevin Burt, one of the best small-school running backs in the Redwood Empire, under control almost the entire game — almost, because late in the third quarter he got loose down the left sideline and raced 77 yards for the Cardinals’ only touchdown. The big burst helped him total 163 yards in the game.

The run did little except soothe Cardinal pride.

With Farinha out, Ciocci had an opportunity to display his skills, and he really shined on an 82-yard six play drive late in the game. Of those 88 yards, 66 of them belonged to the junior, including 27 on a darting run from the St. Vincent 27 into Clear Lake country. It was Wheless who capped things with a 20-yard touchdown run.