Padecky: Trojans earn more than first place

PETALUMA

With all the wonderment of someone who had just seen a meteorite land in his backyard, I approached Steve Ellison after the Egg Bowl on Saturday.

"I didn't seen this one coming," I said.

"Neither did I," said the Petaluma coach.

But if somehow someone did see this coming, if someone did see Petaluma 40, Casa Grande 14, if someone did see Casa quarterback Nick Sherry hounded by Petaluma's pass rush like King Kong on top of the Empire State Building was hounded by all those airplanes, then I need that someone to give me some Lotto numbers pronto.

"If we win," said Petaluma running back Sean Sullivan last Tuesday, "then people will stop questioning us."

Yes, Petaluma was undefeated going into the 18th Egg Bowl but so was Casa. As anyone in the SCL knows, the road to the SCL championship goes through Casa Grande, winners of the past six and seven of the past eight league titles. So Sullivan and the rest of the Trojans wanted to make a statement. Turned out to be more a proclamation.

"What can you say - it's 40-14," said Sullivan on Saturday after his 193-yard rushing day. "We definitely should be the team to beat. We wanted respect and I think we earned it."

The 6-0 Trojans earned a little more than respect. They earned this compliment: the best team in the Empire right now. Casa had come off a very impressive 38-32 victory over Napa last week, to the point that the word "unstoppable" was being seriously applied to its offense. Sure, Petaluma was allowing fewer than 10 points a game, but it hadn't faced an offense like the Gauchos'.

"We studied a lot of their tendencies on their offense," said Trojans defensive back Dalton Johnson, who intercepted Sherry twice.

One tendency was as universal as any in the game of football. A good pass rush will take out a good quarterback 9 times out of 10. And that would explain all the claw marks up and down Sherry's body, not to mention these numbers: 9 of 21 for only 82 and four interceptions. Last week Sherry looked comfortable in the pocket. This week Sherry looked like a wanted man, chased not by the feds but by the Pet Purples.

An uncomfortable quarterback will throw off his back foot, rush a pass, look for heat even when it's not there and, in the end, not throw crisply or accurately. A quarterback is deadly when he is in rhythm; he is vulnerable when each dropback is a scramble for a few precious seconds. Sherry rarely threw with the same body motion two times in a row.

"I'm thrilled," Ellison said, "to play so well against such a quality opponent. I went into this game just hoping we could make it tough on them but, wow, use whatever superlative you want to say."

How about "I like the view from the top!" That's where Petaluma is right now as a result of Saturday. The only thing the Trojans have to fear is complacency, because beating Casa Grande impressively could tempt anyone to back off the throttle, as if the season is complete.

"I think our defense is better than anyone in the league," said fullback-linebacker Ricky Sims, who ran 15 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. "And I'd run behind our offensive line before anyone else's. But we can get better. We got to get better."

Because, well, there could be The Son of Egg Bowl coming up. Petaluma and Casa Grande could meet in the playoffs. Wouldn't that be a hoot? Casa wanting revenge. Petaluma wanting not to waste the 18th Egg Bowl, for losing a rematch would wipe out the victory in the first game. Yes, as seems their fates, Casa and Petaluma will never be far apart. Like Saturday.

Casa wide receiver Connor Waggoner turned 18 Saturday. There was going to be a birthday party and Petaluma's Johnson, one of his best buds, was going to be there. Sullivan, however, would not.

"I'm banged up," said Sullivan, who was going home to rest.

"But it's like that song," I said. "It hurts so good, doesn't it?"

And with a smile that had Egg Bowl Champion written all over it, Sullivan said, "Yeah, it hurts so good."

For more on North Bay sports go to Bob Padecky's blog at padecky.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Bob Padecky at 521-5223 or bob.padecky@pressdemocrat.com.