Small schools football roundup: Willits wins big again, 52-6 against Hoopa Valley

Despite only a 21-man roster, Willits (2-0) has started the 2015 season with a vengeance, defeating Hoopa Valley (0-2) 52-6 on Friday night, one week after the Wolverines tallied a 30-6 upset victory over El Molino of the SCL.

'This team for Willits comes around about every 10 years. It's a group of kids who grew up together and are performing together,' Willits coach Sean Leslie said. 'We are a well-oiled machine, let's put it that way.'

Wolverine senior quarterback Blake Leslie threw for scores of 40, 19 and 16 yards and was a big factor in grinding down the visiting Warriors as the game progressed.

'We were a bigger, faster, more physical team,' Leslie said. 'After a while we wore them down. We were better conditioned.'

Calistoga 46, Laytonville 8

The host Warriors (0-1) trailed 24-0 in the first half and never recovered against the physically superior Wildcats (1-0).

'Calistoga way overpowered and outclassed us; they had a huge weight advantage,' Laytonville coach Jon Nielsen said. 'Their offensive line was amazing.'

Calistoga had 35 roster players to 17 for Laytonville and the Wildcats used their depth and size advantage to pound the ball via the spread option on offense. Defensively, Calistoga's size also consistently stymied the Laytonville offense.

'This was my first game as head coach and I walked out with some unease,' Nielsen said. 'But I was so proud of our guys for not giving up. Our boys did great versus what they were up against.'

Laytonville's lone score came on a 78-yard kickoff return by Dawson Carbaugh in the third quarter.

Cloverdale 54, St. Vincent 12

At Cloverdale, the Eagles (2-0) broke out to a 30-0 lead in the first quarter and cruised to the easy victory against the undermanned Mustangs (2-0).

'We are playing at a very high level right now. This is a great start for a new coaching staff,' Cloverdale coach Chad Prieskorn said.

'This is not a typical St. Vincent team,' Prieskorn added. 'They lost a lot of guys from last year and they just don't have the numbers this year.'

Cloverdale running back Luke Bernardi scored on runs of five and six yards in the first half and Eagles defensive end Pat Ojeda scored on a 30-yard interception return in the first quarter.

Anderson Valley 64, Potter Valley 8

At Potter Valley, the Panthers (1-0) overwhelmed the host Bearcats (0-1) by dominating in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Anderson Valley led 20-0 at the end of the first quarter and 48-0 at halftime.

'Anderson Valley just came out and they wanted it more. They had really strong offensive line play,' Potter Valley coach Paul Monlux said. 'They had really fast running back and receivers.'

Potter Valley struggled to mount much offense and is in the process of integrating a large number of new players, according to Monlux.

'We just came out flat,' Monlux said. 'On defense, Anderson Valley's nose tackle and front line put a lot of pressure on us when we tried to run or pass.'

St. Helena 57, Drake 35

The host Saints (2-0) ran for a whopping 561 yards on 67 carries for seven touchdowns to smash the Pirates (0-2). On the other side of the ball, St. Helena held Drake to only 28 yards rushing and allowed most of the Pirates' 225 passing yards late in the game after the suspense was over.

St. Helena held a 57-21 lead before Drake scored two late scores to narrow the margin of victory.

'We played really well up front, we did what we wanted to do,' St, Helena coach Brandon Farrell said. 'I'm very happy with our performance. We had some great efforts on the offensive front and our defense held Drake in check for most of the game.'

The Saints ground attack was led by Jahaiver Otero (223 yards, 23 carries, 3 touchdowns) and Alfio Basile (189 yards, 13 carries, 2 touchdowns).

'Our backs really ran hard tonight,' Farrell said.

Fort Bragg 20, Del Norte 14

The host Timberwolves (2-0) pulled out the victory as Kaylor Sullivan threw an 18-yard touchdown strike to receiver Tyler Baker with 52 seconds to play.

Sullivan was 5-for-5 passing in the final drive, which started at midfield with 2:10 to play. The Timberwolves started with great field position thanks to a 45-yard kickoff return by Shane Giaccone, whose return swung momentum away from Del Norte (0-2), which had previously tied the game 14-14 on a late touchdown.

'When we had to have a drive we executed,' Fort Bragg coach Roy Perkins said. 'I'm thrilled - this is a big win for us down the road as far as the playoff selection goes.'

The Timberwolves lost star receiver Lucas Triplett to an ankle injury in the first quarter, somewhat diluting their vaunted passing game.

'We didn't have our go-to guy (Triplett) so we made adjustments,' Perkins said. 'We ran the ball more than normal and our defense played excellent. Our defense was the star tonight.'