High school football: Petaluma offense erupts for 46-12 win against Healdsburg

The Petaluma High School football team remains undefeated in league play after trouncing the Healdsburg Greyhounds 46-12 Friday night in the Trojans’ homecoming game.

“We are on a roll and it feels great,” Petaluma’s senior quarterback Brenden White said. “We’re juiced and we are in a groove. We can’t get sidetracked now.”

The Trojans offense put up a big first half, scoring six touchdowns and combining for 345 yards.

White ran 12 yards for the Trojans’ first touchdown and scored again in the second quarter on a 46-yard run.

He also hit senior running back Luke Wheless for a 21-yard touchdown. Running back Lucas Dentoni also had an 11-yard touchdown.

The offensive line created openings for the running backs and opportunities for White as well, the quarterback said.

“All the attention was on Lucas (Dentoni) so I got my chances,” White said.

Wheless finished with five carries for 36 yards, while Dentoni recorded 11 carries for 190 yards.

“We have really great blocking,” Dentoni said. “All those runs weren’t all touchdowns and that’s what the line does for me.”

White’s 12-yard pass connected with senior running back Harrison Royall for the sixth and final touchdown of the first half, giving the Trojans a 40-0 lead at the break.

After senior middle linebacker Tyler Williams intercepted a Healdsburg pass to open the second half, Dentoni capitalized on the opportunity with a 38-yard touchdown run.

Despite the deficit and the running clock, Healdsburg made one final push at the end of the second half.

Junior quarterback Blake Monohan hit Damian Chesmore for a 6-yard touchdown pass with a minute remaining in the third quarter, and then found senior wide receiver Lucas Kiff for a 1-yard touchdown as the final whistle blew, signaling the Petaluma win.

“It was nice to see the kids not just give up,” said Healdsburg head coach Todd Beth. “We struggled in the first half but they didn’t quit. It’s a really great group of guys.”

Monohan finished with 19 completions for 241 yards and the Greyhounds’ two touchdowns.

“That’s just a really great Petaluma team,” Beth said. “We are going to take a look at the little things and try to boost morale because it’s not going to get any easier.”

Healdsburg hosts the Analy Tigers on Friday while Petaluma faces El Molino next.

The Trojans’ undefeated record in the Sonoma County League only fuels their momentum as they make a run at top-ranked Analy, White said.

“We know we are a good team and we know we can hang with Analy,” Dentoni said. “As long as we don’t come out flat like we have before.”

Petaluma improved its overall record to 5-2 and 3-0 in the SCL.

The Trojans players are self-motivating, White said, and that has made all the difference.

“We get out there early and practice, even without the coaches,” he noted.

With their first conference loss, the Greyhounds dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the SCL.