Humbling beginnings for Casa Grande football in 36-0 loss

The evening began with tears of joy, and with proud smiles. It ended with a running clock and 36-0 defeat for the home team.|

PETALUMA - The evening began with tears of joy, and with proud smiles. It ended with a running clock and 36-0 defeat for Casa Grande at the hands of visiting Napa. The Gauchos were thoroughly whipped on both sides of the ball Friday, a clear signal this team has work to do if it hopes to avoid the 0-4 starts of the past two seasons.

“They were bigger and stronger up front,” Casa coach Trent Herzog said of the Indians. “And that’s where the game’s played. We’ve played them seven years in a row, and that’s the best offensive line we’ve seen from them. On offense we expected to run the ball, but we couldn’t.”

Since the Gauchos won the matchup in 2013, Napa has won the past three games by a combined score of 118-18.

Casa Grande christened its new all-purpose artificial field on Friday, complete with cork pellets as padding. And before the game started, athletic director Rick O’Brien led a ceremony to retire the No. 4 worn by James Forni when he played at Casa. Forni, a highly regarded basketball coach and AD at the school, died of cancer in June of 2015.

The game didn’t provide nearly as many highlights for the Gauchos. Napa led 15-0 after the first quarter, 29-0 at halftime and 36-0 after three quarters.

The Casa Grande offense never got off the ground. In fact, the Gauchos failed to pick up a single first down in the game. They crossed midfield just once, after Tommy Luchese’s fourth-down sack had put them in prime position.

Moments later they punted to Napa and got their biggest gift of the game when officials ruled an Indians player had touched the punt, to everyone’s surprise. Casa got the ball at the Napa 22 but moved backward and had to punt it away again.

The final yardage totals: Napa 342, Casa Grande 23.

To be sure, the Gauchos were going up against a strong opponent. The Indians are a Division 1 Sac-Joaquin Section program that went 11-1 last year.

Addressing his players after the game, Herzog told them: “You’re not gonna see anyone that physical, offense and defense, all season – not even in the playoffs.”

Napa relied on numerous players, but most of the glory went to agile halfback Hunter Larue, who scored four touchdowns on runs of 15, 2, 36 and 5 yards.

Quarterback Austin Spinelli added a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

Larue finished with 124 yards on 15 carries. Spinelli ran for 36 yards and had 120 through the air, completing 9 of 12 passes.

The Casa Grande offensive players could not match that production. Spencer Torkelson, one of the best two-way players in the Empire, managed just 14 yards on eight carries against the burly Indians.

And Friday’s opener did little to settle Casa’s quarterback competition. Senior Frank Gawronski and Garrett Buffo alternated two series apiece, and neither was able to generate much. Combined, they completed 2 of 11 passes for 16 yards. The Gauchos did not complete a pass in the second half.

Asked whether he will continue to rotate his QBs, Herzog said, “Yeah, until one takes the job from the other. Certainly for another week or two. They just need experience. Neither had any varsity experience at quarterback before this season, and nothing is better than game experience. Both played really well in scrimmages.”

The Gauchos face a smaller school next week, but a very good one.

The opponent is St. Bernard’s of Eureka, a team that won the CIF state Division V-A championship last year.

“We have a great opportunity next week,” Herzog said. “They’re a state champion. Monday we’ll get back to work.”

Forni’s No. 4 jersey is the first ever retired by the Casa Grande football program.

When Forni was a freshman his coach was Herzog, who was in his first year of coaching.

By the time Forni was a senior in 1997, the first-year varsity coach was O’Brien, who eventually handed over the reins to Herzog.

The Casa-Napa game was delayed for about 30 minutes midway through the third quarter when Gauchos sophomore Jance Offerman dislocated his knee.

He left the campus in an ambulance.

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