High school football roundup: Teams return to field

As the Redwood Empire tries to settle back in to some semblance of normalcy while destructive wildfires continue to dissipate, the return of Friday night football is one small step toward that end.

While teams in the Santa Rosa City Schools district continued not to play for the second consecutive Friday, there were games in other parts of Sonoma County, as well as in Mendocino and Lake counties, to provide a diversion from the past few weeks.

PETALUMA 56, EL MOLINO 21

After an opening ceremony that featured Forestville firefighters as honorary captains and a moment of silence for a former El Molino student athlete killed in the Las Vegas shooting, the Trojans (3-1, 7-1) easily vanquished host El Molino (2-1, 4-3) as the Trojans relied on a huge first half to put the Lions away in a Sonoma County League matchup.

Petaluma led 21-0 eight minutes into the game and held a 42-14 lead at halftime. The Trojans had 500 yards of total offense, compared to 293 yards for the Lions.

“We had a great offensive night; our offense played exceptionally well,” Petaluma coach Rick Krist said. “We had four guys that averaged over 10 yards a carry.”

The Trojans' Garrett Freitas (7 rushes for 127 yards, one touchdown) led the way on the ground while quarterback Justin Wolbert was 5-of-5 passing for 120 yards and two touchdowns.

Petaluma's last scheduled game is next Friday night, hosting Elsie Allen.

ANALY 51, HEALDSBURG 0

The visiting Tigers (3-0, 4-3) continue to improve and flex their muscles as the heavyweight of the SCL. The game was functionally over by the end of the first quarter as Healdsburg (1-2, 3-4) trailed 24-0 and had a sputtering offense with little chance of a comeback. Analy led 38-0 at halftime.

“Our defense dominated from the get-go and that gave our offense good field position for our offense,” Analy coach James Foster said. “Healdsburg wasn't able to move the ball on us at all. I think they only had a few first downs the entire night.”

Meanwhile, Analy's passing attack dismantled the Greyhounds' defense. Tigers quarterback Brenden Medina threw six touchdown passes - four of them to receiver Jacob Ponzo.

“Healdsburg was trying to bring pressure, which left a lot of man-on-man coverage by them, and we exploited that,” Foster said. “Our offense executed well. We didn't have a lot of mistakes.”

After a less-than-stellar start against tough non-league opponents, Analy has found its rhythm and is alone atop the SCL. Foster credited his team's momentum on cutting down on mistakes, especially on defense.

“Defensively, we have less blown assignments,” Foster said. “We didn't give up any big plays (versus Healdsburg).”

The loss drops Healdsburg into a tie for fourth place in the SCL.

MIDDLETOWN 14, FORT BRAGG 6

In a low-scoring NCL I struggle, the first-place Mustangs (5-0, 6-1) relied on their defense to hold strong in a goal-line stance in the game's final minute.

Visiting Fort Bragg (3-3, 3-5) had first-and-goal from the five-yard line with three minutes to play, but was stuffed by the Mustangs defense on four consecutive runs.

“Our kids thought we got in the end zone, but that is the way it goes,” Fort Bragg coach Roy Perkins said. “Middletown has some extremely good defensive linemen. I was hoping we would get five yards in four plays, but Middletown is big and physical.”

Middletown took the lead in the first quarter on a 22-yard pass from Luke Holt to Trey O'Neil. The Timberwolves scored in the second quarter on a nine-yard run by John Rexrode, but missed the extra point.

Leading 7-6, Middletown added an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard scoring jaunt by running back Isaiah Moore.

“We put together a nice little drive in the fourth quarter,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said. “It was a defensive struggle. On our final defensive stand, we just held them and packed in the line. It was a little old-school football by both teams.”

LOWER LAKE 27, CLEAR LAKE 22

The host Cardinals (3-2, 4-3) gift-wrapped an NCL I victory for the Trojans (4-1, 6-1, 5-1) as Clear Lake had three costly turnovers inside the red zone that likely cost it at least several scores.

“It was us shooting ourselves in the foot. It was a tough night for us holding onto the ball,” Clear Lake coach Mark Cory said. “We just didn't take care of business.”

Clear Lake's turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) put it in a 21-7 hole late in the second half. However, the Cardinals rallied in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Trojans 15-6, and almost had a chance for a miraculous finish that ended up evaporating.

“We had an onside kick with 30 seconds to play and one of our guys had a chance to get it, but it popped up and went out of bounds,” Cory said.