Game of the Week: Petaluma tops Justin-Siena on last-second field goal to reach 5-0

NAPA — Petaluma head football coach Rick Krist had bad dreams the night before his Trojans were set to open Vine Valley Athletic League play against Justin-Siena.

His ominous visions of fumbles and interceptions somewhat came to fruition as Petaluma’s potent offense struggled at times against the Braves on Friday night, but Krist will be able to sleep easy thanks to the last-second heroics of sophomore kicker Asher Levy.

With 1.9 seconds left, Levy slotted a 24-yard field goal through the uprights to lift Petaluma to a 24-21 win over Justin-Siena.

Levy’s first-ever in-game field goal moves Petaluma to 5-0 for the first time since 2009.

“I was a little nervous,” he said postgame, after his teams had hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him off the field. “I mean, I do it at practice all the time and usually make some and miss some. When coach told me I was going in, I was very nervous, but happy and excited, too. I knew I could do it.”

While senior Mackenzie Soper — the female kicker who made headlines a few years ago for making the Trojans’ varsity squad — is the team’s extra-point specialist, Krist said that Levy, who comes from a soccer background, is the guy they turn to for long-range attempts.

“He came up big for us,” Krist said. “Now I know he can make them.”

Had Levy’s kick not been good, the contest was headed for overtime and all the momentum would have been with the Braves (2-3). It was homecoming on Friday night for Justin-Siena and the packed student section made itself heard all evening. But the whoops and hollers gave way to groans and yells of anguish as soon as Levy’s kick split the uprights at Dodd Stadium.

Justin-Siena faced multiple deficits all night but battled back through each. The Braves trailed 14-7 in the first half but tied the game at the halftime buzzer on a 21-yard connection between quarterback Zach Zurowski and star wide receiver Robbie Sangiacomo, who finished with 97 receiving yards on six catches.

That score sent the Braves’ faithful into a frenzy and set the stage for what was to be a grind-it-out second half.

Petaluma retook the lead coming out of the break on a six-yard keeper from quarterback Henry Ellis, who also passed for a pair of touchdowns in the first half and finished with 120 passing yards on 6-of-11 attempts.

The Braves turned the ball over on downs on their ensuing drive but got it right back after Gianni Natuzzi recovered an Ellis fumble at the Trojans’ 35-yard line. Seven plays later, senior Justin-Siena running back Caden Parlett, who finished with a game-high 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns, worked his way into the end zone to tie the game at 21 with 9:36 left in the fourth quarter.

The two teams then traded long, clock-eating drives in the middle of the fourth. The Braves forced a turnover on downs at their own six-yard line, but a few penalties and a mishandled snap forced them to punt from deep in their own territory.

Petaluma’s game-winning drive began after that punt, with 1:50 left on the clock at the Justin-Siena 36. After two negative plays, Ellis had his most important completion of the night, a 23-yard jump ball to Dawson Shaw to convert a third and 13 and move the Trojans inside the Braves’ 20.

A few short run plays followed before Ellis barely got the spike off in time to stop the clock at 1.9 seconds and give Levy his shot to be a hero. He didn’t miss.

“I’m just happy we got out of this with a win,” Krist said. “I was really disappointed in the spring. 5-0 is really nice but bottom line is, there are teams that I’ve had that would have fallen apart and these guys did not fall apart. That, more importantly than anything, how they really stood up to the challenge when it was needed.”

Shaw only had two catches but also had a 27-yard touchdown catch in the first half to finish with a team-high 50 receiving yards. Lucas Vanderlind rushed for a team-high 63 yards on nine carries for the Trojans.

For Justin-Siena, Zurowski finished 11-of-16 for 111 yards with a touchdown.

Krist’s mention of dreams begged the question: Did he dream of game-winning field goals?

“I did not,” he said, chuckling. “But I might tonight.”