Prep football: 10 Sonoma County games to watch this season

Monday marked the official start of the 2022 high school football season in the North Coast Section. For the next 2 1/2 weeks, Sonoma County teams will be donning pads and ramping up their practices in anticipation of opening night on Aug. 26.

Starting this week, The Press Democrat will be continuously rolling out preseason stories, which will include features, league previews, local players to watch and more.

We’re starting off with the top-10 local games to watch. Here they are in chronological order.

Rancho Cotate vs. Las Lomas-Walnut Creek, Aug. 26

The Cougars have won their last six meetings against the Knights, including a 7-0 thriller in the North Coast Section Division 3 finals in 2019 and a 38-35 season opener last season. Another good battle should be on tap this year. While the Knights lost the bulk of their skill players from last year’s 8-4 team that made it to the NCS Division 3 semifinals, they’ve been a stellar program under head coach Doug Longero and should give Rancho a good test for its opener.

Windsor at Escalon, Sept. 2

Escalon is a small-school powerhouse program out of the Sac-Joaquin Section that routinely punches above its Division 5 weight class. Last year it went 12-2 and won an SJS title (the 10th in program history) before falling 21-14 in the NorCal quarterfinals to eventual state champion Marin Catholic. The Cougars return their starting quarterback, Donovon Rozevink, their top three rushers and two of their top three receivers from that team. This will be Windsor’s second game of the season.

Montgomery vs. St. Bernard’s-Eureka, Sept. 9

Montgomery’s student body is nearly five times the size of St. Bernard’s, a private school, but this game should be more competitive than those numbers might indicate. Under head coach Matthew Tomlin, St. Bernard’s has been another Division 5 powerhouse program over most of the last decade. They were runners-up in the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs to eventual state champ San Marin last season and return star quarterback Drew Sisemore and most of their offensive weapons.

Analy vs. Petaluma, Sept. 9

A throwback to the Sonoma County League days, this will be the first meeting between these schools since 2017, and it should be a good one. Analy has owned the recent series, winning the last eight matchups since 2011, but this year could provide a much more compelling game. Petaluma took a step in the right direction last year and has some key pieces back, including first-team all-league quarterback Henry Ellis. Analy also looks like a program on the rise, led by returning quarterback Sammy Long. This one should be a good battle between two local teams that could go either way.

St. Vincent vs. St. Helena, Sept. 10

A rematch of last year’s NCS Division 7 title game. St. Helena loses a ton of talent to graduation from last year’s team that went 10-2. St. Vincent also loses some big pieces, like UC Davis-bound Dante Antonini, but brings back plenty of returners – like running back Kai Hall, quarterback Jaret Bosarge, tight end/linebacker Nathan Rooks and emerging wide receiver Jack Davis – for another run at a section title.

Rancho Cotate at Vanden, Sept. 16

Coming off a CIF Division 3-AA state title, Vanden could have a very good chance at repeating this fall. Quarterback Tre Dimes is back for his senior season after throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 46 touchdowns for the Vikings last season, as is senior defensive end/linebacker Orion Null, who had 116 tackles, 29 for loss, and an SJS-leading 16 sacks. The Vikings are just one of several juggernauts that Rancho Cotate has lined up for its non-league slate. This one has the makings of a shootout of epic proportions.

Rancho Cotate at Windsor, Oct. 14

The second week of NBL-Oak play will feature a potential league-deciding matchup. Coaches in the Oak believe Cardinal Newman and Rancho Cotate will be the two top teams, but Windsor could be in the mix, too. They have good numbers, some strong returners and continuity with their coaching staff, even after the departure of Paul Cronin.

Rancho Cotate at Cardinal Newman, Oct. 21

Barring an upset elsewhere in league play, this game could decide the NBL-Oak title. The Cougars snapped a six-game losing streak to the Cardinals in a 19-17 thriller last fall and are poised to be one of the top teams in the North Bay again this year. They will have a chance to beat Newman in back-to-back seasons for the first time in more than 20 years, but the Cardinals should be an improved squad with a host of talented returners and a full offseason under head coach Richard Sanchez.

Petaluma at Casa Grande, Oct. 29

The Egg Bowl is always a local favorite, especially when Petaluma’s two public high schools are having strong seasons. Such should be the case again this year. The Trojans could be a dark horse to come out of the VVAL with a host of talented returners, highlighted by senior quarterback Henry Ellis. They’ll be looking to get even with the Gauchos after their rivals from the East side beat them 57-35 last season as they went on to win the VVAL for the first time since its inception in 2018. The Gauchos will need to reload as star quarterback Jacob Porteus and their three top receivers all graduated, but numbers, talent and coaching are rarely issues for Casa.

Cardinal Newman at Windsor, Nov. 4

This game might not feature the same hype that last year’s would have, but the Windsor-Newman rivalry has steadily grown into one of the best in the North Bay, regardless of the sport. Windsor is looking to retool after a historic year that saw it win its second-ever section title, while Cardinal Newman is looking to take the next step after an up-and-down, yet still very successful 2021 campaign. This will also be the final week of league play and the regular season, so this matchup could have massive implications for the league race and playoff seeding.

You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @JustGusPD.