Empire football roundup: Petaluma blanked 49-0 in 1st round

Saturday was a rough one for several Redwood Empire teams in the first round of the North Coast Section football playoffs. Case in point - No. 9 Petaluma, which couldn't muster a point in a 49-0 defeat at No. 8 Encinal (Alameda) in a Division 3 opener.

“It was one of those nights where everything went wrong,” Petaluma (6-5) coach Rick Krist said. “When the wheels came off they just kept rolling down the road.”

The Trojans trailed 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime and never got on track offensively against the Jets (8-3).

Petaluma got in the red zone offensively three times but was not able to score. Petaluma only trailed in total yardage 300-208 but the yards didn't translate into points.

“We were fine up front and our offense moved the ball. We had opportunities to put ourselves in position to score and we just didn't,” Krist said. “We had six or seven dropped balls. Encinal's first three touchdowns came on broken plays.”

Krist said Encinal was the more physical team but his Trojans should have been more competitive than losing by seven touchdowns.

“It was just one thing after another, it was very disappointing. We just didn't perform. The effort was there, it just wasn't our night,” said Krist, who reflected on the season. “It was a bittersweet season. It was a tough year. We were a better team than our record. It was a great group of kids, it was great to coach them.”

Marin Catholic 42, Santa Rosa 0

In a Division 2 game, the visiting No. 12 Panthers (7-4) were wiped out by the powerhouse Wildcats (8-3).

Marin Catholic scored two touchdowns each in the first and second quarters for a 28-0 halftime lead.

The Wildcats added solo scores in the third and fourth quarters to provide the final score.

“We were a little surprised with the seeding, our kids were one of the most consistent groups all year,” Santa Rosa coach Russell Ponce said. “Marin Catholic had great personnel and we had trouble running the ball and stopping their run.”

Middletown 48, St. Vincent de Paul 0

The host No. 5 Mustangs of Middletown (8-3) utilized a punishing ground game to vanquish the No. 12 Mustangs of St. Vincent de Paul (6-5) in a Division 5 opening round game.

“Right now St. Vincent is trying to rebuild their program but they were outmanned. They are young and we were the more experienced football team,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said. “We were the more physical football team.”

Middletown moves on to a quarterfinal game Saturday at 7 pm at No. 4 Fort Bragg, which defeated No. 13 California School for the Deaf 49-8 in its first-round game last Friday. Fort Bragg defeated Middletown in a North Central I League matchup on October 19.

“I expect a low-scoring, defensive battle with Fort Bragg like it has been with them the last few years we have played them,” Foltmer said.

Versus St. Vincent, Middletown didn't mess around, scoring touchdowns on its first five offensive possessions. The scores came via three runs by Drake Harbison (2, 26 and 53 yards), a 73-yard pass from quarterback R.H. Hess to Nico Barrio and a Barrios 11-yard run.

Middletown's Nash Field returned a pick-six interception 33 yards early in the second quarter to give Middletown a 41-0 lead. It was the third touchdown scored in a one-minute span by Middletown.

“It wasn't our night. Middletown is a high-quality football team,” St. Vincent coach Trent Herzog said. “We are excited about the future and ready to build on what we started this year.”

Middletown rushed 36 times for 266 yards and five touchdowns. St. Vincent had 19 rushes for 85 yards and was led by Daniel Burleson with 49 yards on 15 rushes. A.J. Fetter had 12 tackles for St. Vincent.

Ukiah 34, Maria Carrillo 19

The No. 6 Wildcats (8-3) defeated the visiting No. 11 Pumas (4-7) in a Division 2 opener.

Ukiah started with a bang, scoring on the game's first play from scrimmage via a 68-yard run from Bryan Munoz.

However, Maria Carrillo came back and scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

“Our offensive line came together and put our team on their backs,” Ukiah coach Jonathon Dewey said. “Maria Carrillo was running the ball really well. Defensively, it took us a while to adjust to what they were doing,”

Ukiah scored 22 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to take command of the game.

“We had a pretty good attack going but in the second and third quarters we stalled out on a few drives. Better execution would have helped our drives. Ukiah did a good job of defending us,” Maria Carrillo coach Jay Higgins said. “Ukiah did a pretty good job with their power running game.”

Ukiah is 2-0 this season versus Maria Carrillo (70-35 Wildcats win on September 28).

Ukiah will play at No. 3 Camplindo (Moraga) Saturday at 7 p.m. in a quarterfinal game.

“Campolindo is a good program,” Dewey said. “We are going to have to play a great game to beat them.”

As for the Pumas, it was a disappointing end to a disappointing season.

“None of us are satisfied, we had higher expectations than how the season played out. We had some adversities with injuries early and in the middle of the season we had to contend with and overcome,” Higgins said. “That being said, I was really honored to be able to work with this great group of kids. It was a pleasure to come to practice every day.”

St. Helena 48, Hoopa Valley 22

The host No. 7 Saints (7-4) defeated the No. 10 Warriors (6-5) and will move on to play at No. 2 Salesian College Preparatory (Richmond) Friday at 1 p.m.