LAKEPORT ? Once upon a time, the Kelseyville Knights (then Indians) owned Clear Lake like nobody”s business.
From 1990-1997, Kelseyville won seven of the eight meetings between the two teams, including four straight from 1990-93. The rivalry between these two schools, one that is so intense that it rises to the surface in just about every sport during the school year no matter what”s at stake, was taking on the distinct orange and black hue of Kelseyville at that point in time.
But times have changed.
When the Clear Lake Cardinals (1-0) play their home opener tonight against the Knights (0-1), the red and white of Lakeport will be looking for its seventh straight victory over Kelseyville. It”s the longest winning streak by either team in this series since the Record-Bee began keeping records in the early 1980s.
“It makes or breaks a season for our kids,” Clear Lake coach Milo Meyer said. “If you don”t win league or finish with a winning percentage, beating Kelseyville is just a big feather in our cap.”
And oh my, has that cap been collecting feathers of late.
Clear Lake is 7-0-1 in its last eight meetings with Kelseyville. The last time the Knights didn”t lose to the Cardinals was a 14-14 tie in 2002. The last time Kelseyville beat Clear Lake was 27-0 in 2000 at Lakeport.
Two of the victories in Clear Lake”s current streak came in one season — 2005 — as the Cardinals edged Kelseyville in a pair of thrillers, one in the regular season and again in the playoffs.
“The strip of highway between Lakeport and Kelseyville belongs to us,” Meyer jokingly said of Clear Lake”s recent domination of the Knights.
Will it continue when the two teams square off tonight?
“Well, they”re bigger than us and they ran a wide open offense against us in the scrimmage (Sept. 5 in Lakeport),” Meyer said. “Who knows what they”re going to hit us with Friday?”
Kelseyville opened its season with a a 43-7 loss to Berean Christian last Saturday in Walnut Creek, a game the Cardinals did not scout. Clear Lake beat Pierce 49-14 a week ago in Arbuckle in its season opener.
“We”ve got fast kids and we”ll try to use that to our advantage,” Meyer said. “They”ll probably key on stopping our running game, but if they miss a tackle, all it takes is once.”
Clear Lake gained 504 yards against Pierce without really using its passing game, and yes, the Cardinals do have one this season with quarterback Ryan Richardson running the offense and a stable of fleet-footed receivers at his disposal. But they”re also deep in the offensive backfield with the likes of Kevin Burt and Travis Stockton featured at running back.
“Some of the kids wanted us to pass more against Pierce,” Meyer said, “but when you have a big lead, you don”t throw the ball. We”re not going to run up the score on someone like that, let alone on someone you respect like Roy Perkins (Pierce head coach and a longtime assistant coach under Fort Bragg”s Jack Moyer).”
Kelseyville barely got to see its offense against Berean Christian because the Eagles” offense spent most of the game on the field.
Two streaks come into play tonight. Clear Lake is 14-0-1 in its last 15 regular-season games, while Kelseyville is trying to snap a seven-game losing streak that extends back to week five of last season.
In other games in week two:
Middletown (1-0) at St. Vincent (1-0)
At Petaluma, the Middletown Mustangs play the first of two Saturday games on their schedule — they also visit Upper Lake on Oct. 11 — when they travel to Petaluma to face those other Mustangs, the ones from St. Vincent High School (1-0).
Both teams were dominant in week one. Middletown roughed up Salesian 49-20 and St. Vincent routed Calistoga 34-0.
“St. Vincent has always played us pretty tough,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said. “Going back to our NCL II days, it almost always came down to Middletown and St. Vincent (for the title).”
Familiarity is one reason the teams have remained competitive, even though they now compete in different divisions of the North Central League I — Middletown in the North and St. Vincent in the South.
“Gary and I have been doing the same things for years,” Foltmer said of St. Vincent counterpart Gary Galloway, who is every bit as much an institution at St. Vincent as Foltmer is at Middletown.
Things aren”t exactly the same this season, according to Foltmer.
“St. Vincent is running a spread offense, but it was tough to get a scout on them against Tomales because they ran only four plays before they were up 21-0,” Foltmer said. “They could go back to their normal I-set package, and we”re ready for that if they do.”
While Middletown used to be the king of Saturday afternoons prior to the 2001 season, the Mustangs have been under the Friday night lights since then. Playing on a Saturday afternoon throws off his team”s routine slightly, but it shouldn”t be a critical factor, according to Foltmer.
“That little bit of change in your routine — the extra night before a game and the bus ride down there — can have an effect,” Foltmer said. “But it shouldn”t be a factor.”
Foltmer, a bottom-line guy, says its only necessary for Middletown to play its game on offense and defense, and everything else will take care of itself.
“We played a good first game against Salesian,” Foltmer said. “If we play that kind of football the rest of the way out, we”re going to be fine.”
St. Helena (1-0) at Lower Lake (0-1)
At Lower Lake, the Lower Lake Trojans take on the spread offense of the St. Helena Saints tonight at Gordon Sadler Field. It”s the second straight home game to start the season for the Trojans, who lost their opener 46-28 a week ago to John Swett. St. Helena had no such trouble in week one, routing Calistoga 37-0.
“It”s hard to tell how effective it was going against Calistoga,” Lower Lake coach Stan Weiper said of the Saints” new offense. “They really didn”t have to do much to beat them.”
Nevertheless, Weiper said the passing element of the Saints” offense is a concern after the Trojans” secondary struggled against John Swett.
Lower Lake”s defense has a couple of options, according to Weiper. “We can spread out with it or stay in tight and try to close off the running game. If that doesn”t work we”ll have to play more pass defense.”
The Saints do run the ball well, according to Weiper. “They have a quick quarterback (Morgan Densberger) and he can throw a little bit, but I think we need to take away their running game first.”
Several Lower Lake players missed practice because of illness this week, but the Trojans are otherwise in good shape, according to Weiper.
“It should be an interesting game,” Weiper said.
St. Helena is under new management this season as head coach Brandon Farrell tries to rally the team from last season”s 2-8 finish.
Upper Lake (1-0) at Fort Bragg (1-0)
At Fort Bragg, the Upper Lake Cougars begin their NCL I interlock schedule at one of the toughest road venues to win in tonight when they play the Fort Bragg Timberwolves at Timberwolf Stadium.
Upper Lake has had the better part of two weeks to prepare for Fort Bragg after winning its season opener 20-6 against the Potter Valley Bearcats on Sept. 6 in Upper Lake. The Cougars had a bye last weekend.
Fort Bragg trounced Galileo High School of San Francisco 50-6 in its opener last weekend.
It”s the first of two straight road game for the Cougars, who travel to Lower Lake on Sept. 26 before returning home Oct. 4 for their homecoming game against Kelseyville.
