ST. HELENA — St. Helena scored 49 first-half points and never looked back, routing the visiting Kelseyville Knights 49-12 in a North Central League I varsity football game Friday that was all Saints all night long.
St. Helena improved to 2-0 in league play and 5-0 overall while Kelseyville fell to 0-2 and 0-5.
The Saints, last year”s NCL I South champions, intercepted a Kelseyville pass as the Knights were driving the ball early in the game, setting up their first touchdown.
“It (the interception) gave them a short field and they scored,” Kelseyville coach Rob Ishihara said. “They pretty much scored at will after that.”
With nearly its entire team back from last season, St. Helena mixed up runs and passes to move the ball down the field.
“They threw the ball well really well, they ran the ball really well, their line is good ? and that was that,” Ishihara said.
St. Helena led 22-0 after one quarter.
Having faced Willits (2-0, 4-1) — a 12-7 winner over Middletown on Friday — and St. Helena in back-to-back weeks, Ishihara said St. Helena is the better team on a dry field.
“But they (Saints) play up there (at Willits) on the last week of the season and it may be muddy by then,” Ishihara said. “If it”s muddy, it”s anybody”s game.”
Kelseyville”s only touchdowns came on a Stephen Beck 15-yard run in the third quarter and Geno Poloni”s 3-yard run in the fourth quarter. Poloni finished with 107 yards on 23 carries while Beck had 40 yards on only five carries.
Kelseyville had the only two turnovers of the game.
