LAKE COUNTY — It won”t be their last chance for a win and it might not even be their best chance, but there is no disputing that the Kelseyville Knights or Cloverdale Eagles are going to walk off the field tonight in Kelseyville feeling like the weight of the world has been lifted from their collective shoulder pads.
The loser is simply going to walk off 0-6 and sink a bit deeper into the North Central League I cellar.
Kelseyville and Cloverdale both bring 0-2 league marks and 0-5 overall records into tonight”s North Central League I meeting at Kelseyville. While it”s far from your marquee matchup, the game affords both teams a chance to visit the win column for the first time this season and end losing streaks that stretch back into 2010.
Kelseyville has dropped seven straight overall, last winning Nov. 5 of last season against St. Vincent. Cloverdale is on a six-game slide, including a loss to end the 2010 campaign.
Injuries have plagued Kelseyville coach Rob Ishihara”s already thin squad from day one.
“I think maybe once,” Ishihara said when asked how many times the Knights have been able to put their projected starting lineups on offense and defense onto the field this season. “You ask any coach around here who has 25 kids on his roster. You lose one or two key players and it changes everything.”
Among those key players who have battled injuries this season are All-League lineman James Green and All-League linebacker Devin Baker.
“Green has a broken wrist,” Ishihara said. “He”s in a cast and he played last week. It didn”t seem to slow him down.”
Baker (concussion) should be good to go tonight against the Eagles, according to Ishihara, while wideout Dustin Thaxton (quad muscle) returns this week.
“Honestly we”ve had the best week of practice that we”ve had this season and the kids are pretty motivated to get that first win,” Ishihara said. “Our goal is to win at least four of our next five and maybe sneak into the playoffs.”
While the Eagles have been competitive in losses to St. Vincent and Fort Bragg this season, losing those two games by a combined eight points, the Knights” losses have been pretty much of the lopsided variety. A 25-7 setback to Esparto in week two has been the closest the Knights have come to winning. They lost by 32, 27, 33 and 37 points in their other four games.
One factor that hasn”t favored Kelseyville is the schedule. The Knights opened the season against non-league opponents Hamilton City, Esparto and Ferndale and those three teams are a combined 12-6. The Knights also had the misfortune of playing Willits (4-1) and St. Helena (5-0), two of the top teams in the NCL I, in their first two league games.
In other NCL I games under the lights tonight, Clear Lake (2-0, 2-3) hosts Willits (2-0, 4-1), St. Helena (2-0, 5-0) visits Lower Lake (0-2, 0-5), and Middletown (1-1, 2-3) hosts Fort Bragg (1-1, 3-2).
On Saturday, Upper Lake (0-0-1, 3-1-1) travels to Petaluma to play St. Vincent (1-0, 3-2) in NCL II action.
Willits at Clear Lake
The winner is assured of at least a share of the league lead while the loser falls a game off the pace.
Willits switches back and forth between toss and spread offenses, and it”s the toss that has the Cardinals most concerned, according to Clear Lake coach Milo Meyer, a 1976 Willits High graduate.
“That toss ? they ran over Middletown and they ran over Ukiah. That”s the scary part. They run only six or seven plays out of it, but they run those plays to perfection,” Meyer said.
While Willits and Clear Lake aren”t big rivals, Meyer said it”s special game for him nonetheless.
“To me it”s like a Kelseyville,” he said.
A third straight league win after an 0-3 start might be the perfect medicine for his players, according to Meyer.
“They like the winning, but they might find out they really like it if we get this one,” Meyer said.
Fort Bragg at Middletown
What has been THE game in the NCL I the past two seasons won”t mean as much this time around, but it”s still a chance for Middletown and Fort Bragg to prove they belong in the upper echelon of the league standings.
Middletown is coming off a tough 12-7 loss at Willits last week while Fort Bragg beat a winless Lower Lake squad 26-14.
Two years ago, an undefeated Fort Bragg squad came into Middletown and lost to the once-beaten Mustangs in a wild 49-41 shootout. A year ago, in the exact same situation, a 5-1 Middletown squad traveled to Fort Bragg and pounded a 6-0 Timberwolf club 38-14.
The stakes aren”t nearly as high tonight but that doesn”t mean won”t teams won”t go after it.
“If we can win this game, it sets up a shot against St. Helena. It keeps us in the race,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said.
Middletown”s chances of winning tonight depend largely on the Mustangs” ability to avoid mistakes, according to Foltmer.
“If we can stay away from the mistakes we”ve made in our last two losses (to Willits and Upper Lake), we”ll be fine,” Foltmer said. “Those mistakes are why we”ve been losing the close games (18-14 to Upper Lake and 12-7 at Willits last week).”
St. Helena at Lower Lake
Barring a major upset, the Lower Lake Trojans are staring a sixth straight loss square in the face as the red-hot St. Helena Saints roll into town.
The Saints, who won the NCL I South a year ago before losing to NCL I North champion Middletown in the opening round of the North Coast Section playoffs, are about as balanced as a team can be on offense.
Quarterback Richard Hoppe is having a sensational season on all counts. The junior has completed 30 of 47 passes for 669 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. He”s also rushed for 119 yards and a TD.
St. Helena”s rushing attack is spearheaded by running back Charles Bertoli, who has 503 yards and 13 TDs. He”s also among Hoppe”s favorite receivers with seven catches for 156 yards and three TDs.
“I hope they take us lightly,” Lower Lake coach Mike Huffman said. “It”s happened before in football and it could happen this week.”
Lower Lake tackles Tommy Valdez and Cory Isom return from injuries to the starting lineup this week.
The Trojans did lose two players to grades ? a small number compared to past seasons.
“We”re really proud of our guys,” Huffman said. “It”s something we preach every day. Your schoolwork comes first.”
Upper Lake at St. Vincent
The Upper Lake Cougars didn”t have much success moving the ball against the Tomales Braves a week ago in an 8-8 tie in the NCL II opener for both teams, and they”re looking to rebound Saturday on the artificial turf at Kiely Field in Petaluma.
Upper Lake was held to a season-low 178 yards of total offense against Tomales, which runs virtually the same double-wing offense as the Cougars and had a pretty good idea on how to defense Upper Lake.
But while the Braves and Cougars like to pack it in with their running games and chew up the clock, the Mustangs are a spread-offense team that throws the ball a lot. Quarterback Mitch Sheppard has completed 63 of 119 passes for 1,164 yards and 17 TDs with only four interceptions. He has thrown TD passes to seven different receivers.
John Porchivina is the team”s leading rusher with 278 yards on 52 carries and two of the teams” three rushing TDs.
“They”ll pass, pass, pass and then run a draw or a screen to keep your defensive linemen honest, so we have to be ready for that,” Upper Lake coach Alex Stabiner said. “Our front four have really got to do their job.”
St. Vincent”s opponents have been able to run the ball against the Mustangs” defense and that”s what the Cougars do best. The only concern for Stabiner is replacing an injured offensive lineman prior to Saturday”s kickoff.
“Other than the injury we”ve had a great week in practice,” Stabiner said.
