LAKE COUNTY >> If the Lower Lake Trojans and Kelseyville Knights come away with victories Friday night in North Central League I varsity football action, the league standings are going to take on a look that hasn’t been seen in these parts since the late 1980s when Clear Lake, Kelseyville and Lower Lake were battling it out for NCL I supremacy almost on a yearly basis.
And as a note for those who weren’t around back then or can’t remember back that far, Middletown was still a member of the NCL II in those days.
Lower Lake (2-1 league, 4-1 overall) has by far the toughest task of Week 6 with a road game at St. Helena where the 2-1 Saints await. The winner remains squarely in the thick of the league race while the loser will find itself looking up at several teams in the standings, albeit with plenty of time left to make a move.
Also Friday in another key NCL I game, Kelseyville (1-1, 2-2) returns home to face Cloverdale (1-2, 2-3), looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
In Saturday afternoon action, Middletown (2-0, 3-1) travels to Petaluma to take on St. Vincent (0-3, 1-4) in a NCL I game while Upper Lake (1-0, 3-1) celebrates its homecoming Saturday night with a NCL III North contest against Roseland Collegiate Prep (0-1, 1-3).
If Middletown, Lower Lake and Kelseyville reach the win column this weekend with idle Clear Lake (3-0, 4-1) looking on, the top four teams in the NCL I standings will be, in order, Clear Lake and Middletown at 3-0, Lower Lake at 3-1 and Kelseyville at 2-1.
Fans should also be aware of a few scheduling notes for the Saturday games. Middletown’s game at St. Vincent is varsity only and is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. However, Middletown’s JVs will play Upper Lake’s JVs in an eight-man game at 5 p.m. in Upper Lake prior to the Upper Lake-Roseland Collegiate Prep varsity kickoff.
Lower Lake at St. Helena
The Lower Lake Trojans will need to play better on the road this week than they did a week ago at Middletown where they had their four-game winning streak to open the season snapped. Lower Lake struggled to generate any kind of ground attack against the Mustangs’ defense and was limited to 42 yards.
St. Helena’s only loss to date was a 28-14 league-opening setback at home to Kelseyville on Sept. 8. The Saints have since responded with a 41-20 victory at Cloverdale and a 41-0 home win over St. Vincent.
Christian Cia, the Saints’ quarterback, has performed well in the early going for the Saints. He’s completed 30 of 56 passes for 395 yards with four touchdowns and only two interceptions. He’s also the team’s second-leading rusher with 149 yards. Senior Casey Walker is St. Helena’s primary running threat with 393 yards, just shy of a 100-yard average, and four touchdowns.
Cloverdale at K’ville
It might be only Week 6 of the 11-week-long regular season, but Kelseyville coach Erick Larsen, asked about the importance of Friday’s game against the Cloverdale Eagles, didn’t mince any words.
“If we want to stay in the thick of the race we have to win this one,” Larsen said.
Kelseyville opened the season with back-to-back wins before dropping a 7-6 league decision at home to Middletown and last week’s 50-29 non-league road game to undefeated St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo.
“The kids they (Eagles) have are mentally tough,” Larsen said. “They have several athletes that can hurt us if we give them room to run.”
Larsen said the Cloverdale quarterback, James Wirt, has a strong arm and can easily throw the ball deep down the field if left unpressured in the pocket. Wirt has thrown for 462 yards but only one TD and has been intercepted seven times. He’s also the Eagles’ leading rusher with 205 yards and three TDs.
“He’s good at making something happen,” Larsen said.
Despite two losses in a row, the Knights remain upbeat heading into the Cloverdale game.
“The kids didn’t get down on themselves. They’ve responded well and are working hard,” Larsen said.
The Knights will be without outside linebacker Kyle Moore, who sustained a finger injury in the final minutes of last week’s game.
“It was a freak injury,” Larsen said. “It’s better if we let it rest for a week to be safe.”
M’town at St. Vincent
St. Vincent has dropped its JV program and will be moving into the NCL III beginning next year to play eight-man football. Until then, the Petaluma team finds itself in the uncomfortable position of being big underdogs every week in the NCL I where they have been outscored 124-0 in their first three league games.
“If we go down there and play well we should win,” Middletown coach Bill Foltmer said. “I always tell our kids to respect your opponent and expect them to play the best game they’re capable of playing against you.”
Middletown will be without backup lineman Jack Bliss. Tight end/defensive lineman Devin Ross will be a game-time decision because of an injury.
RCP at Upper Lake
Upper Lake can improve to 2-0 in the North standings with a win over the Roseland Collegiate Prep Grizzlies, who are fielding a football team for the first time.
“They have a big fullback No. 55 (Andy Martinez) who is athletic, big and tough and they like to give him the ball,” Upper Lake coach Mike Smith said. “They run him on draws out of the pistol (offense) and they like to throw to him on screens. He’s their most consistent weapon.”
The Grizzlies’ quarterback, Saul Arizmendi, is another in a long line of athletic quarterbacks the Cougars have faced so far this season. “We’re working on containing him and not overpursuing,” Smith said. “He loves to take off and run.”
Look for the Roseland defense to get a heavy dose of Upper Lake fullback Jacob Kalawaia, who should be well rested after carrying the ball only six times a week ago in the Cougars’ 50-0 rout of Round Valley.
“We want to establish Jacob early and often,” Smith said. “Everything we do builds off of that.”
Nathan Sneed (shoulder injury) will see some action on offense after missing two straight games. Chris Fecht also returns to the lineup after an injury.
Saturday’s game is the first of three straight at home for the Cougars, who host Anderson Valley on Oct. 6 and South Fork on Oct. 13 in key North games.
