KELSEYVILLE — Kelseyville might not be at the top of the mountain yet, but the Knights are certainly enjoying the view from up high after holding off the Cloverdale Eagles 22-15 in a hard-fought battle for first place on Friday night in Kelseyville.
With three weeks remaining in the North Central League I varsity football race, the Knights (4-0 league, 6-1 overall) are sitting pretty atop the standings and now own a one-game lead over two teams they’ve already beaten – Middletown (3-1, 5-2) and the Eagles (3-1, 5-2).
“It was a battle … big time,” Kelseyville coach Erick Larsen said. “Those Cloverdale Eagles, they’re fighters. There were a number of times we could have put the game away but we made mistakes, kept letting them right back in. We made mistakes and they took advantage.”
Cloverdale scored on a Cesar Buenrostro 17-yard run with 3:40 left in the game to push ahead 15-14.
“No. 20 on Cloverdale (Buenrostro) is a heck of an athlete. He’s already got my vote for All-League running back.”
Kelseyville needed only 17 seconds to regain the lead as quarterback Adam Garcia connected with wide receiver Zack Watkins on a 73-yard touchdown pass.
“They were playing 10 men in the box and we were looking to go deep,” Larsen said. “It was a jump ball and our guy got it and scampered down the sideline. Watkins made a heck of a catch on a play where he was well covered.”
Garcia’s two-point conversion pass to Dylan McAdon made it 22-14.
After an exchange of punts, one by the Eagles and another by the Knights with just seconds to play, Cloverdale’s bid for a miracle comeback ended in the arms of Kelseyville defensive back Brandon Garcia, who intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to run out the clock.
Kelseyville jumped out to an 8-0 lead late in the first quarter on a Jordi Lopez 1-yard touchdown run and a Lopez conversion run. Cloverdale nearly answered with a touchdown drive of its own but the Knights’ defense made a goal-line stand, stopping the Eagles at the Kelseyville 1. A few players later quarterback Garcia was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
The Eagles pulled even at 8 early in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run but the extra-point kick hit the crossbar and bounced back. Kelseyville went up 14-8 three minutes later on a Lopez 17-yard run.
Denied the middle of the field by the Kelseyville defense, Cloverdale scored both of its touchdowns on Jet sweeps, where the ball is handed off to the man in motion.
“We weren’t there to make the plays,” Larsen said.
Nevertheless, Larsen was pleased with the overall play of the Knights’ defensive unit, especially the line.
“We stuffed the middle,” he said.
Larsen wasn’t thrilled about two lost fumbles and nearly a third late in the game as the Knights were trying to run out the clock. A penalty also wiped out a long touchdown run by Robert Chavez late in the game that would have given Kelseyville a two-touchdown lead.
“We have to bring it back to fundamentals. We were sloppy in certain areas and we’ve got to fix it. We haven’t protected the ball well all year. If we keep turning the ball over like that we’re going to get beat at some point.”
In winning their sixth straight game, the Knights put the toughest part of their league schedule behind them. Kelseyville’s remaining three opponents are Lower Lake (0-4), Willits (1-3) and Clear Lake (1-3).
“We’re definitely in the driver’s seat and we control our own destiny,” Larsen said. “It feels great, but anything can happen.”
Chavez finished with 70 yards on 15 carries while Alex Garcia added another 69 yards and Lopez 52. Garcia’s only two completions in the game both went to Watkins for a total of 85 yards.
Cloverdale won the junior varsity game 28-26.
In other NCL I games Friday:
Middletown 34, St. Helena 7
At Middletown, the Middletown Mustangs denied St. Helena head coach Brandon Ferrell his 100th career win as Drake Harbison rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns in a lopsided victory over the Saints.
The victory keeps Middletown (3-1, 5-2) one game behind Kelseyville in the league standings.
“He ran the ball hard today,” Middletown head coach Bill Foltmer said of Harbison, who might be finally back from a lingering ankle injury that derailed a promising 2017 campaign and also affected his play earlier this season. “If he’s back, it’s really going to add to what we do. Tonight he was at his best, it reminded me of him early last season before he was hurt.”
A long pass from quarterback RH Hess to running back Nico Barrio set up Harbison’s first touchdown, which came on a 1-yard run in the first quarter. The Mustangs scored again in the second quarter on a 47-yard Hess pass to Barrio, with Jorge Fonseca adding the extra-point kick to make it 14-0.
Middletown’s defense accounted for the next score, that coming in the third quarter when defensive tackle Jared Pyzer ripped the ball out of the St. Helena quarterback’s arms and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown and a 20-0 Mustangs lead.
Although technically a fumble, the ball never touched the ground, according to Foltmer.
Harbison’s 49-yard touchdown run later in the same quarter pushed Middletown’s advantage to 27-0. After St. Helena scored on a 10-yard Daniel Martinez run in the fourth quarter to close to 27-7, Harbison picked up his third rushing score on a 2-yard run.
As pleased as he was with a rushing attack that piled up 285 yards, Foltmer said the play of the Middletown defense was instrumental in the game’s outcome.
“I thought we played very good defense against their option game,” Foltmer said. “Running is what their offense is all about and once they fell behind and had to pass, it took them out of their game.”
St. Helena drops to 2-2 in league and 4-3 overall.
Middletown’s JVs won 35-19 to improve to 4-0 in league and 7-0 overall.
Fort Bragg 21, Clear Lake 6
At Fort Bragg, the Clear Lake Cardinals were as close as 7-6 in the third quarter before Fort Bragg pulled away for the win.
“We always play tough, we’re not getting blown out, but we just can’t get over that hump,” Clear Lake head coach Mark Cory said. “These guys played super hard.”
In a scoreless game late in the second quarter, Clear Lake quarterback Darius Ford, making only his second start, threw an ill-advised pass that was picked off by the Timberwolves and returned for a touchdown with only 23 seconds remaining.
“Not a great choice on my part,” Cory said of his play selection. “I probably should have just gone into halftime 0-0. It’s a play I regret now.”
Clear Lake (1-3, 1-6) scored in the third quarter on a fake punt, with Rodrigo Lupercio taking a direct snap from center and motoring 65 yards for the touchdown, however the two-point conversion pass failed.
Fort Bragg scored later in the quarter to go up 13-6 and the Timberwolves (2-2, 3-4) picked up an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Lupercio was Clear Lake’s leading rusher (95 yards on 13 carries). He also caught four passes for 23 yards and had a sack while playing defense.
Ford completed 5 of 13 passes for 59 yards.
“Darius Ford has the potential to be pretty darn good,” Cory said.
Fort Bragg won the JV game 15-0.
Willits 58, Lower Lake 27
At Lower Lake, on a night when Lower Lake quarterback Elijah Hernandez broke the school’s single-season passing yardage record, the Trojans lost a game as well as their composure against the Willits Wolverines in a battle of two teams looking for their win league win.
In the case of the Wolverines (1-3, 1-6), it also was their first win of the 2018 campaign. After overcoming a 7-6 deficit in the first quarter, Willits never looked back.
“They played well, but I’m going to leave it at that,” said Lower Lake head coach Justin Gaddy, who was ejected from the game late in the third quarter. Two Lower Lake players – Cole Doud and Diego Gonzalez – also were tossed, according to Gaddy, and neither will be eligible for next week’s game at Kelseyville.
Willits led 14-7 after one quarter, 28-19 at halftime and 44-27 through three quarters.
On pace to shatter Lake County’s single-season passing yardage record, Hernandez entered play with 1,792 yards. He added another 197 to that total on 14-of-24 passing against Willits with four touchdowns and one interception. He now has 1,989 yards, breaking the old school record of 1,978 set last season by Hokulani Wickard. Hernandez needs another 208 yards to eclipse the county record of 2,196 established less than a year ago by Clear Lake’s Alex Adams.
That was probably small consolation for a Lower Lake (0-4, 2-5) team that hasn’t won in almost a month.
Lower Lake did win the JV game 19-6.
