LAKE COUNTY — Kelseyville, Middletown and Upper Lake are moving on to the second season better known as the North Coast Section football playoffs.
Kelseyville (9-1), the undefeated North Central League I champion, pulled down the No. 1 seed in Division V to earn a first-round bye that brings the Knights one step closer to the school’s first section title since 1982. The Knights draw either Cloverdale (6-4) or Arcata (6-4) in the quarterfinals on Nov. 9 or Nov. 10 in Kelseyville. Kelseyville already owns a 22-15 league win over Cloverdale this year. Kelseyville and Arcata also have some recent history as it was the Knights who ended the Tigers’ season in 2016 with a 51-6 victory in the opening round of the playoffs.
Middletown (7-3), the Division V runner-up a year ago, draws St. Vincent de Paul (6-4) of Petaluma in an opening-round game on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bill Foltmer Field in Middletown. Middletown and St. Vincent know each other well after spending many years together in the NCL II and later the NCL I. The series has been thoroughly lopsided in Middletown’s favor in the 21st century. Middletown has won the last four meetings in commanding fashion – 41-0 in 2017, 48-0 in 2016, 36-7 in 2010 and 56-23 in 2009. St. Vincent last beat Middletown 21-14 in 2008.
Upper Lake (4-6) is making a bit of history by participating in the section’s first eight-man playoff tournament. While there was room for eight teams, only five applied for berths. The Cougars travel to Tomales on Friday at 7 p.m. to play No. 5 seed Tomales (6-4). The winner moves on to the semifinals against No. 1 seed Branson School (8-1) of Ross.
Kelseyville takes a nine-game winning streak into the playoffs. Upper Lake has won three in a row.
Following are some of the highlights and lowlights from Week of the high school football season:
Statistics
Rushing — Kelseyville’s Robert Chavez rushed for 231 yards and four touchdowns in the Knights’ 44-0 Bass Bowl IX win over Clear Lake. Middletown’s Drake Harbison had 145 yards and five TDs in the Mustangs’ 49-20 rout of the Cloverdale Eagles.
Passing — Lower Lake’s Elijah Hernandez closed out a sensational senior season by completing 19 of 36 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-30 loss to St. Helena. Middletown’s RH Hess was an accurate 6-for-7 for 99 yards and a TD against Cloverdale. Kelseyville’s Alex Garcia also was on target with a 10-for-13 effort for 62 yards against Clear Lake. Upper Lake’s Ray Moran made good on 7 of 14 passes for 142 yards and two TDs in a 48-18 win over Crystal Springs.
Receiving — Darian James of Lower Lake had four catches for 141 yards and two TDs while teammate Diego Gonzalez had four receptions for 124 yards and a TD. Upper Lake’s Hank Nevarez caught four passes for 104 yards, two to them for TDs.
Special teams
Kicking — Middletown’s Jorge Fonseca went 3-for-4 on his extra-point kicks against Cloverdale.
Defense
Instant points — Upper Lake’s Russell Gordon recovered a fumble for a touchdown against Crystal Springs and teammate Dylan Armstrong had a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Day’s work — Kelseyville’s Robert Chavez had 12 solo stops and two assists against Clear Lake.
Sack attack — Upper Lake’s Jonathan Theissen registered three sacks, caused a fumble and recovered a fumble against Crystal Springs.
Sack attack II — Middletown’s Greyson Rockwell, Jared Pyzer and Nash Field all had sacks against Cloverdale.
Forcing turnovers — Upper Lake’s defense had five takeaways against Crystal Springs while Kelseyville had three against Clear Lake.
This and that
The Garcia connection — Kelseyville brothers Alex Garcia (quarterback) and Brandon Garcia (running back) both ran for touchdowns in the Knights’ 44-0 Bass Bowl IX win over Clear Lake. Papa Adam Garcia is Kelseyville’s offensive coordinator.
Bass Bowl dominance — Kelseyville leads the series 7-2 with six straight victories.
Volleyball dominance — The Kelseyville volleyball Knights are just one win away from reaching the Division IV championship match.
JV dominance — Middletown’s junior varsity football team ran the table in 2018, going 10-0.
Cross country dominance — Middletown girls and varsity boys cross country teams are undefeated going into their final dual of the 2018 regular season.
Better than dominant — Boston Red Sox, Dodgers slayers.
Wouldn’t mind at all — The Kelseyville Knights wouldn’t mind running into Stellar Prep again. Stellar Prep defeated Kelseyville 40-32 way back on Aug. 17, the Knights’ only loss so far this season. If the teams do meet again, it wouldn’t be until the Division V championship game in late November.
Single-season standout — Lower Lake quarterback Elijah Hernandez finished the 2018 season with 2,779 yards passing, a county record, and 25 TDs, which is second-best all time.
