Early mistakes costly as MC puts a dent in Redwood’s season

Coming up short

The atmosphere on Redwood football’s sideline on Saturday was almost surreal. Each player was carrying themselves with swagger and anyone could tell that the players believed they had what it would take to bring down Marin Catholic (MC). That sense of optimism died quickly that day, as did Redwood’s shot at an MCAL championship.

Right out of the gate, things went south for the Giants. Sophomore Alex Aguero fielded the opening kickoff only to cough up the ball after a big hit and give it to MC on Redwood’s 8-yard line. MC junior quarterback Spencer Petras hit senior wide receiver Hunter Juarez for a touchdown on the very next play.

From that point forward, MC rode Petras’ arm until the end of the first quarter,  when the Wildcats found themselves up 28-0. Petras had an impressive first quarter, throwing for 153 yards and three touchdowns, and adding a rushing touchdown as well.

Petras attributes the Wildcats’ success to each individual player’s ability to follow the game plan.

“We all did our jobs. Our defense, offensive line, receivers, and running backs all stuck to their assignments and stayed focused,” Petras said.

After falling behind by four scores, the Giants began to hit their stride, but it was too late, as MC retained its lead until the very end, winning the much-anticipated matchup by a lopsided score of 49-14.

Frustration mounted early on the Redwood sideline and things only worsened after the team continued to fall behind. The Giants’ defensive coordinator was even flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct after complaining of a no-call on a holding downfield that led to a large MC gain. This frustration was indicative of the Giants performance, as it seemed that nothing could go right.

“At the end of the day it is what [the officials] see,” said Redwood head coach Allen Talley.

Big plays were costly down the stretch for the Giants, as an 82-yard touchdown catch by Juarez at the end of the first quarter and an 80-yard rushing touchdown by MC senior transfer Matthew DiDonatas tacked on to the already large lead.In fact, the early lead by MC affected Redwood’s play calling, according to Talley.

“Obviously when you are down 21 [points] it changes your whole gameplan,” Talley said.

Moving forward:

Despite the loss, Redwood is likely to remain the favorite to finish second in MCAL.

“Now we just have to move on to the next one,” Talley said. “This is a learning experience for us.”

Next week, the Giants will face a Justin-Siena squad that was romped 31-6 by San Marin on Saturday. If Redwood can bounce back and defeat Justin-Siena, the rest of its season should pan out well. In the big picture, San Marin and Novato are going to be the two toughest tests, but the Giants should be favored in both of those contests.