The stakes only get higher from here on out for local prep football teams, as most league races in the four divisions of the Redwood Empire Conference are still up for grabs.
The REC-Bay title will likely be decided this week when Ukiah hosts St. Vincent in The Press Democrat’s Game of the Week. A full preview will be out later this week.
In other action, Casa Grande looks to avoid an upset in REC-Valley play, Windsor and Cardinal Newman face challenging opponents in the REC-Adobe and Maria Carrillo looks to add another victory in what’s already been a historic season.
Here’s a closer look at the top games to watch across Sonoma and Napa counties in Week 9.
The Gauchos have been dominant to open up REC-Valley play and appear to be one of the league favorites after outscoring teams 132-7 in their first three games. While Tamalpais enters this game with a loss to American Canyon on its record, the Red-tailed Hawks gave the Wolves their closest game of the season and will look to play spoiler again this week against the Gauchos.
The Gauchos are coming into this game not just with momentum but with added motivation to avenge their season-ending loss to Tam in the first round of the North Coast Section playoffs last year.
The matchup is being played on a Thursday due to a shortage of officials on Friday night.
Tam is coming off a hard-fought 19-10 win over Redwood last week. The Red-tailed Hawks have a few strong players on both sides of the ball. Offensively, junior wide receiver Timo Ural is seventh in the NCS with 753 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on the year. Over his last three games, he has 460 receiving yards with five touchdowns.
Defensively, junior linebacker Wyatt Leach is fifth in the NCS in total tackles with 79, including four for loss, and senior defensive lineman John Welborn is fifth in sacks with eight.
CalPreps computer projection: Casa Grande 41, Tam 17
Press Democrat predictions:
Gus Morris: Casa Grande
Kienan O’Doherty: Casa Grande
The Cardinals face another tough test in REC-Adobe play this week as a Mustangs team with a potent offense comes to town. San Marin, the CIF state title winners in 2021 and 2022, opened league play with a competitive 21-7 loss to Marin Catholic before holding off a late charge from Windsor last week in a 35-27 victory.
The Cardinals rolled to a big win over Rancho Cotate last week, 38-8, but will need to refocus for a taller challenge this week.
San Marin has a dynamic duo at quarterback and wide receiver in dual-threat junior quarterback Daniel Rolovich and speedy wide receiver Wesley Timmel. Rolovich passed for three touchdowns and ran for a 67-yarder in their win over Windsor last week, giving him 24 total touchdowns on the year, while Timmel had over 100 receiving yards with a touchdown for the fifth time this year.
While Cardinal Newman and Marin Catholic are considered to be the early-season favorites in the REC-Adobe, San Marin is not a team to be taken lightly.
CalPreps computer projection: Cardinal Newman 35, San Marin 19
Press Democrat predictions:
Gus Morris: Cardinal Newman
Kienan O’Doherty: Cardinal Newman
The Jaguars dropped to 0-2 in league play last week with their loss to San Marin, while the Crushers fell in what was a competitive 20-0 loss to Marin Catholic that was probably closer than many predicted.
Windsor is beat up after its first two league games but has little time to catch its breath, as the Crushers pose another imposing challenge this week. Vintage wields one of the top offensive and defensive lines in the North Bay that feature behemoths like seniors Drake Sampton (6-foot-3, 290 pounds) and Colby Jensen (6-6, 297).
And that’s to say nothing of their skill players, of which there are many. While no Crusher outside of junior quarterback Blake Porter has scored more than five touchdowns, 11 players have found the end zone at least once this year, a testament to their offensive depth.
CalPreps computer projection: Windsor 35, Vintage 17
Press Democrat predictions:
Gus Morris: Vintage
Kienan O’Doherty: Windsor
The Pumas are off to their best start in program history and will have a good chance to extend their current winning streak to five games as hosts to crosstown foe Santa Rosa this week.
The Pumas have dominated this matchup in recent years, winning eight of the last 10 meetings, and enter this game coming off a blowout 56-7 win over Montgomery. Their rushing attack was on full display, led once again by the efforts of Logan Bruce (136 yards, three touchdowns) and Lucas Sihota (two touchdowns).
Santa Rosa, meanwhile, has had a tough go of late, losing its last four games by an average margin of 28.5 points.
Still, for two teams from the same community, it should be a fun evening of football in Rincon Valley.
CalPreps computer projection: Maria Carrillo 46, Santa Rosa 19
Press Democrat predictions:
Gus Morris: Maria Carrillo
Kienan O’Doherty: Maria Carrillo
You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JustGusPD.
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