It was generally assumed that the North Central League I football race would involve three horses (St. Helena, Fort Bragg and Middletown) with another (Cloverdale) ready to make some noise.
Cloverdale is good club in its own right but Friday’s 41-13 loss to the St. Helena Saints proved that while the Eagles are better than the bottom half of the league (Willits, Clear Lake, Lower Lake, Kelseyville), they still have some work to do before reaching the summit in the NCL I. They should have the confidence to beat Middletown because after all, they beat the Mustangs on their homefield 25-7 last season. They also narrowly lost to Fort Bragg 20-14 at home. The Eagles host the former on Oct. 30 and visit the latter on on Nov. 6.
Cloverdale is certainly not going to go quietly but they have a ways to go before catching up with St. Helena. That said, the NCL I title race figures to be a wild ride.
I covered St. Helena pretty heavily for my games between 2004-2014. Since the mid-point of 2010, the Saints have gone 51-7. During that time, the Saints have had once in a generation talent like Richard Hoppe, the Brink brothers (Joey and Danny), Charles Bertoli and Gannon Laidlaw to name a few. Looking at this season’s Saints roster, I see a very solid club but I don’t see anyone that will be playing on Saturdays after their high school career. I don’t say that as a knock against the players but rather a compliment to the culture head coach Brandon Farrell and his staff have cultivated.
Before Farrell arrived in May 2008 from West Carroll High in Savanna. Ill., St. Helena had endured 13 coaching changes in a matter of 28 years. In that time, the Saints had brief spikes of success but nothing that sustained itself as long as the current run.
Farrell had his peaks and valleys to endure when he arrived because he was the program’s third head coach in as many seasons. The Saints were 10-16 in his first 26 games spanning from 2008 until Game 6 of 2010 but have gone 51-7 since that time. Why, you ask?
For openers, Farrell knows the importance of surrounding himself with a knowledge staff. He has that on the varsity side with Sam Licina, Matt Cia and Joe Crean. He also has that dynamic on the JV side with head coach David Bos and assistants Will Densberger, Joe Densberger and Matt Kelly.
This majority of this staff has been together since Farrell arrived. The point of that notion is when you created an established way of doing things, you create a program with a “next man up” mentality. Middletown has had that culture for 31 years, since Bill Foltmer arrived there. Middletown does not win consistently because their athletes are so much better. They win because the program is a well-oiled machine. St. Helena has reached that point.
Going forward, I know Farrell and his staff will take the “one game at a time” mantra. As well they should, they are coaches. Their job is to keep the youngsters confident but grounded. However, as a fan/career-changed media guy turned water truck driver, I can look ahead.
St. Helena should beat Kelseyville at home going away. Kelseyville’s youth programs were undefeated at all levels but they are not in high school yet. The Saints should also beat Lower Lake on the road a week later. Lower Lake has the highest enrollment and very good athletes but seldom any discipline though current head coach Justin Gaddy (1997 Lower Lake graduate) is doing everything he can to change that culture. In his second year, however, that change is not likely to take effect.
The Saints visit Middletown on Oct. 16. The Mustangs are 1-2 but one of those losses was to perennial power Salesian (41-19). With the Valley Fire devastating the community, one has to wonder if that turn of events has had a cumulative effect. Perhaps so but I don’t think the players will have any difficulty being ready for a Saints team that has beaten them three of the last four years. Will it be enough to win? Who knows.
St. Helena then plays Fort Bragg sandwiched in between a home game with Clear Ladke and Willits. The best case scenario has the Oct. 30 showdown against Fort Bragg being a battle of two 8-0 teams meeting in St. Helena. That would be a high school version of Ali vs. Norton.
There are still some hurdles to clear but the 2015 Saints have the makings of another strong team.
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