Some games you remember because it reminds you
that not every victory is going to be a smooth and clean process. While coaches
want wins, they are also notorious for emphasizing the importance of the
process more so than the result.
The St. Helena Saints and Clear Lake Cardinals
entered the 2006 season as favorites to battle for North Central League I South
supremacy. The two teams would meet on Friday, Oct. 13, 2006. Yes, Friday the
13th – and yes, the process was scary. Nevertheless, the Saints gained
an early leg up in the NCL I South opener with an 18-8 homecoming win over the
Cardinals despite committing five turnovers.
Setting
the stage: St.
Helena entered the game with 3-2 record. The Saints won their first two games
(35-21 over Albany and 28-14 over Kelseyville). St. Helena then lost its next
two games (32-28 to Fort Bragg and 15-13 over Willits). The Saints, however,
rebounded the following week with a 34-6 win over Lower Lake.
Clear Lake also entered the game with a
checkered season. The Cardinals won their opening game (19-13 over
Pierce-Arbuckle) before losing their next three (19-0 to Willits, 10-0 to
Middletown and 17-14 to Fort Bragg). Clear Lake, however, rebounded with a 13-8
win over Kelseyville entering its game at St. Helena with a 2-3 record.
Thumbnail
sketch of the game: The game featured
emotion, intensity and — fittingly — miscues on Friday the 13th.
St. Helena endured a rugged first half in
generating just 37 yards of total offense and one first down, yet only trailed 8-0
after three quarters.
The Saints, however, allowed just one
touchdown in three Cardinal red zone trips. Clear Lake, which had an average
drive start of the Saints’ 49.5 yard line, got inside the St. Helena 30 on two
other occasions only to be turned back.
Clear Lake’s lone score came on a 14-yard
Nathan Vellez run on the first play of the second quarter. Jameson Holder added
the two-point conversion.
Saints quarterback Jake Holguin, meanwhile,
broke the ice for St. Helena when he scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak on
the first play of the fourth quarter. The extra point was no good but St.
Helena trimmed the deficit to 8-6.
On the ensuing series, Saints cornerback Billy
Joe Paulisich stopped Vellez on fourth and inches, giving St. Helena the ball
at the Clear Lake 42. Two plays later, John Hudson scored on a 38-yard run off
right guard. The extra point was no good but the Saints were in front to stay
at 12-8.
Hudson accounted for 108 yards rushing on 11
carries while David Fanucci added 63 yards on 12 attempts.
Hudson later added a 14-yard run to widen St.
Helena’s lead to 18-8.
The Saints’ defense generated three takeaways
— two Holguin interceptions and a Chris Yeakey fumble recovery — and came up
with timely stops to keep the self-destructing Cardinals from widening the lead
further.
Clear Lake was flagged for 105 penalty yards.
Defensively for the Saints, Gino Trinchero
recorded two sacks while Yeakey added one. Roberto Gonzalez, Homecoming King
Alex Seyve, Tony Montelli, Yeakey and Aaron Guzman recorded tackles for lost
yardage.
What it
meant: Keep
in mind, the NCL I was split between having a North and South division. That
setup took effect from 2005-2010. The win over the Cardinals improved St.
Helena to 4-2. The Saints held off Upper Lake 28-27 one week later before
losing to Middletown 20-0. The Mustangs, however, were an NCL I North foe thus
making it a nonleague contest. The Saints closed out the season win wins over
Cloverdale (57-7) and St. Vincent (40-0) to seal the NCL I South title, marking
the first league title since 1978.
St. Helena reached the CIF North Coast Section
Class A playoffs, drawing the No. 7 seed and a trip to perennial power
Ferndale, which was the No. 2 seed. The Saints lost that game in controversial
fashion, 18-13. That game was also the last one in head coach Ian MacMillan’s
three seasons.
Clear Lake dropped to 2-4 but won its last four
games to finish 6-4. The Cardinals outscored the opposition by a combined
158-13.
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