Sometimes you remember celebrating a winning outcome even though the process was not a Picasso but you rejoice the victory because you don’t know when or how frequently the next one will come.
The 2004 Calistoga High football team went 4-6, which on the surface is approaching respectability. The margin of victory in the four wins was 14.5 points. However, when the Wildcats lost, they were a hot mess. The margin of defeat in the six losses was 37. 2 points. The narrowest of those defeats was a 22-6 loss at St. Vincent (Petaluma).
In Week 3 of the 2004 season, Calistoga edged the California School for the Deaf (Fremont) Eagles 17-14 to improve to 2-1.
Setting the scene: The Wildcats were 1-9 in 2003, one of those nine defeats was a 34-6 loss at CSD. Calistoga started the 2004 season on polar opposite ends of the spectrum with a 34-8 season-opening win on the road over Anderson Valley (Boonville). One week later, the Wildcats lost to perennial CIF North Coast Section Class B power St. Bernard (Eureka) 55-0.
This era of Wildcats’ football was a team that had its share of talent but was not long on discipline. The other problem Calistoga faced was the league it was competing in at the time.
The Wildcats have faced re-alignment more times than I can count. Calistoga, whose enrollment is about 200 or so, moved from North Central League III where they played schools of comparable but mostly lower enrollment. The Wildcats moved to the NCL II with St. Vincent, which is a private school with an enrollment of 400. The league also included Middletown and Upper Lake, which have enrollments of over 400. Tomales was also in the league with an enrollment of about 180 but in football, the Braves were a perennially strong team. To be fair, even with more discipline, that team would have gone 5-5 at best because the league was so daunting.
Thumbnail sketch of the game: The notion of "coming from behind" usually involves the offense. For the Wildcats, this game was anything but usual.
Defensive end Jeremy Campbell cemented the victory by sacking CSD quarterback Sean Norris, who fumbled the ball. Linebacker Eric Mora then scooped up the loose ball for an apparent touchdown return. The Wildcats were penalized for assisting the runner thus nullifying the touchdown but it did not matter. The only difference was the margin of victory was 17-14 in Calistoga’s favor as opposed to 24-14.
Most importantly, it was a bounceback win for the Wildcats one week after their aforementioned loss to St. Bernard. Calistoga trailed 14-7 early in the fourth quarter. The offense's frustration continued despite running back Shane Kohler's workman-like effort of 31 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
Center Fidel Mendoza, guards Luis Nunez and Octavio Robledo, tackles Shane Calkins and Francisco Gonzalez along with tight end Campbell and fullback Marco Garibay supplied the blocking.
The Wildcats, however, turned the ball over on downs to CSD at the Eagles' 2-yard line. Calistoga linebacker Ben Colo shot into the CSD backfield and tackled running back Eddie Riddle in the end zone for a safety, making it 14-9 CSD.
On the Eagles' next series, Nunez recovered a CSD fumble at the Eagles 33. Five plays later, Kohler blasted up the middle for a 13-yard touchdown. Quarterback Vince Gutierrez then connected with Garibay for the two-point conversion to put the Wildcats in front 17-14 with 5:58 left in the game. Gutierrez's 14-yard run on third-down-and-six was the key play in the drive.
Another crucial note to Calistoga's defense was its ability to win the field position battle for the offense. The Eagles' average drive start was their own 27-yard line, whereas Calistoga's average possession start was its own 49.
The Wildcats allowed 224 yards of total offense but only 34 in the final quarter. Campbell, Colo, and Kohler made tackles in the backfield. Colo also joined Nunez and Kohler in recovering fumbles while Gutierrez and Alex Herrera intercepted passes.
This was also a game where both teams beat themselves in different ways. The Eagles committed five turnovers while Calistoga was penalized 13 times for 135 yards.
The Wildcats capitalized on their first big break. On CSD's first possession, Colo recovered a fumble at the Eagle 27.
Five plays later, Kohler scored on a 6-yard run up the gut. Alex Herrera added the extra point and the Wildcats led 7-0 at the 7:51 mark of the opening quarter.
CSD later answered by throwing to 6-foot-6 wide receiver Michael Lizarraga, who was matched up against Calistoga's smaller defenders. Norris connected with Lizarraga for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 4:03 left in the first half.
The two-point conversion failed and the Wildcats led 7-6 at halftime.
Calistoga wanted to score quickly to start the third quarter but CSD took the second-half kickoff and drove 58 yards on 10 plays, capped off by Antonio Lobato's 1-yard run at the 5:39 mark. The subsequent two-point conversion made it 14-7 Eagles.
What did it mean: In the long run, very little, the Wildcats went 2-5 the rest of the season. The John Antonio head coaching era would end after just two seasons. However, if you like a team persevering in spite of itself, this was a good win to enjoy. To be fair, though, this is Div. V high school football, even the best teams will have flawed wins.
Calistoga football has continued to be like the stock market, pockets of ups and pockets of downs.
Antonio briefly returned to his alma mater (St. Vincent, Petaluma) as an assistant before becoming the head coach of Richmond High. Antonio, who is a full-time patrol officer with the Petaluma Police Department, later went on to coach Piner (Santa Rosa). The Prospectors went 22-32 under his guidance but steadily improved in each season. Piner scored a 43-29 CIF North Coast section Div. IV playoff win in 2013 over St. Patrick’s (Vallejo). It marked the Prospectors’ first postseason win in football since 2003.
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