Another St. Helena/Salesian chapter awaits

The two high schools are 47 miles apart and as far as landscape, worlds apart, but the
history of these two high school football programs run deep.

Ladies and gentlemen, introduce yourself to the St. Helena Saints and Salesian (Richmond)
Pride. Go to both communities and you get a different vibe. In St. Helena, you get a rural
and agricultural feel but with tourism popularity, you get an urban vibe. In Richmond, you
get an inner city and industrial feel.

The two football programs will meet for the fifth time in 14 years on Saturday at 1 p.m.
when the No. 7 seeded Saints travel to No. 2 Salesian for a CIF North Coast Section Div.
V quarterfinal contest. St. Helena throttled No. 10 Hoopa Valley 48-22 to reach the
quarterfinals while the Pride had a bye. The matchups between the two programs may
seem infrequent but they have been compelling.

In 2014, the two teams met for the NCS Div. V title game at Alhambra High in Martinez.
St. Helena was vying for its first section title since 1977 but fell short 14-7. Though a
game with 21 combined points might not excite most people. I remember it as one of the
most well-played high school football games I have ever seen. Neither team committed a
turnover and both teams combined for just nine penalties. Salesian held a 14-0 lead until
quarterback Jack Preston cut the lead in half with a 4-yard touchdown run with 3:12 left
in the game. The Saints, however, never regained possession for a potential tying score.

In 2012, the two teams met in the NCS Div. IV quarterfinals. This was one of the most
memorable contests I have ever witnessed as No. 6 seeded St. Helena defeated the No. 3
Pride 29-25. This game was like watching a boxing match of two teams trading blows
for 12 rounds. Salesian appeared to deliver a fatal blow by knocking record-breaking
quarterback Richard Hoppe out of the game with a concussion. The Saints defense,
however, made the pivotal play when Matteo Abreu returned an interception 59-yards
to paydirt for one of six Saints takeaways to put the Saints ahead 29-19. Linebacker
Francisco Otero sealed the game with an interception on the final drive.

The mid-2000s also featured two chapters of St. Helena-Salesian. Those matchups
featured a prominent name. Back then, the Pride was known as the Chieftains and had
Jahvid Best, who went on to play for the Detroit Lions.

The two teams met in consecutive years in 2004 and 2005 on Saturday afternoon games
at Salesian. In 2004, the best running back on the field that day was Robert Covey of St.
Helena. Covey looked like a high school version of John Riggins that day in rushing for a
St. Helena single-game record 266 yards on 29 carries and five touchdowns.

In that same contest, Best had 89 yards on 16 carries, including a 63-yard touchdown. The
senior-heavy Saints, under then head coach Ian MacMillan, dominated in a 48-26 win.
That victory catapulted the Saints to a 9-1 season.

One year later, in the regular season opener, the Saints took a junior-heavy club to
Richmond and lost 31-7. Best had 20 carries for 192 yards and two touchdowns. St.
Helena went 5-5 that year while Salesian went on to defeat Ferndale for the NCS Class A
title.

For entertainment purposes only, CalPreps.com predicts a 41-28 Salesian win. Except
things are not quite that simple.

Make no mistake: The Saints will be in for a tough test because Salesian has some darn
quality athletes.

Having seen the 2018 Saints three times in person, they have that “one year away” feel.
Why not start now? Knowing head coach Brandon Farrell and his coaching staff as I do,
I know they will put the players in position to succeed. The question is, will the Jimmies
and Joes fall in line with the Xs and Os?

We shall see what this chapter of Salesian-St. Helena brings?