In Napa and Sonoma Valleys, two high level wine producing
regions in Northern California, the term bud break is used in
reference to the first stage in the vine cycle that yields grapes.
As it pertains to high school sports rivalries (most notably
football) in these parts, Napa and Vintage has stood the test
of time with the two schools having played each other every
year since 1972. That rivalry would be like a perfectly aged
wine. Any mixture of Justin-Siena vs. Vintage, Napa or
American Canyon would be like bud break because this will
represent only the second year those schools will have
played each other. American Canyon and Vintage, while not
a vintage (pun intended) wine, is a new one on the shelf that
is a very good sell.
For previous entries on the newly formed rivalry click on the
links below:
For the second time in as many seasons, the Vintage
Crushers (5-1 overall, 2-0 Vine Valley Athletic League) and
American Canyon (7-0 overall, 3-0 VVAL) Wolves meet for sole
possession of the first place at Wolf Den Stadium in American
Canyon. This contest is vital enough that KVON 1440 AM,
which is a Napa radio station that broadcasts local high school
football, flexed its schedule. KVON was originally slated to carry
Justin at Napa but switched to Vintage at American Canyon
because of the aforementioned ramifications. Shoutout Ira
Smith and Kent Fry.
While this marks only the fourth meeting in football between the
two schools, this rivalry had been brewing. American Canyon,
which is nine miles South of Napa, opened in 2010 but in
previous years, kids from that town went elsewhere, with a
strong majority going to Vintage. While I would never dream of
suggesting that American Canyon/Vintage will ever supplant
Napa/Vintage (aka The Big Game), the former figures to be
compelling for the foreseeable future.
True confession from yours truly, I feel genuinely conflicted from
a rooting interest about this game. I covered numerous American
Canyon games as a freelance writer from 2015-2018 and briefly
as a beat reporter for the American Canyon Eagle. To that end,
I developed relationships and in some cases friendships. On the
other hand, being a Napa resident, my three kids (two fifth
graders and one seventh grader) will be attending Vintage in all
probability. In addition, there are people affiliated at that school
that I consider friends.
American Canyon boat-raced Vintage 42-14 in 2016 but the
Crushers returned the favor with a 28-14 win in 2017. At the
time, both schools were members of the CIF Sac Joaquin
Section. The Wolves were in the Solano County Athletic
Conference and the Crushers resided in the Monticello Empire
League.
Then came 2018 when both schools moved to the North Coast
Section and became members in the VVAL. Last season,
Vintage defeated the Wolves 27-14.
The narrative in this matchup has been styles make fights.
What wins? American Canyon’s speed or Vintage’s brawn. For
the Wolves, the question is who takes snaps from center?
Vance Eschenburg or Vinnie Espejo? Eschenburg left American
Canyon’s 14-7 win over Napa with an apparent head injury but
as of this writing, there was no definitively public answer. So,
we will make no assumptions.
College football analyst Phil Steele uses a yards per point metric
to measure efficiency. On offense, you want the number to be
low. Conversely, on defense, you want the number to be high.
The Crushers average 9.7 yards per point on offense and 14.6
on defense. American Canyon is averaging 11.2 yards per
point on offense and 19.2 on defense.
One advantage the Crushers have entering the game is
strength of schedule. Granted, you can only control winning the
game you are scheduled to play but the numbers don’t lie.
According to calpreps.com, and this is only a reference point,
Vintage’s opponents have an average ranking of minus-1.0
while American Canyon’s foes have an average ranking of
minus-15.3.
In the meantime, the most recent chapter of Vintage/American
Canyon can enjoy some more fermentation.
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