Farrell reaching 100 wins a milestone to be celebrated

The Napa Valley has had many high school football coaches that have guided their
local teams to winning at a high level.

St. Helena High’s Brandon Farrell has undeniably secured a spot in that category
after his Saints defeated the Cloverdale Eagles 49-29 on Friday night in a road
contest, giving Farrell his 100th career victory as a head coach. Farrell has 80 wins
as the Saints head coach and 20 as a varsity high school coach in Illinois. Farrell
and his family moved to Northern California in May 2008.

Some of the other Napa Valley football coaches that come to mind are Burl Autry
(Vintage), Rich Cotruvo (Justin-Siena), Troy Mott (Napa), Les Franco (Napa and
Vintage), Dave Shipp (Justin-Siena and Vintage), Charley Toogood (St. Helena),
and Jim Hunt (Calistoga). Those coaches most readily come to mind because
their success spanned close to a decade and/or longer. There are others that have
enjoyed high level success in less than a decade in the Napa Valley.

The win came on a night where the Saints needed one to bolster their CIF North
Coast Section Div. V playoff chances. St. Helena is now 5-4 overall and 3-3 in
North Central League I. The Saints beat an Eagles team, who are also NCS Div.
V, that was 6-2 with wins over Sonoma (Div. IV), Novato (Div. III) and longtime
contender Middletown and a 17-7 loss to Montgomery (Div. II).  

As a former Upvalley beat reporter that saw many of Farrell’s games from
2008-2014, I say without reservation that Farrell belongs in the same category of
the aforementioned coaches. I’m not going to get into ranking them because the
issue is subjective. You also cannot compare eras, competition and talent. When
it comes to Napa Valley high school coaches, however, Farrell belongs on Mount
Coachmore.

To appreciate Farrell’s success, you have to understand the history of Saints
football. St. Helena had success highlighted by a team that won 46 games in a row
and had 53 contests without sustaining a defeat from 1960-1965, most of which
came under head coach George Davis. The 1970s featured a lot of success that
included but was not limited to an NCS A championship in 1977.

In the 1980s and most of the 1990s, the Saints were terrible but enjoyed a brief
spike in success thanks to Dan Boyett building the ship from 1992-1997 and
assistant Randy Neller keeping it on course in 1998. Boyett resigned after the team
went 6-3-1 to help care for his ailing daughter, Danielle, who passed away in 2011.
Boyett, however, continued to teach at St. Helena and was later an assistant
under Farrell. The Saints went 9-2 under Neller in 1998. The 2000s had peaks
and valleys.

From 1980-2007, the Saints went through 13 football head coaches in 28 years.
From 2004-2006, St. Helena went 21-11 under Ian MacMillan. The Saints won the
NCL I South for their first league title since 1978. MacMillan resigned after the
season and had multiple stints at Napa as an assistant and was the head coach at
American Canyon from 2011-2013. Oddly enough, MacMillan is back at St. Helena
as the JV head coach, returning in 2017.

After MacMillan resigned, David Collinsworth took the helm. That one-year stint was
an unmitigated calamity that went beyond the 2-8 record. There was also a brief
midseason player walkout that included feuds among assistant coaches.

Collinsworth resigned in January 2008. I rarely disparage high school coaches or
kids but the Collinsworth era was not the Saints finest hour and I’m being charitable.
Five months came and went, I remember emailing St. Helena High athletic director
Tom Hoppe, who informed me that “Brandon Farrell is the new head coach.” I
thought, “Brandon who?” Hoppe then informed me where he was from and sent me
his contact information. So I called Farrell and interviewed him via phone from my
house. I’m thinking, “Hmmm, St. Helena High might just have a good one.” The
cynical side of me said, “How is a guy from Midamerica going to handle the
fickleness of Upvalley sports parents?” Ten plus years and 100 wins later (80 in St.
Helena), I’d say he’s doing pretty damn well.

Winning 100 games in a coaching career is an outstanding achievement no matter
how you slice it. Granted, eras are different in that postseason formats have
gradually expanded in each passing year, then you factor in game changes both
from a rules and schematic perspective. Then, you factor in societal changes.
Farrell has won about two-thirds of his games since arriving in St. Helena. Granted,
the Saints were blessed with once in a generation talent in the early to mid-2010s.
However, once the talent cycled out of the program, St. Helena has remained a
viable NCS playoff contender. Last season was an outlier as the team went 3-5 but
it’s not as if one down year turned into multiple ones.

As much as any coach as I have been around, Farrell understands the importance of
surrounding himself with quality assistant coaches. Some of the faces have
changed over the years but it has the feeling of mixing Xs and Os and Jimmies and
Joes. I have said this time and again, talent and coaching are a package deal but if I
were to give a ratio of importance, I would say 60-40 coaching because players are
looking to them for direction.

Farrell’s impact also cannot be underscored in that he has established a strong
working relationship with the Carpy Gang, which is St. Helena’s youth program
since 1936. Before Farrell arrived, there was a disconnect between the two
programs but since then it has gained strength.

The biggest thing to unpack from Farrell reaching the century mark is not the
destination but the journey.

Take a bow, Coach Farrell.

Wolves need to be good at closing time

Merle Haggard came up with a hit song titled “Swinging Doors” that referenced closing time
at a local watering hole.

The song was released in 1966. Fast forward to 2018 and you have an American Canyon
High football team could use an authoritative finish at closing time of the regular season. The
Wolves enter Friday night’s road game against the Casa Grande (Petaluma) Gauchos with a
3-5 overall record and 3-1 against Vine Valley athletic League foes.

Winning a seventh consecutive league title appears to be a longshot after the Wolves 27-14
loss to the Vintage Crushers on Oct  5. Vintage’s last two opponents (Sonoma and Napa)
have a combined record of 3-14. The Wolves could get help but I also have beachfront
property in North Dakota that I can sell. American Canyon won six straight league titles
(either shared or sole possession) as members of the Solano County Athletic Conference.

All is not lost, however, for American Canyon, which has experienced its share of peaks and
valleys under first-year head coach John Montane. The Wolves can still achieve a CIF North
Coast Section Div. II playoff berth. American Canyon is ranked No. 10 among NCS Div. II
teams by calpreps.com. Keep in mind, the NCS accepts up to 16 teams when filling playoff
brackets.

Though the Wolves would appear to be favored in their final two games, the opponents are
such to where using the famous logic of San Antonio Spurs head Gregg Popovich of
“appropriate fear” would be prudent. Popovich, who is an iconic NBA coach who has led his
team to five NBA titles, uses the phrase when facing opponents where you appear to have
the advantage but must be cognizant of what the foe is capable of achieving on a given day.

Having had more than a few conversations with Montante, he frequently utters words to the
effect of only concerning himself with his team rather than the opponent. I believe what he
says there to be a truism but if the Wolves are to keep postseason hopes afloat, they cannot
have self-inflicted wounds. If American Canyon plays reasonably clean football, it should
beat both Casa Grande and Justin-Siena comfortably. However, if the Wolves commit
turnovers and penalties at an abundant rate, things could get dicey.

The good news is that the Wolves had a bye after playing a very physical Vintage team.
Like American Canyon, the Gauchos are 3-5 overall and 3-1 in VVAL. The two teams
have followed a similar script. American Canyon started 0-4 having been outscored
167-56. The wolves then won three in a row, outscoring foes 125-23 before the
aforementioned loss to Vintage. Casa Grande also started 0-4, being outscored 134-50.
The Gauchos have since won three of four, outscoring opponents 127-123 with the number
being skewed by a 44-0 loss to Vintage.

The advantage American Canyon has is nonleague strength of schedule. The Wolves
nonleague foes have a combined 25-7 record with an average calpreps.com rating of 24.6.
The Gauchos nonleague opponents are a combined 18-15 with an average calpreps.com
rating of 2.6. Those numbers do not tell the entire story but are a gauge nonetheless.

The Wolves finish the season at home against Justin, which is 4-5 overall and 1-4 in VVAL
action. The Braves, however, have been a tough out despite their aforementioned VVAL
mark. Justin enters this week with a bye and its 48-6 loss to Vintage notwithstanding, the
Braves have three losses by a combined 10 points.

The 2018 Wolves have been an enigma. On one hand, the peaks and valleys can be
understood by having a fourth new head coach in eight seasons. Keep in mind, Montante
was not hired until late June. American Canyon’s offense relies on producing big plays but
such circumstances have not been as abundantly supplied as in years past. The defense
has gotten better but is far from elite.

These last two games are as much about the optics. The Wolves have been a regular
postseason participant expect for their first year, 2011 when they had no seniors.

Playoffs or not, for the Wolves, it’s about finishing the regular season on the upswing.

Week 8 Napa Valley high school football around the horn

Like most people, I’m trying to wrap my head around the idea of the end of the regular
season for high school football approaching but that’s where the schedule sits.

Week 8 in Napa Valley high school football featured just one winner among the six teams.
In an all-local matchup, the Vintage Crushers blasted the Justin-Siena Braves 48-6. The
Casa Grande Gauchos kept the Napa Grizzlies winless with a 41-27 defeat. The Fort Bragg
Timberwolves upended the St. Helena Saints 30-14 while the Tomales Braves hammered
the Calistoga Wildcats 48-6. The American Canyon Wolves had a bye and visit Casa Grande
on Friday.

Here’s a closer look:

Vintage/Justin-Siena

Looking back: This game was billed as “The Battle of Trower Avenue” but it was anything
but a battle. Vintage imposed its will early and often as it totalled 335 yards rushing,
averaging 14.0 yards per carry. Viliami Schaumkel (four carries, 113 yards, two touchdowns)
and Pedja Zivkovic (five carries 92 yards, two touchdowns) led the assault. Defensively, the
Crushers limited Justin to 108 yards on the ground and put Braves quarterback Barrett
Donohoe (17 of 26 for 152 yards) under duress. Vintage has shown a penchant for being
able to methodically drive down the field but on this night, no scoring drive took more than
six plays.

Looking ahead: The Crushers have won six straight since starting 0-2. Vintage is now 6-2
overall and 4-0 in Vine Valley Athletic League. Vintage is ranked No. 25 in both
Prep2prep.com and maxpreps.com polls. The Crushers host Sonoma (3-6 overall, 2-3 VVAL),
which lost to Petaluma 30-12. Vintage will play a Sonoma team whose defense has been its
strength, allowing an average of 20.2 points per game but its offense has been inept, scoring
9.3 per contest. The Crushers figure to be a heavy favorite in this one. Justin (4-5 overall,
1-4 VVAL) has a bye next week and finishes the regular season with a trip to American
Canyon, which is coming off a well-timed bye after a 27-14 loss to Vintage.

Napa

Looking back: For the second time in as many weeks, the Grizzlies started fast only to
fizzle. Napa bolted to a 13-0 lead but was outscored 41-14 the rest of the way. One week
earlier, the Grizzlies built a 19-0 lead only to lose to Justin 36-32. The game was tied 13-13
at halftime but Casa Grande scored two mid-third quarter touchdowns to assume control.

Looking ahead: What has been a historically bad season for Napa ends in two weeks and
finding a victory is going to be an uphill climb for a Grizzlies team that is 0-8. The last time
Napa struggled to this magnitude was 1992, when it went 1-9. The Grizzlies visit Petaluma
(5-3 overall, 2-2 VVAL) and take on aforementioned league-leading Vintage.

St. Helena

Looking back: The night started in promising fashion for the Saints as linebacker George
Cutting recovered a fumble on the Fort Bragg 27-yard line on the game’s opening series.
St. Helena drove to the Timberwolves’ 2 before quarterback Daniel Martinez threw on
interception. The Saints, however, rebounded from that wasted opportunity to take a 14-6
halftime lead but Fort Bragg outscored the Saints 24-0 in the second half thanks to four St.
Helena turnovers after intermission. Four turnovers in a half are hard to overcome for any
team but especially a mid-level one.

Looking ahead: The Saints fall to 4-4 overall, 2-3 in North Central League I and have lost
four of their last six since starting the season 2-0. St. Helena is vying for a CIF North Coast
Section Div. V playoff spot and seeking the 100th career victory for head coach Brandon
Farrell. The possibility for the latter will be a tall order next week as the Saints visit
Cloverdale (6-2 overall, 4-1 NCL I). The Eagles beat Clear Lake 41-27. St. Helena finishes
the regular season with a home game against last place Lower Lake.  

Calistoga

Looking back: For the second time in as many weeks, Calistoga was handed a decisive
loss. The wildcats especially had no answer for Tomales quarterback Brady Woodward,
who rushed for 108 yards on 20 carries. He capped off the opening drive with a 1-yard
touchdown run and it was curtains for Calistoga. The ensuing drive lasted just two plays
after a Calistoga touchdown led to another Tomales score. The Braves outgained
injury-ravaged Calistoga 248-39 in total yards. Tomales scored on all but one drive, its last
when running out the clock.

Looking ahead: The season that looked so promising has taken a turn for the worse as
the Wildcats fall to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in NCL III. In its first five games, Calistoga outscored
its foes 151-72 during a 4-1 start. In their last two games, both loss, the Wildcats have been
outscored 82-24, one of the two coming against the co-leader of the NCL III, Branson). The
road gets no easier when Calistoga hosts Stuart Hall (San Francisco), which is tied with
Branson atop the league. The Wildcats finish the season at winless Roseland Prep (Santa
Rosa).

+6

St. Helena boys basketball takes a Gamble on new coach

St. Helena High boys basketball is digging into its Hall of Fame past to address its
present.

Without further adieu, Saints fans, Jim Gamble has entered the building. In these parts in
a basketball sense, that would be like Elvis entering the building, only Graceland is not in
the Napa Valley. Gamble, who is a 1981 graduate of St. Helena High, replaces his former
teammate, Joe Densberger (Class of 1980). Densberger stepped down in late April:

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2018/04/densberger-to-step-away-from-his-passion.html

Gamble was inducted into the St. Helena High Athletic Hall of Fame in the 2015 class for
his prowess as a three-sport athlete (basketball, tennis and cross country) but is best known
for his contributions in basketball. Gamble scored 1,319 career points in three varsity
seasons, before the 3-point shot. Gamble led the Saints to consecutive CIF North Coast
Section Class A titles in 1980-1981 under head coach Erik Zaidel. Gamble played his
college basketball at Cal Poly Pomona, where he was coached by Gregg Popovich. As in the
iconic NBA coach who has led the San Antonio Spurs to five NBA titles.

Gamble had been overseeing the program after Densberger resigned until athletic director
Tom Hoppe could find a replacement. Except Hoppe, himself a 1977 graduate of St. Helena,
never found that replacement and ultimately turned to Gamble. Hoppe, however, revealed
when that Gamble was his top choice the entire time when the St. Helena Star broke the
news of Gamble having been hired.

Gamble was an assistant last season under Densberger and in 2003 when Hoppe was the
head coach. Gamble is currently seeking out for assistant coaches while Meshach Osborne
returns as the JV coach. Gamble added that he was reluctant to take the job in part because
his youngest son, Jonathan, is a varsity player.

I can understand the reluctance, as a former sports reporter (10 years on the Upvalley beat)
who has become a sports parent, I would be reticent to coach my own kid. For openers, it
complicates the family dynamic and the team aspect. It’s a no win situation. If you are too
easy on your kid, you are playing favorites. If you go out of your way to be hard on your kid
to prove a point, the lad resents you.

Granted, Gamble coached his older kids (Sarah and David) along with the aforementioned
Jonathan in their younger years but on the varsity stage, the lights are brighter. Gamble steps
in for a team that went 11-15 overall and 4-10 in North Central League I but the fact that his
presence has kept players engaged in summer league games, open gym and conditioning
sessions in an unofficial capacity is a plus. What does it translate into from a win-loss
perspective? I can’t even begin to project. The first official day basketball teams in the CIF
North Coast Section can begin practicing is Oct. 29.

Having spent the better part of ten seasons on the Upvalley beat from 2004-2014, I got to
know Gamble fairly well in various capacities, sports parent, board member on the Saints
Athletic Association, youth sports coach and St. Helena Little League president to name a
few. He has worn about 74 different hats. Gamble and I have had numerous conversations.

This is going to sound ignorant to people in St. Helena but until 2004, I had no idea who
Jim Gamble was even though I have family that grew up there. Whereas, when he was
dominating as a high school athlete, I was just a second grader in Napa. I was in my own
world. Nonetheless, I grew fasicated by his story.

The next thing I know, I’m covering a Saints game and this tall, stately looking fellow walks
up to this vertically challenged fellow and introduces himself and asks: “Hi are you Vince,
the new sport reporter?” I reply, “Yes, and you are?” He replies: “Jim Gamble. I’m an
assistant for the varsity. I want to tell you that you are doing a great job at the paper.” Then
he adds: “I know your Auntie Anna. She’s a great lady and says nothing but great things
about you.”

That would be my Auntie Anna, as in my mother’s sister. And yes, my Auntie Anna is a gem
if I do say so as her proud nephew. From that point forward, I felt an instant relatability to
Gamble.

OK, I understand I am going off the rails. At this point you are asking, how does this help
Saints basketball now? I don’t worry about Gamble the coach. Being what some people
consider one of the best high school basketball players to don a uniform in the entire Napa
Valley, you’re getting a guy that knows Xs and Os. He’s old-school competitive but
mild-mannered enough to where he won’t let the technology age bother him -- at least
outwardly.

If I have to think of an underlying message of Gamble taking this job despite his initial
reluctance, the man is a good soldier. To that end, he is doing St. Helena High and the
community a solid by taking this assignment.

Vintage football moving the needle

After years of toiling in the shadow of other local programs, Vintage High football has jumped
front and center.

The Crushers have experienced a revival under third-year head coach Dylan Leach, who is
a 1992 graduate of the school, and are in position to accomplish milestones the program has
not achieved in quite some time. Vintage is 5-2 overall and 3-0 in Vine Valley Athletic League
after Friday’s 27-14 win over the American Canyon Wolves. Most people, myself included,
touted this contest to be the deciding matchup for the VVAL title.

Vintage is in line to win its first league championship since 2005 when the Crushers finished
in a three-way tie for first place with Napa and Vacaville as members of the Monticello Empire
League. That team was coached by Les Franco, Leach was an assistant on that staff. If the
Crushers win out, they can win sole possession of the VVAL. The last time Vintage
accomplished such a feat was 1992, five months after Leach graduated and it was current
athletic director Cam Neal’s senior year.

The Crushers three remaining games are at Justin-Siena followed by a home game against
Sonoma and at home against Napa. Those three teams have a combined record of 7-16,
part of that record is deflated by Napa’s 0-7 mark but a favorable remaining slate for Vintage
nonetheless.

Each team represents a different challenge. With Justin, you have a quarterback that can
make things happen in Barrett Donohoe but a defense that has been suspect. Sonoma’s
defense has been solid by the numbers in yielding an average of 19.0 points per game but
two of the last three contests have seen foes score 40 or more (47-0 loss to American
Canyon and 40-7 defeat to Casa Grande). Napa’s newly implemented spread offense has
been promising at times but the defense has been a sieve, giving up 44.0 points per game.
I’m not a Las Vegas odds maker, I just play one on this blog. Leach and his coaching staff
will take the “one game at a time” approach. You expect that. Their job is to keep the team
grounded but as a fan/freelance writer/blogger, I can look ahead. That being said, I view the
Crushers as sizeable favorites in all of the aforementioned games.

To appreciate the Crushers being in their current position, you have to understand their
journey. After Franco retired at the conclusion of the 2006 season, Vintage went through
four coaching changes (Billy Smith, Dave Shipp and Kyle Hofmann) until the 2016 season,
when they lured Leach away from Napa’s staff, where he was former head coach Troy
Mott’s defensive coordinator. Leach was a Vintage varsity assistant from 2003-2009 and
JV assistant from 2000-2002.  He bled Blue & Gold for a few years but has Burgundy &
Gold coursing through his veins. Leach may not be the perfect coach -- but he’s the perfect
coach for the Vintage Crushers.

In 2000, the Crushers went 8-3 under Franco, who was in his first season as Vintage’s
head coach. After that season, Vintage was mostly middle of the road with a 9-32 stretch
from 2009-2012 mixed into the equation. In Leach’s first season, the Crushers went 5-5
despite dropping four of six contests at one point.

The watershed moments were a 29-20 loss to Vacaville and a 28-27 win over Wood. The
former was significant because the Crushers had routinely been railroaded by Vacaville,
losing by an average of 48.7-14.8 between 2006-2015. Leach also didn’t spend time glad
handing with any moral victory narratives. The latter was significant in that because it
involved a touchdown with 5.3 seconds left in the contest followed by a decision to attempt
a two-point conversion and a victory instead of an extra point and playing for overtime.
Leach elected for the former and Triston Schaumkel rewarded him.

Since falling to 3-4 after seven games in 2016, the Crushers have gone 14-5. They might
not always meet the eyeball test but this is a gritty, hard-nosed team. The current season
looked like it would be a disappointment. Vintage committed six turnovers and lost 35-7 to
Wood (Vacaville) and 28-27 to Acalanes (Lafayette). The latter loss, however, involved
rallying from a 28-8 second half deficit. Being there for that game in person, the feeling you
got was that the Crushers had a “the light bulb is going on” moment. Since halftime of that
game, Vintage has outscored foes 192-64.

I would be highly remiss if I did not mentioned how Leach has transformed the Crushers
off the field. I'm not privy to the players academic prowess but you have a coach that expects
student-athletes to take care of business in the classroom and they follow suit. You also
have a coach that has his players involved in community service. One Saturday morning, I
was running errands and listening to the KVON Sportsvine. Leach was a guest of host
Kent Fry and spoke of the importance of student-athletes being involved in their community.
As a native Napan myself, one thought crossed my mind, "Dylan Leach is one of us."

Leach is the perfect blend of passionate and leading with conviction along with letting his
players perform and his assistant coaches do their duty. Like his two primary mentors,
Franco and Mott, Leach knows the importance of surrounding himself with quality assistants:
 Andrew Hall (offensive line), Dennis Raines (defensive line), Kyle Archer (co-defensive
coordinator and special teams coordinator), Bob Rosensteil (wide receivers), Larry Villanova
(scout team and defensive backs), Lenny Dinov (middle linebackers and fullbacks), and
Preston Garcia (co defensive coordinator).

With an undefeated JV team led by head coach Kyle Schuh and having a freshman program,
the Crushers appear to be setting themselves up for consistent success.

While skill position players like running back Viliami Schaumkel, quarterback Jacob Aaron
and quarterback/receiver/running back Michael Webber and running back Drew Hatfield
immediately get your attention, what stands out is that Hall and Raines strive for not having
their offensive and defensive linemen play both ways.

The offensive line from left to right is Nyllan Mosqueda (left tackle), Rhys Irwin (left guard),
Jack Odell (center), Alfonso Medina (right guard) and Luis Arroyo (right tackle). On the
defensive line, Dom Smith and Dre Holmes share time at nose guard while Colton Fisher
and Zack Daniels man the end positions in the 3-4 defense. Jose Alfaro, who is injured
currently, has also played a significant amount. Dylan Cook, listed at 140 pounds, has been
a pass rush specialist at nose guard. Get an offensive and defensive line whose goal is
creating a new line of scrimmage, that’s a team that is going places.

Watching this Crusher program take shape in Leach’s three years, the identity is that you
may beat this team because you have better athletes but this team is physical and hits
like they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Translation, when you play the Crushers,
you can expect to feel the effects for a few days after the fact.

In the meantime, Vintage has bigger targets in its sights to hit.