Giving Middletown High football a shoutout from opposing sideline

Sometimes you have to give a shoutout to a nemesis.

To set the scene, the Middletown High football team won its fourth CIF North Coast
Section championship defeating the Salesian (Richmond) Pride 28-14 at Alhambra
High in Martinez, CA for the NCS Div. V title.

For the the No. 5 seeded Mustangs, defeating No. 2 Salesian marked their fourth
section title in the 34-year coaching era of the iconic Bill Foltmer. The last time
Middletown won a section title was 2001, when the United States was recovering
from the 9/11 attacks. For Middletown, Saturday’s title meant two things, a)
Redemption from 2010, when the Mustangs snatched defeat from the jaws of
victory, turning a 21-7 lead after three quarters into a 28-21 overtime loss and b)
Represented a continued healing from the dastardly wildfires from 2015. Granted
the state of California has had continuous such events the last few years but Lake
County was the epicenter of the blaze that year.

I’m not going to break down the season because I only caught glimpses of them
from afar. Lake County Record Bee sports editor Brian Sumpter, whom I consider
a friend, would be much more qualified to do so. Having spent 10 years covering
St. Helena and Calistoga High Schools (2004-2014), I saw more than a few
glimpses of Middletown up close. St. Helena is the the same league (North Central
League I) as Middletown. Calistoga was in the NCL II with Middletown for a number
of years.

Though I have changed careers as of December 2014, I get my writing fix via this
blog and as a freelance writer for my former employer (Napa Valley Register)
during football season. I have also covered a few games for the aforementioned
Lake County Record Bee.

As a reporter, you get caught up in celebrating the success of the team you cover.
Though some may view the reporting as biased, I beg to differ. Sure, there are some
reporters who are biased but I look at it more through the prism of you see
youngsters work so hard for their success that you can’t help but be happy for them.

I had many road trips to Lake County but the more often I covered a game involving
Middletown as the opponent of the team on my beat, my admiration for them
increased every time. In Foltmer’s 34 seasons at Middletown, the Mustangs are
263-104-1 with four section titles (seven appearances), 11 seasons of 10 or more
victories, only four losing seasons in that span and never failed to win at least three
games. Success to that magnitude gets the field named after you. In 2010, the
football field at Middletown was named Bill Foltmer Field. That status is like getting
a street named after you in Green Bay. Before becoming a coaching icon in
Middletown, Foltmer was a head coach for three years at Princeton High, which is
in Colusa County, where he went 19-22.

Though I only know Foltmer on the periphery, the overarching impression I always
received is that coaching continuity is an incredible luxury. The Mustangs don’t win
consistently because their athletes are so much better than the rest of the NCL I.
They win because from the varsity to JV to the Middletown Colts, you get a machine
that is so well-oiled that by the time a youngster reaches the varsity team, they are
a step or two ahead of their opponents.

Another reason why I am thrilled that Middletown won the NCS Div. V title is
because trips to that venue are a true Friday Night Lights experience. In terms of
physical geography, Middletown is in California but the Friday night football
experience could pass for Mid-America and I mean that in the most complimentary
way possible.

When you have multiple high schools in one city, there are divided loyalties. In
Napa, you either bleed the Blue & Gold of Napa High or Burgundy & Gold of
Vintage High. In one high school towns like Middletown, there are no gray areas.
It’s Purple & Gold.

Another reason why Middletown is a special place, in the aftermath of the
aforementioned fires, Bill Cowher visited and talked to the players after practice.
Yes, that Bill Cowher, the former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers who is a
studio co-host for NFL games on CBS. At the time, Cowher and the crew were
in the Bay Area for a Thursday Night national TV game between the Seattle
Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

Until next time, this Saints and Wildcats fan says, “Shoutout to Middletown!”

With NHS football job advertised, getting right hire vital

There are times where you sense that hiring the right person for a job is paramount
to turn the tide.

For Napa High football, now is that time. The storied program is like a fallen
champion that was floored to the canvas and shoved out of the ring. The Indians
turned Grizzlies hit rock bottom in going 0-10, the first time in school history the
program posted such a record and the first winless season since 1955.

The Napa Valley Unified School District posted a vacancy for the Napa High
football head coach position on edjoin.com on Friday. The position may be
combined with a single subject teaching position. The teacher aspect of the
job carries a pay range from $57,579-$83,198 over 182.5 workdays. The
coaching aspect of the job carries a stipend of $3,253. The deadline to apply for
the job is January 7.

The last two years have been a free fall: 1) Hazing scandal that led to the
resignation of Troy Mott and the entire coaching staff, 2) The hiring of JV head
coach Jesus Martinez at the 11th hour to avert cancelling the 2017 season, 3) The
athletic director revolving door from Brian King to Kelly Van Winden to Thomas
Sims to Tom Petithomme, who is now the co-AD with Darci Ward, 4) Within two
weeks of Petithomme, who also teaches physical education, being hired, Martinez
was fired but told to say he resigned. Martinez told the school and NVUSD to kick
rocks. Lest we forget the mascot change from Indians to Grizzlies. Petithomme
took over for Martinez as the interim coach, which in a nutshell is why the job is
being advertised.

At the district level, superintendent Patrick Sweeney, who retired, was replaced by
Rosanna Mucetti. On the Napa High front, principal Annie Petrie has been replaced
by Browns Valley Elementary School principal Frank Silva. Petrie has been
reassigned within the district,

I do not want to make this reading about rehashing the past but for further reference,
if you wish to torture yourself here are the links below:

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2017/03/motts-resignation-gives-reason-for-pause.html

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2017/03/finding-football-coaches-note-plural.html

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2017/05/martinez-hire-as-nhs-head-coach-means.html

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2017/06/cautiously-optimistic-napa-high.html

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2017/06/summer-conditioning-healthy-medicine.html

https://vincedadamo.blogspot.com/2018/06/martinezs-dismissal-as-napa-football.html

What needs to be emphasized is that NVUSD and Napa High can’t swing and miss
on this hire. It’s not the end of the world of the hire is not a home run but it cannot be
a strikeout. In a nutshell, Napa High football has endured multiple shotgun wounds
but continues to be a Band-Aid, the bleeding will continue.

So what constitutes getting the right hire? I have my theories but no actual insight.
My top four choices in no particular order are Mott, Ian MacMillan, Rich Cotruvo
and Kirk Anderson. I do not see a scenario where Mott returns. I can’t see the board
being so willing to swallow its pride to give what so many people want and why
would Mott want or need them at this point? MacMillan is a proven winner who has
been a varsity and JV coach but has a great situation in St. Helena as a teacher
and coach.

Cotruvo and Anderson, I believe, would consider coming to Napa if asked. Cotruvo
is a proven winner. After being pushed out after 19 years at Justin-Siena, he is now
at Terra Linda. Anderson is a former Napa High quarterback and, like MacMillan,
former assistant of Mott. Anderson was a varsity assistant at Will C. Wood last
season and American Canyon in 2017.

MacMillan and Anderson were qualified to step in for Mott after he resigned but
given their friendship with him, they were reluctant to cross that line. However,
emotions were raw at the time, maybe they have settled now that the program
has sunk to the bottom of the ocean two years later.

Those four individuals, however, being linked to the Napa football job is highly
speculative and I have no proof they have been contacted. Regardless of who is
hired, the importance of getting it right is vital. Are we looking for high school’s
version of Bill Belichick or Nick Saban? No. This is high school where wins and
losses are not everything. Of course you want a leader that 1) emphasizes that
the youngsters are student-athletes with the student part coming first, 2) being
active as community members, 3) using athletics as a tool to prepare for life, etc.

The close second is that you want youngsters to look back at their playing
experience with fondness. Between going 3-16 on the field the last two years and
the off the field escapades, I find to hard to believe that being a Napa High football
player has been fun the last two seasons. The new hire needs to be able to 1) get
kids excited about football, especially those that decided not to play and 2) unite a
fan base that has faded away. From a win-loss standpoint, I’m not asking this team
to suddenly leapfrog Vintage and American Canyon but at least become functional
and viable.

I understand that high school athletics is the pinnacle for most kids in their athletic
journey. However, if you are a football fan in the Napa Valley you should want local
schools to thrive. The matchup of Napa and Vintage is known as Big Game. From
2002-2016, it was not compelling with Napa winning all but the 2005 contest mostly
in decisive fashion. In those years, the Monticello Empire League race ran through
Napa and Vacaville primarily. Vintage was mostly middle of the road with a few
subpar seasons.

In 2017, Vintage broke the spell with a 14-7 win over Napa. Last season, Vintage
blasted Napa off the field with a 69-14 win. The last two seasons, Vintage has
experienced a revival under head coach Dylan Leach, who was a coordinator on
both sides under Mott (defense 2010-2012; Offense 2013-2014; overseeing both
in 2015). Vintage called the 1992 Crusher alum back home to lead the program.
The Crushers are 22-12 under Leach, 17-6 the last two seasons. In that span,
Napa has gone from really good to really bad without stopping at mediocre.

Though it will never replace the Big Game, the last few seasons, the rivalry between
Vintage and American Canyon has been more compelling. The newly formed Vine
Valley Athletic League needs Napa to rebound because the strength of the league
did not have a positive viewing, and I’m being charitable. Whoever the new head
coach is, there is going to be sweat equity from assembling a staff to getting kids
excited about football.

There is talent in the program. The problem was that the kids were asked to run a
system that they did not have the athletes to execute. For years, Napa has been a
run dominated team with various elements of option football. Last season, they
became a spread passing team. That’s like trying to turn a John Deere to a Jaguar.

At this point, I would be happy if Napa High football became a vehicle that got back
on a paved road.

Making the case for Central Florida

Sometimes you have to take up for the little guy.

In college football terms, you have Power 5 conferences (Big 10, Pac 12, SEC,
Big 12, ACC) and Group of 5 (everyone else). For years, Power 5 conferences
had the advantage of having virtually unlimited scholarships they could give to
student-athletes. In the eyes of many, those competitive advantages made for an
unlevel playing field. Until 2014, college football national championship matchups
were decided by a mixture of media, coaches and computer polls.

The problem was that with the Pac 10 and Big 10 champions directly tied to the
Rose Bowl, it led to split National Champions, 1991 (Miami and Washington) and
1997 (Michigan and Nebraska). In 1994, both Nebraska and Penn State were
unbeaten but did not play. Nebraska took first place in both polls on the strength
of two wins over Top 5 teams (Colorado and Miami).

From 1998-2014, the Bowl Championship Series was formed. The good news was
that unbeaten Pac 10 and Big 10 teams were playing in the title game. This format,
however, was not without its controversies. Too many to list. Among the many were
averaging results from media, coaches and computer polls.

In 2014, the BCS was succeeded by the College Football Playoff. The system
maintains the existing bowl games but has four teams playing two semifinal games
with the winner of those contests playing each other one week later. A 13-member
committee selects and seeds the four teams to take part in the CFP. This system
differs from the use of polls or computer rankings that had previously been used to
select the participants for the BCS. The current format is a Plus-One system, an idea
which became popular as an alternative to the BCS after the 2003 and 2004
seasons ended in controversy.

With Central Florida, which has gone 25-0 the last two seasons, not being selected,
most people continue to clamour for the field to be expanded to eight teams. While
I am pro Central Florida, I believe a six-team format with the top two teams getting
first round byes would be a better solution but that’s another discussion for another
day.

Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma comprise this year’s college football
playoff. Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and UCF are unbeaten while Oklahoma
has one loss.

Being a Nebraska alum and given that current Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost
coached UCF for two years, I admit that I have a rooting interest in the Golden
Knights. However, I can think of plenty of salient reasons why Power 5 schools
deserve their chance in the college football playoffs.

I say this knowing I'm going to get ridiculed by some but so be it. For the life of me
I do not get why some people are so resistant towards the idea of putting Central
Florida football in the college football playoffs. I hear the stock lines already: a)
Group of 5 not Power 5, b) They don't play anyone, c) They'd lose by 75
touchdowns. They were given a damn schedule the last two years and won every
game. Period.

The NCAA years ago came after Power 5 schools and made their scholarship limit
85 to create competitive equity for the Group of 5 schools. Yet when it comes time
to putting an unbeaten Group of 5 into the playoffs, the selection committee looks
for reasons to keep them out. You can't have it both ways.

The biggest argument against Group of 5 schools is that while an unbeaten season
in those conferences lead to a title, it might translate into a third place finish in a
Power 5 conference. I cannot disagree with that notion but football is an any given
day sport where one team can rise up to beat another in bowl games or any other
for that matter.

I am looking at the last decade and a half. There were isolated scenarios where the
Group of 5 team did not show well against Power 5 teams. In 2007, Georgia blasted
Hawaii 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl. In 2012, Florida State hammered Northern Illinois
31-10 in the Orange Bowl.

In most every other season, however, the Group of 5 school has acquitted itself
very well. In 2017, UCF defeated Auburn 38-31 in the Peach Bowl. Yes, the same
Auburn team that beat eventual National Champion Alabama, yet UCF garnered a
No. 6 ranking in the final polls.

In 2011, Boise State, which went 12-1, annihilated Arizona State 56-24 in the Las
Vegas Bowl, yet finished No. 7 in the final poll. That same season, 12-1 Houston
beat Penn State 30-14 in the Ticket City Bowl, yet finished No. 19 in the final polls.

The 2010 season screamed for a Group of 5 team to have their chance. TCU, which
was a member of the Mountain West Conference, has since joined the Power 5
(Big 12). The 12-0 Horned Frogs beat Wisconsin 21-19 in the Rose Bowl and
finished No. 3.

The 2009 season featured a real head scratcher. No. 4 Boise State (14-0) and No.
5 TCU (12-1) ended up meeting each other in the Fiesta Bowl with Boise State
winning 17-10. So let me get this straight, they are good enough to meet each
other in a New Years Six Bowl Game but not good enough to meet a Power 5
school? Makes sense to me (insert eyeroll).

In 2008, No. 2 Utah and No. 7 Boise State were each 12-0 entering their bowl
game. Utah beat Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. Yes, that Alabama. Boise State
lost to TCU 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl.

In 2006, No. 5 Boise State beat Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime of an epic Fiesta Bowl.
In 2004, No. 4 Utah (13-0) blasted Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl. Utah later
became a Pac 12 school.

The proof is in the pudding. Power 5 schools belong in the college football playoffs
if they go undefeated. The cases of Group of 5 schools being overwhelmed in bowl
games by Power 5 schools are the exception, not the norm.

Memo to NCAA and selection committee, if you are not going to give undefeated
Group of 5 teams their chance in the playoffs, then stop pretending to care about
competitive equity and let’s go back to the days where Power 5 conferences had
unlimited scholarships and Group of 5 schools were an afterthought.

Season-ending loss does not detract from Crushers season

On a brisk night in Danville, the glorious Vintage High football team’s season came
to an end with a 14-3 loss to the San Ramon Valley Wolves in a CIF North Coast
Section Div. I semifinal playoff game.

Though the disappointment is fresh at present, if you are a Crusher fan, one loss
does not detract from this team’s success.

With the win, No. 4 San Ramon will take on No. 2 Freedom (Oakley) on Saturday
night at Heritage High in Brentwood. The No. 8 seeded Crushers reached this point
by defeating No. 1 seeded Antioch 24-21 in double overtime on Nov. 9. Numerous
postseason games were postponed multiple times in lieu of the Northern California
wildfires, specifically the Camp Fire in which Paradise, CA, in Butte County was
the epicenter. The fires produced unhealthy air quality which led to the
aforementioned postponements.

Both teams entered the game in compromised situations on the injury front. The
Crushers were minus two starting offensive linemen and quarterback Jacob Aaron
while San Ramon was without starting outside linebacker Tristan Sinclair, who is a
four-star athlete with a verbal commitment to Stanford.

The game started in promising fashion with Mauricio Castro returning the opening
kickoff 61 yards to the San Ramon 38. Vintage’s offense reached the Wolves 4 but
had to settle for a 22 yard Eddy Gonzalez field goal. Being limited to a field goal in
that scenario proved to be a harbinger of things to come.

Every time it looked like the Vintage offense was chiseling away at San Ramon,
either a fumble or untimely penalties derailed the Crushers. Vintage fumbled five
times and while it retrieved all of them, it led to unfavorable down and distance
situations. When field position and points are at a premium, those miscues hurt.
On two other occasions, the Crushers got a takeaway in Wolves territory. The first
one was a Drew Hatfield fumble recovery of a muffed punt at the San Ramon 28.
The Crusher offense mustered no points.

The second takeaway came with 6:53 left in the game with San Ramon leading 7-3.
The Wolves achieved that lead on 12 yard touchdown pass from Brandon Cammisa
to Jake Burton on a transcontinental screen pass. Jesus Galvan’s fumble recovery
at the San Ramon 38 appeared to put Vintage in prime position to win but the
offense could not generate a first down. San Ramon marched down the field to ice
the game on Jacob Himan’s 2-yard run with 1:17 left in the contest.

The deeper a team gets into the postseason, the margin for error shrinks. You can
waste those opportunities against Sonoma in Week 6 but in the semifinals of the
NCS Div. I playoffs, the inability to cash in on such chances will send you home.

Another underlying theme to this contest, throughout the season and really since
Dylan Leach was named the head coach in April 2016, the Crushers have prided
themselves on being better conditioned and more physical than their opponents.
On Saturday, they faced a team that believes in the same philosophy.

“Up front they were tougher than us,” Leach said. “They beat us up. I thought we
played well defensively. Normally if we hold a team to 14 points we’re going to win.
We hurt ourselves with a couple of bad penalties and we fumbled five times.”

“Going forward we need to continue to stress the importance of our offseason and
in season workouts. When you have multiple guys getting banged up, we can’t
expect a second or third string guy or in tonight’s case we played six sophomores.
I love what they did to us because that’s exactly what I want to do to other people.”

The narrative of “you are only as good as your last game” is a stock line that is
often uttered. I have never agreed with that statement. Granted, a team’s final game
is the last memory of a season but short of winning the section or state title, no
team ends their season on a happy note. I look at a season like a resume in that it
is the body of work over a period of time. Anyone with a clear conscience should
look at the 2018 Crushers’ resume as one that checks all boxes.

Vintage won its first league title since 2005, when it finished in a three-way tie for
first place as members of the Monticello Empire League with Napa and Vacaville.
In 2018, the Crushers vacated the Sac Joaquin Section for the NCS and as
members of the newly formed Vine Valley Athletic League blasted their way to a
league crown with second place American Canyon being the only team to
remotely challenge them. Vintage won that game 27-14 on Oct. 5.

The Crushers won their first postseason game since 1986 as they took James
Logan (Union City) to the woodshed 36-0. One week later, Vintage traveled to
Antioch and broke the Panthers’ heart with the aforementioned double overtime
win.

Another thing to keep in mind, this team started the season 0-2 and went on a
10-game winning streak. Process that for a moment, in high school football, regular
seasons are 10 games. Two games are 20 percent of the season. Many teams that
start 0-2 do not bounce back. Well, the 2018 Crushers were not many teams.

You have to understand the program’s journey. Before Leach arrived as head coach,
Vintage football took a back seat locally to Napa and to a lesser extend Justin-Siena,
American Canyon and even St. Helena. The Crushers have since moved to the
front of the line. Leach has assembled an outstanding coaching staff. The strength
and conditioning program continues to improve along with player leadership. When
you have those elements, your program culture is in a great place. The playoff
experience will be valuable to the JV kids that were on the postseason roster.

“It brings excitement for the younger kids that got to come up,” Leach said. “With
the fires, we might have had 24 extra practices. That is invaluable because most
other schools packed their gear away a long time ago.”

Speaking of the JV kids, the Crushers went 9-0-1 under head coach Kyle Schuh
and 8-1 on the freshmen level. I’m usually the first one to emphasize “pump the
brakes” when it comes to JV success. I’ve seen many great JV teams flounder
when arriving on the varsity. With this program, however, the machine appears so
well-oiled that I see no reason to think this success does not continue.

The Crushers are 22-11 in Leach’s three years and they were 2-4 in his first six
games (20-7 since that time). In Vintage’s aforementioned 10-game winning streak,
six were by point margins North of 20. Translation, there is nothing fluky about
the Crushers recent success.