Season-ending loss does not tarnish Wolves 2016 resume

Sometimes a good story does not have a happy ending. Such was the case for the American Canyon High football team.

The No. 2 seeded Wolves’ season came to a screeching halt with a 29-0 loss in Friday’s CIF Sac Joaquin Section Div. III semifinal playoff game to the No. 3 seeded Christian Brothers (Sacramento) Falcons.

Though the loss stings now, and will for a few days if not a few weeks, but as time passes and you get further removed from the defeat, you will remember the many great moments the team produced rather than Friday’s loss.

American Canyon has established its mark in the sport of football since the school opened its doors in 2010. The Reader’s Digest version is in that span the Wolves have gone 49-22. That record is deflated by going 4-6 in 2011 when the program had no seniors and to a lesser degree by going 5-6 in 2015. American Canyon has won five straight Solano County Athletic Conference titles, shared and/or sole possession. The Wolves finished the 2016 campaign going 11-2 and reaching the SJS D-III semifinals, just as they did in 2012 before losing to eventual champion Oakdale.

You hear the phrase so much, “you’re only as good as your last game.”

I agree with that but only to a point. I tend to think that a person’s or team’s resume is the body of work over a period of time. All I know is this, the 2016 American Canyon Wolves were a treat to watch. Well, in my case, cover on a weekly basis.

Whether as a full-time sports reporter or as a freelance writer, I have covered Wolves football for three seasons. The 2011 and 2015 seasons had their peaks and valleys. The former, you can chalk up to having no seniors. The latter, you can chalk up to having its third coaching change in three seasons from Ian MacMillan to Ernie Lawson to Larry Singer. Since Singer has been with American Canyon since Day One be it as the freshmen head coach, JV head coach or varsity head coach, hiring him made sense. However, asking 17-year old kids to enduring three changes in as many seasons can be unsettling.

I’m not just saying this to be politically correct but all three coaches have sweat equity in the Wolves’ success. Singer is front and center now but as the previous JV head coach has played a role in their development. They also learned under the tutelage of Lawson and MacMillan. I would also be remiss not to mention assistant coaches Chris Yepson, Chris Rapacon, Joe Beachum and Mike Morofsky. Like Singer, they have been with the Wolves from Day One.

The senior class is to be commended. Last season, they stayed the course after a 1-5 start and went 15-3 thereafter. Among those seniors that should take a bow are Darren Antes, Andrew Rapacon, Anthony Gobert, Gamon Howard, Vaughn Johnson, Lorenzo Peterson, Jonathan Roeder, Oscar Lopez, Carlos Chavarria, Nelson Jarquin Aleman, Ethan Hughes. My goodness, I could go all night.

What stood out about this team was that the roster had players that genuinely wanted to be there, wanted to work to get better every week and played with the passion that competitors of the past like like Jon Bade, Chris Seisay, Jomon Dotson, Nate Gutierrez to name a few would have  appreciated.

Was it disappointing to see the season grind to a halt?

Yes. However, when the aforementioned players walk into the gym and see a league championship banner, chances are, they will be talking about the good memories on and off the field, not Friday night’s loss to the Falcons.

I’m not trying to channel my inner Dr. Phil, but if a resume is the body of work over a period of time, the 2016 Wolves have an impressive one.

Sideline slant

I have mentioned before in this online journal that I was a full-time sports reporter for 18 years before I changed career. For the past two seasons, I have been a route sales representative for Alhambra Water the last two years. However, when my former employer (Napa Valley Register) reached out to me before the 2015 season to cover games, I was floored in a good way.

I figured, why not, I would have been going to games as a spectator anyhow. However, running my route that involves physical work for 8-10 hours followed by covering a football game expends a lot of energy. Sometimes more than I imagined. That said, I’m taking this one year at a time. I’m tired now but who knows, by June, I’ll be excited again and say give me another year.

This is my inner Brett Favre.