Vince D’Adamo photo
Joshua Monroy ran for a Calistoga High School-record six touchdowns in Saturday night’s win.
Huge Halloween football wins a treat for 'Cats
Varsity Wildcat gridders blank Saints on road, CHS JV squad pounds Mendocino
By Vince D’Adamo
SPORTS REPORTER
The Calistoga High football team has endured some tough times throughout the 2009 season, but Saturday night’s 47-0 domination over the Cristo Rey (Sacramento) Saints at San Juan High in Citrus Heights was not one of them.
Senior running back Joshua Monroy paced a 239-yard rushing attack by gaining 167 yards on 18 attempts, with a school-record six touchdowns.
Monroy broke Ben Alfaro’s school record of five that stood since 1998.
Monroy scored on touchdown runs of 5, 7, 2, 13, 5 and 27 yards.
Jose Sanchez returned a kickoff 55 yards to paydirt, and Ricky Tejeda added five extra-point kicks.
The offensive line of center Diego Robledo, guards Danny Traffanstedt and Jose Garcia, and tackles Leo Sanchez and Rafael Cendejas — with J.T. Blakeley and Gary Lopez alternating at tight end — dominated in the trenches.
“They did a great job and on some plays, you could have driven a truck through the holes they made,” Calistoga head coach Mike Ervin said.
“(Calistoga quarterback) Lucas (Fernandez) played his best game of the year with the reads he made.”
Fernandez completed 5-of-5 passes for 81 yards as Travis King and Tejeda each caught two passes. King accounted for 50 yards receiving while Tejeda added 13. Gary Lopez caught one pass for 18 yards. Fernandez also ran eight times for 54 yards.
Defensively, Traffanstedt and Garcia each added quarterback sacks.
Monroy also was Calistoga’s leading tackler with 19, followed by JV call-up Scott Skinner’s 13.
Sanchez recorded 10 tackles while Lincoln Fox added eight.
Lopez also stood out on special teams as two of his eight kickoffs went for touchbacks.
“Defensively it was the kids doing what Juan, Jim and Scott asked them to do,” Ervin said in reference to Calistoga assistant coaches Juan Hernandez, Scott LeStrange and Jim Wycoff. “They really got after them.”
Round Valley varsity game a forfeit
The rescheduled Friday game against Round Valley has been deemed a forfeit win in Calistoga’s favor, Calistoga High athletic director Jake Blakeley confirmed on Monday.
The JV game is still slated for 5:30 p.m.
Round Valley does not have enough players for a varsity team.
The two teams were scheduled to meet at Covelo on Sept. 26. The officiating crew, however, never showed up at the high school. Both teams held what amounted to a scrimmage, with coaches officiating the event.
CHS JV squad pounds Mendocino
By Vince D’Adamo
SPORTS REPORTER
Many of the Calistoga High JV football team’s opponents have run away with a victory this season, but it was the Wildcats’ turn Friday night in a 35-6 win over the Mendocino Cardinals.
The visiting Cardinals led 6-0 after one period in the nine-man game, but the Wildcats replied with 35 unanswered points.
Calistoga, which is 2-5 entering Friday’s home against Round Valley (Covelo), surged ahead for a 15-6 lead at halftime.
The lead swelled to 29-6 after three quarters.
“After the first drive, our guys were a little timid, but once they settled down they flew around to the ball,” Calistoga assistant coach Jake Blakeley said.
“It was a good team effort.”
Wildcats quarterback Jesus Curiel scampered for a pair of touchdown runs, both from 17 yards out. Curiel also threw a pair of touchdown strikes to running back Chris Flores from 26 and 38 yards out.
Flores later added a 20-yard touchdown run. Flores also scored on a two-point conversion while Gonzalo Ayala booted three extra points.
Blakeley added that the Wildcats executed well in generating 331 yards of offense (267 running and 64 passing). Flores carried 11 times for 102 yards while Curiel kept the ball five times for 85 yards.
Julio Quinnones carried eight times for 45 yards, while Ayala carried six times for 35 yards. Flores caught two passes for 64 yards.
“They blocked who they were supposed to block,” Blakeley said.
“It’s been a battle getting them to understand odd and even fronts, but the biggest thing was Jesus ran the option. He made the right reads and made Mendocino look like they didn’t know what they were doing. They had three kids tackling the dive back.”
Blakeley also praised the Wildcats special teams.
“Special teams are a lot different in nine-man football,” Blakeley said. “The field is more open.”