Turnovers halt Napa High's comeback in 56-35 loss at Analy

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SEBASTOPOL -- Napa High had more yards, but football games are won on points and Analy scored in all three phases as it pulled away for a 56-35 nonleague victory Friday night.

The Tigers (1-1) were outgained 342-307 in total yards, as all of Napa's came on the ground and most of Analy's, 204, were through the air. The Tigers scored four times on rushes, twice on passes, and on a fumble return and kickoff return.

Thankfully for the Grizzlies, they have a bye next week and another nonleague game -- at Hercules (1-1) on Sept. 19 -- to sort things out before they host defending champion Casa Grande in their Redwood Empire Conference-Valley Division opener on Sept. 26.

"We did some positive things and had some things we definitely need to clean up," Napa head coach Chris Harris said. "Once we go back and watch the film, we will get a clear idea of what we need to fix. Need to make tackles and win the turnover battle for sure. Excited to get back at it to fix what we need to moving forward for a successful Game 3."

Game 2 began sleepily with Napa (1-1) taking the opening kickoff, getting a first down and giving up the ball on downs, and Analy doing likewise.

But with the Grizzlies taking over at their own 10-yard line, the Tigers pounced. On the first play, Kaleb Jacobs stripped a Napa ball carrier in the backfield and darted 10 yards to paydirt. The extra point was wide, keeping the score 6-0.

But Napa went three-and-out and a short punt left Analy just 36 yards from the end zone. Using a no-huddle offense, quarterback Matthew Medina scored four plays later from 4 yards out, and found Austin Bishop with the two-point conversion pass to make it 14-0 with 4:00 left in the first quarter.

The Grizzlies responded with a crisp, 63-yard, six-play scoring march capped by Alan Alfaro's 17-yard scoot and extra point to make it a 14-7 game later in the quarter. The junior would lead the Grizzlies with 142 yards on 14 carries and, in his kicking debut, go a perfect 5 for 5 on points after touchdowns.

Analy, which had four apparent touchdowns nullified by penalties, had one on the ensuing kickoff return as well as a pass play. In between, however, Jesse Walls caught a 50-yard pass to the Napa 35. The fourth play saw Logan Willis make a 35-yard scoring grab and Caden Lewis thread the first of six straight PATs for a 21-7 lead.

The Grizzlies grabbed their lunch pails and went back to work, grinding out an 11-play, 67-yard scoring drive iced by Josue Victorino's 1-yard run to pull within 21-14. The senior carried the rock eight times for 37 of the yards. He finished with 129 yards on 21 carries, including four scores.

Analy had what looked like a 57-yard touchdown bomb on the next play from scrimmage wiped out by a holding call, and gave up the ball on downs at the Napa 48.

With junior offensive linemen Dean Tahsler, Osvaldo Cazares, Juan Gutierrez and Rylin Mezzanares owning the trenches and quarterback Rocco Capponi, Jonah Faughn and Augustin Fernandez pitching in carries, Victorino scored on seventh play from 4 yards out to tie the score.

But Analy fell on Napa's onside kick and Brantz Jacobs scored from the 1 just five plays later to make it 28-21. The Tigers then tried an onside kick of their own and recovered it, but they had less than a minute to cash in on it. It appeared a pass to the 25 was the last play, and both teams began leaving the field. But the referees put another second on the clock, and Medina found Willis over the middle for a 25-yard score and 35-21 halftime lead.

The second half was a bit chaotic. The Tigers recovered a pooch kickoff at midfield and scored in eight plays to make it 42-21. The teams then traded fumble recoveries and Napa was intercepted.

The Grizzlies managed to punch in two more scores, making it a more respectable loss, but gave up the kickoff return TD and another interception in between -- and gave themselves a few things to work on over the next two weeks.

Napa JV 14, Analy 12

Napa, which didn't have a St. Patrick-St. Vincent opponent the week before, opened its season with a thriller on Friday night.

The Grizzlies took an 8-0 lead with 10 seconds left in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run by Michael Kite, and he also ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead. Analy cut it to 8-6 on the last play of the first half on an 80-yard touchdown catch by Natale Bacigalupi, followed by an incomplete conversion pass. The Tigers took a 12-8 lead with an 18-yard touchdown catch by Parker Antognini in the corner of the end zone midway through the third quarter.

But Kite scored from a yard out with 5:35 left in the game, the Grizzlies forced a turnover on downs, and Dante Bynum's 27-yard pickup with a minute left allowed Napa to run out the clock.

Napa at Analy football box score

Analy 56, Napa 35