Prep football: Week 3 preview capsules for all Marin teams

16.09.2022 01:04

Marinij.com

As has been the case for most of the non-league schedule, the vast majority of the games this weekend take place outside the county.

Of Marin’s 10 teams, six are on the road and three more are on byes. Tam is the only game in town, hosting Oakland powerhouse McClymonds on Saturday afternoon.

This is the final week of non-league games with the MCAL season slated to kick off next Friday night when Tam travels to face San Rafael.

Friday

Tomales (0-2) at Upper Lake (1-0): 6 p.m., Upper Lake

Tomales has gotten off to a slow start this season, losing a pair of games to Cornerstone Christian and Calistoga by a combined score of 76-20. The task doesn’t seem to get much easier this week against the Cougars, who defeated Roseland University Prep 52-18 last week. Tomales was shut out 44-0 in last season’s opening game by Upper Lake.

Novato (3-0) at Napa (1-2): 7 p.m., Napa

Novato and Napa started out the season in almost identical fashion, with Novato picking up a 14-13 victory against Arroyo while Napa secured a 15-14 win against Irvington (Fremont). The similarities ended there, however, with the Grizzlies falling 55-14 to Wood (Vacaville) the following week and 53-0 to Rodriguez (Fairfield) last week. Novato, which has been led by RB Kai Patel and QB Connor Mulvaney on offense, looks to remain unbeaten heading into league play.

Redwood (1-1) at Acalanes (3-0): 7 p.m., Lafayette

Both teams have played tough preseason schedules, with Acalanes taking down San Marin, Bishop O’Dowd and Sheldon (Sacramento) in order. The victories over both San Marin and Sheldon came by a single touchdown. Redwood opened with a win over Wheatland but then dropped a 42-14 game to North Bay League powerhouse Rancho Cotate two weeks ago. Acalanes WRs Trevor Rogers and Paul Kuhner combined for 182 yards and a pair of TDs against San Marin. RB Ellis Burger also went over 100 yards and scored in that game. Burger has 275 yards and five touchdowns on the season while Rogers has emerged as the top target with 317 yards and five scores.

Terra Linda (1-2) at West County (2-1): 7 p.m., Sebastopol

The Trojans and Tigers have played each other in every non-pandemic year since 2018. Analy won the first meeting, 33-28, then TL bounced back for a 21-14 win in 2019. Last season, it was all Analy – then known as West County – in a 34-0 win. Analy has been scoring at will this season but has also struggled to stop other teams from scoring. The Tigers scored 67 in a rout of Pinole Valley before splitting a pair of shootouts – a 37-34 loss to San Marin followed by a 50-49 win against Petaluma. WR Giovanni Visintin – who had already caught six passes for 171 yards and scored three times – returned a long kickoff for the go-ahead touchdown in the final 3 minutes. Petaluma pulled within one on a late score of its own, but was unable to convert the two-point conversion. Analy QB Sammy Long has already thrown for more than 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns this season with WR Logan Mitchell (468 yards, 5 TDs) the top target. TL has also faced Petaluma this season, taking a 41-21 defeat in the season opener.

Saturday

Branson (0-1) at Trinity Christian (0-1): 2 p.m., Monterey

The Bulls are coming off a rare loss having played one of the top teams in the state – a 32-24 loss at Fresno Christian two weeks ago. Branson will look to get back to its winning ways with a Trinity Christian team that’s coming off a 66-21 loss against California School for the Deaf last week. Branson plays CSD at the end of the month but won that matchup 70-6 last season.

McClymonds (2-0) at Tam (0-2): 2 p.m., Mill Valley

Tam’s brutal non-league schedule concludes with the most difficult game of the bunch – a home date against the Warriors. McClymonds, which last season defeated Tam 63-6 and handed Marin Catholic its only loss of the season, inched up to No. 6 on the San Jose Mercury News’ rankings this week following a 52-0 win against DeAnza. Tam is coming off a 48-26 loss against Archbishop Riordan – by comparison the 14th-ranked team in the Mercury News rankings. The Warriors have been dominant on the ground, piling up an average of 235 yards per game with RB Javian Thomas (222 yards, 3 TDs) leading the way. WR Tajir Golden has been a big play waiting to happen, carrying the ball six times for 161 yards and two scores while adding 155 yards and two more scores through the air.

Marin Catholic (3-0) at James Logan (2-1): 7 p.m., Union City

The Wildcats will also take aim at a team ranked inside the Mercury News top 25 when they face No. 24 James Logan. The Colts were drawn into the Open Division of the North Coast Section playoffs last year where they lost to eventual champion De La Salle in the first round. Hoping to avoid a similar fate this year, the Colts front loaded their non-league schedule. They opened the season with a 31-7 loss to California but since responded with wins over Las Lomas and Monte Vista. Logan had a balanced attack through its first two games, throwing for 392 yards while rushing for 421.