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November 26, 2009 |
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Dragons battle with Encinal before falling 28-0
Ray Sullivan Jr. | Sonoma Valley Sun
The final score read 28-0.
However, for nearly 24 minutes of Friday’s NCS Division III football playoff game between the Encinal Jets and the Sonoma Dragons it was difficult to tell which team was the #1 seed and which team was the #16 seed.
The Dragons played Encinal to a scoreless a tie in the first half, with the exception of an 85-yard touchdown on a punt return that occurred just minutes before intermission to put the Jets up 7-0.
In the second half the bigger, stronger and faster Encinal squad began to impose its will on the Dragons, but still clung to a 14-0 lead entering the fourth quarter before salting the game away with two late touchdown runs.
The Dragons, battling injuries and illness, put a scare into the top-ranked Jets, by dominating the time of possession throughout the first half.
The Dragons also took advantage of three costly Encinal penalties to keep the contest close. Twice Encinal was whistled for offsides when the lineman on their punt return unit responded too early to the Dragon snap count. Later in the half a long touchdown run was called back due to one of the Jets players being lined up incorrectly.
The absence of top runners Yahya Muslim and Mario Gomez along with tight end Charlie Watson, all sidelined with injuries, required that the Dragons be almost flawless on the offensive end to achieve any success.
Head coach Mick O’Meara who concluded his 26th season with a 4-7 record, made note of the special teams play that allowed Encinal to get on the board first.
“I thought our kids played well,” said O’Meara. “We really just gave up the one big play, but against a team like this you need to be perfect in every phase of the game.”
On a field with poor footing and battling cold temparatures the Dragon defense held the high-powered Jets out of the end zone for nearly 36 minutes and kept Sonoma in the game. The Dragons success on defense came as no surprise to defensive coordinator Mike Mulas.
“Looking on film at the quality of opponents in some of the other leagues, I thought we’d be well prepared coming into tonight’s game,’ said Mulas. “It wasn’t a real shock to only be down seven at halftime.”
Mulas contemplated what the success his squad might have had if the Dragons roster had been at full strength, but quickly turned his focus to the 2010 season.
“I’m proud of this year’s team, they way they battled though all the injuries. But I’m excited to get after it for next year and if some of these guys are as excited as I am, then we can do some pretty good things,” said Mulas.
After an Encinal field goal attempt unsuccessfully went skidding under the crossbar late in the first quarter, the Dragons mounted a drive that took nearly six minutes off of the clock before ending deep in Jet territory.
A 28-yard pass play from Steven Murden to Tyler Rose and a nifty run by Jordan Winslow had the Dragons first-and-ten and the Encinal 29 yard-line. A Murden connection with Rose on fourth down came up short of the marker and the Dragons turned the ball over on downs.
Murden and Steven Brooks had some key stops on the ensuing Encinal possession, but the Dragons were forced to punt after getting the ball back, and the Jets speedy Bo Banks picked up the ball at his 15 yard-line and scurried down the right sideline for the score.
The Dragons responded by driving all the way to the Jet 31 in the closing seconds of the half, but the drive ended when Murden was sacked as time ran out.
Encinal’s Washington State-bound senior quarterback Tyrone Duckett dictated most of the second half action, including a long touchdown run through a number of Dragon defenders to put the game out of reach.
Encinal (10-1) will host Fortuna (8-3) tonight in second-round play. Other SCL team’s had unimpressive showings in Division II opening-round playoff action last week. Top-seeded Petaluma barely beat a 6-4 Rancho Cotate team 12-7; second-seed Casa Grande nipped a 15th- seed in Maria Carrillo 18-17; and Windsor fell 7-0 to Cardinal Newman. In Div. III Healdsburg fell to 12-th seeded Miramonte 30-28 while Analy downed Acalanes 19-17, but now must play second-seeded Marin Catholic (10-1).
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