With its 42-0 win over Deer Valley this past Friday, the 2016 edition of the Freedom Falcons tied the mark for best start in school history. Just don’t expect past Freedom teams to be impressed just yet, or even if the Falcons beat Heritage this week to set a new mark for most wins to start a season.
The 2008 Freedom team, led by quarterback Ryan Rodriguez, running back Cameron Gupton, and receiver Roman Runner, started 7-0 as well, but saw that perfect record wiped out emphatically with a 42-14 loss to perennial power Pittsburg. Three years later, the Falcons again went a perfect 5-0 in non-league play, but faced Pittsburg to open league play, falling 35-14. Both those teams went 9-1 in the regular season, and advanced to the section quarterfinals.
Then there is the 2012 team, led by quarterback Dante Mayes, running back Joe Mixon, and receiver Darrell Daniels, which won the BVAL championship after beating Pittsburg in an epic 49-48 thriller. For any of those teams to be impressed, the Falcons will likely have to meet one of two criteria – either beat Pittsburg and go unbeaten for the season, or become the first Freedom team to advance to the section semifinals. Now, though, this team is simply focused on the next task at hand, which would be beating Heritage at home this week.
Despite the high-flying start for the Falcons, this week promises to be anything but easy. Heritage just suffered its first loss, to Pittsburg, after opening 6-0 for the first time in school history. And the history of the intra-district rivalry suggests a close game. Prior to last year’s 38-21 final score, a game that was 24-21 at halftime, the previous three games were each decided by seven points or less.
As for this year’s team, Freedom has made its mark as a second-half team, dominating teams over the final two quarters. A lone exception to the fourth quarter dominance would be last week, when the Falcons already led Deer Valley 42-0, and simply ran out the running clock.
“We set that as one of our goals for last game, to get out to a better start, and not rely on another strong finish,” said Freedom coach Kevin Hartwig, who has guided the program since the 2002 season. “In our other games, we’ve made a couple halftime adjustments which have had positive outcomes, and we’re a team that doesn’t get too far up or too far down with our mentality.”
Coming into the season, everyone in the area knew about Freedom’s elite college prospects – linebacker Kyle Harmon and running back Ronnie Rivers. But a handful of other players have emerged, and maybe none more critical than senior quarterback Jonathan Pierce, who opted not to play his junior season while he focused on baseball.
“He’s an old-school kid out there playing football, having fun,” Hartwig said, referring to Pierce. “He missed football last year, and we’re certainly glad he came back. He stays calm, doesn’t overthink things, and just understands what we are trying to accomplish. He doesn’t put us in a bad position.”
The offense has also benefited from multiple weapons. Pierce has thrown for 22 touchdowns this season, and five different Falcons have caught touchdown passes. In addition, Rivers has run for 1,179 yards and 21 scores, averaging over eight yards per carry. Pierce’s two primary targets have been junior Baylei Coston and sophomore Giles Jackson. The pair have combined for nearly 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns receiving.
“Baylei has shown great growth after his first year on varsity (as a sophomore), and the other weapons we have this year make it so teams can’t double team him. He’s also just a very hungry player, especially as a blocker, where he is unbelievable,” Hartwig said. “Giles is another kid who is very athletic and just has fun playing the game, reflective of our team that way.”
Harmon and Kevin Lonergan have been other weapons offensively, while Harmon anchors the middle of the defense. Hartwig referred to Lonergan as “the workhorse of the group”, an integral part of the attack.
Freedom has its final home game this week against Heritage, before finishing the regular season with two road games, at Pittsburg in a game that now seems to define the success of the league schedule, and at rival Liberty in the annual Bell Game.
Unbeaten watch
Three of the section’s seven previously unbeaten teams suffered their first loss last week, as Heritage, Hercules, and St. Patrick-St. Vincent all dropped games in league play.
That leaves Freedom, Pittsburg, Monte Vista, and Kennedy-Fremont as the remaining unbeaten teams in the section. Freedom faces Heritage this week, Pittsburg plays Liberty, Monte Vista takes on Amador Valley, and Kennedy plays Logan.
Stat leaders
With three weeks left in the regular season, it is clear that some athletes are having very special seasons. One of the big questions at Rancho Cotate entering the season was whether the Cougars would be able to replace the productivity of quarterback Gunner Mefferd, who is now at Mercyhurst College. Junior Jake Simmons has filled Mefferd’s shoes, and then some. Simmons leads the section with 2,382 passing yards, and has thrown for 32 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Simmons is one of three quarterbacks to have thrown for over 2,000 yards so far, along with Analy’s Jack Newman (2,132) and Acalanes junior Robby Rowell (2,019). Newman has done it with the fewest pass attempts, and also has yet to thrown an interception this year, while completing 70 percent of his passes.
St. Bernard’s quarterback Jack Rice is among the leaders in passing, but more impressive are his dual-threat statistics, despite the fact that two of the Crusaders’ games have ended in the third quarter. Rice has thrown for 1,779 yards and run for an additional 700 yards, with 30 combined touchdowns this season. He is averaging nearly 10 yards per carry, and has thrown just two interceptions.
Six running backs have topped the 1,000-yard mark this year, led by Antioch senior Najee Harris with 1,542 yards. Redwood’s Nick Calzaretta trails closely with 1,537 yards, and leads the section with 26 rushing touchdowns. Other backs over the magic mark already include Moreau Catholic’s Jullen Ison, Kennedy-Fremont’s Darius Moses, Freedom’s Ronnie Rivers, and Pittsburg’s Montaz Thompson. Thompson has 1,170 yards, despite playing in only five games this season due to his recent injury.
Gauchos pick up another close win
Casa Grande may be only 2-5 this season, but at least coach Trent Herzog’s crew is showing the ability to win close games. Earlier in the year, the Gauchos defeated San Marin, 24-22, and on Friday, downed Maria Carrillo in overtime, 36-33, for their second victory of the season.
Senior Garrett Buffo stepped in at quarterback against Carrillo, and threw for 274 yards and five touchdowns. Receivers Dulio Froes and Trevor Naugle each had two touchdown receptions, and Froes led the team with 113 receiving yards.
Homecoming specials
Rancho Cotate has Homecoming this week, but not just any old annual celebration. The Cougars will be celebrating their 50th anniversary, complete with a fireworks celebration.
League battles still to be decided
11 different leagues across the North Coast Section have multiple teams unbeaten in league play, which means there is a lot left to still be decided. And then there is the TCAL-Rock Division, where all six teams are 1-1 after two weeks of league play.
