PETALUMA, Calif - Casa Grande outscored Petaluma by 21 points in the third quarter to run away and earn the Gauchos their second straight Egg Bowl victory, 27-3.
The shining moment however was made by a Petaluma Trojan. Aidan Spillane, born with a form of Cerebral Palsy, has been a Trojan super fan for over a decade and the team water boy for the past four years. He got to play and scored his first touchdown for his favorite hometown team. Aidan’s family and friends were all on hand on the Petaluma sideline for this incredible moment.
“The play worked out well. The Trojans are my favorite team. I’m proud of them,” Aidan said after the game.
“Aidan getting his play was icing on the cake. This is always a great community event, and this was the highlight,” said Casa Grande head coach John Antonio.
“I’m glad Aidan’s family got that moment. He’s meant a lot to our program over the years. He goes to practice every day, travels to away games, he’s dedicated,” said Petaluma head coach Rick Krist.
Aidan received a team helmet signed by the Casa Grande players, and a signed football from his Trojan teammates.
Casa Grande (4-6, 3-3) pulled away with a 21-point third quarter. The final nail in the coffin was a 34-yard touchdown run from Matt Herrera at the end of the third quarter.
“Herrera was great. He had family coming in from Washington and he did a great job for us,” Antonio said
Herrera was questionable heading into the game, but he helped get Casa Grande going early. Herrera scored from three yards out five minutes into the opening quarter to put the Gauchos on the board. The PAT was no good, so it was 6-0.
Petaluma (2-8, 1-5) lost star quarterback and safety Jack Hartman the play before Herrera’s touchdown to a hamstring injury.
“Losing him hurt a lot. Caden (Shirk) did a good job in his place, and gave us a good effort,” Krist said
Petaluma hung tough, stopping Casa Grande on fourth down a couple of drives in a row to prevent further damage. Petaluma got the ball with just under five minutes to go in the half, and used every bit of it, using a couple of big plays from Mario Zarco and Dante Ratto to set up Julian Marth for a 33-yard field goal as time expired to cut the Trojan deficit in half heading into the locker room.
“I knew Petaluma was going to fight. The build up for this game is real. Throw records out the window in a rivalry game like this,” Antonio said
After a few Casa Grande drives stalled, Herrera found the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, this one a six-yard run. QB Miguel Robertson found Dominic McHale on a tipped pass for the two point PAT to give Casa a 14-3 lead. After Petaluma’s third fumble of the game, Robertson connected with Dominic Giomi for a 21-yard touchdown pass to extend their lead to three scores.
“The win feels good. I have nothing but respect for Petaluma,” Antonio said.
Casa Grande has a bye next week, and will apply for a spot in the NCS Division 3 playoffs.
Petaluma ends their season, finishing sixth in VVAL play.
