OLIVIA DEGRACA, ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
Prep2Prep Student Contributor

September 4, 2015

PETALUMA, CA - As football season is now in full force, the St. Vincent Mustangs started their preseason with a rough loss against the St. Helena Saints. With only six returning varsity players, the Mustangs have had to adjust with fewer players, but hope remains high while moving into a new league.

Consequently, the Mustangs were no match for the mighty Saints, falling 55-6 in the season opener for both teams.

St. Vincent's, which suits up only 16 players, wore down as the game went on. St Helena started fast out of the gate as senior Jahvier Otero ran the ball in from 11 yards out on just the second play of the game. Junior Niko Lopez added the extra point and then followed up with a field goal on the next possession to extend the lead to 10-0 and the Saints were on their way.

"They are a good team, we knew they would be tough," said St. Vincent head coach Gary Galloway, "Usually we go toe-to-toe with this team, but this year we just have no numbers."

The numbers would have come in handy for St. Helena as the scoring continued with a 22-yard run from junior Alfio Basile, and a 6-yard run from Lopez.

By the second half, with yet another touchdown for the Saints - a one-yard run by Otero - and a 38-yard field goal their standout kicker Lopez, the Mustangs found themselves down 34-0. But that wasn't the only aspect leading the Saints to victory. Their defense made it difficult for the Mustangs to do anything.

"I thought our tackling really stood out today," St. Helena coach Brandon Farrell said. "We had a good surge on the line of scrimmage on the defensive side."

The Saints approached the second half with as much fire as the first. Basile ran in another touchdown from 3 yards out followed by a 45-yard run by Lopez.

"We really kept a good tempo on offense," Farrell stated, "A lot of our running backs stood out and we were always able to score in the red zone."

However, The Mustangs were not ready to give up fighting, even during the fourth quarter. Senior receiver Nick Vollert caught a pass from senior quarterback Dominic Pedersen for the Mustangs' first points of the game.

But the signs of wear began to show late as senior lineman Will Tarrant and senior running back Manny Reyes had to leave the game with injuries.

"Injuries and fatigue really affected us throughout the game," Vollert said. "However, we were trying to keep our heads up and that's what got us the points in the fourth."

The Saints managed to run in one more touchdown making the final score 55-6.

"Our team played with a lot of heart," Galloway said. "This year there are just no numbers and this is one of the best teams we will play."