NOVATO, Calif. – Host San Marin (3-0) struck early with two TDs in less than six minutes of the first quarter and opened up a 21-point halftime lead before coasting home to a 34-12 Friday night victory over Moreau Catholic.
"Even though it was a good game, and a win, I’m a perfectionist,” San Marin head coach Dominic DiMare told the team in the post-game huddle. “We’re young in a lot of positions but we’re getting there.”
One of those young players is San Marin quarterback Daniel Rolovich, a 6-3, 190-pound junior, who despite only making his third varsity start is already garnering some college interest, completed his first five passes and finished 10-of-18 for 193 yards and four TDs passing. Rolovich did suffer three sacks but still managed to rush for 27 yards and a fifth score, meaning he had a hand in all five Mustangs touchdowns.
“Daniel is coming along for only his third varsity start,” DiMare said. “He’s starting to manage the offense a little bit of a pretty detailed offense we run, and he’s starting to get it.”
It doesn’t hurt to have Rolovich’s father, former Marin Catholic and college quarterback and D1 college head coach Nick Rolovich on the sidelines helping with Daniel’s tutelage.
Wesley Timmel, a 6-1, 170-pound senior wide receiver who was a Cal-Hi Sports All State Juniors Third Team selection last season, only caught four passes but three of them went for TDs and the Mustangs' top offensive weapon finished with 104 yards receiving.
San Marin running back Jonah Lozano did not find the end zone, but the Mustangs senior got the bulk of the carries and finished rushing 15 times for 127 yards.
The big star on defense was 6-4, 230-pound defensive end Liam McMann, who also got some reps at tight end. He got credit for a sack on a fumble by Moreau quarterback Jeremiah Charles, got two other solo sacks, and two other half sacks where there was no question he had a hand in bringing Charles down. He also had a fumble recovery he scooped up and got credit for a 28-yard return. McMann only caught one pass, but it went for a 12-yard touchdown. Talk about a huge performance.
Three other defensive standouts for the Mustangs were juniors Michael Giomi, Luke Saysette and Andrew Keehn. Giomi had a fumble recovery and a pass interception. Saysette had a solo sack that forced the fumble McMann recovered, and he shared a sack with McMann. Keene had a solo sack and shared one with McMann.
All told the San Marin defense had seven sacks, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries and an interception, and it came from a defensive unit that lost a lot to graduation and was missing a starter. They did not allow a Moreau first down until there was 7:30 left in the second quarter.
San Marin wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Moreau deferred and kicked off to start the game. The Mustangs got the ball on their own 39 after the return and six plays later, and despite a bad snap that cost Rolovich a sack, the first of two by Moreau senior Miles Moore, and a 13-yard loss, Rolovich executed a perfect bootleg around left end for a 5-yard TD run. After the PAT by junior kicker Nate Mandelbrot San Marin had a 7-0 lead it never relinquished.
Moreau got the ball after the ensuing kickoff was a touchback by the booming foot of Mandelbrot, and on its very first play Charles completed a 2-yard pass but it was fumbled and Giomi recovered at the Mariners' 22-yard line.
This time it took only four plays for San Marin to score.
With the Moreau secondary concentrating on Timmel, McMann found himself all alone in the right corner of the end zone and hauled in a 12-yard TD pass to make it 14-0 Mustangs after the PAT by Mandelbrot.
From there the teams traded turnovers but after a Moreau punt San Marin mounted another scoring drive that was seven plays for 73 yards culminating in a 19-yard TD pass from Rolovich to Timmel that made it 21-0 with 9:50 left in the first half.
The second half was a bit sloppy, and the defensive unit of San Marin did give up two touchdowns, but in the end the Mariners still had a 13-12 second half scoring advantage.
Despite holding a comfortable 21-0 lead, San Marin went for an onside kick to begin the second half and Moreau recovered it at the Mustangs' 47 and took advantage of the excellent field position and in five plays they scored on a 3-yard run by senior running back Jayden Bryant. San Marin senior Jaxon Ryan blocked the PAT, and it was 21-6 Mustangs.
The next two possessions for both teams ended with neither team scoring and after a sack by McMann and Keehn forced a Mariners punt San Marin had the ball on its own 29.
After two runs by Lozano that totaled 31 yards got the ball to the 40 of Moreau, Rolovich connected with Timmel on a slant pattern and he weaved from side to side a couple of times before finding an opening and exploding past the would be tacklers for a 40-yard TD reception that made it 27-6 with 2:04 left in the third after the PAT was blocked.
Moreau would get its final tally on its next possession after blown coverage allowed senior wide receiver Jalen Arnold to get loose on the right sideline and bolt home with a 45-yard TD pass from Charles to make it 27-12 at the end of the third quarter after 2-point run failed.
The game’s final score came with 11:07 left when Rolovich and Timmel hooked up for a third TD 29-yard pass reception.
Moreau moved the ball in the fourth quarter against a mix of San Marin starters and reserves and in fact had 109 yards of offense in the period. But the sack by Sayette and fumble recovery by McCann and the interception by Giomi on the next to last play of the game kept the Mariners off the scoreboard
Charles ended up going 15-of-27 for 217 yards and the one touchdown. He was sacked six times and had minus-17 yards rushing. Bryant finished with 13 carries for 55 yards and the one touchdown.
A negative for San Marin was penalties. They committed eight for 85 yards.
“We have a young defense and they’re making some mistakes, aggressive mistakes which I’m fine with, and they’ll get better learning our system,” DiMare remarked. “But the other things, the penalties, jumping offsides. Those things need to be cleaned up.”
“When we get ready to play teams in the Adobe League those mistakes are going to cost us games,” DiMare continued. “the mistakes were the negatives but a positive aspect is our starting strong safety is out for a couple of weeks and we had a couple of guys fill in at new positions for the first time and they did very, very well.”
Moreau (1-2) has one non-league game left hosting Livermore next week before beginning West Alameda County Conference-Foothill League action in two weeks at home against Berkeley.
San Marin opens Adobe League action in three weeks hosting arch rival Marin Catholic, but before then they have non-league matchups with hosts Casa Grande and Ukiah.
Casa Grande is coming off an impressive 34-13 victory at Rancho Cotate.
