Football: Lessons from Cardinal Newman’s Loss and Key Wins for Casa Grande, Vintage

There’s one week left in North Bay’s regular season of prep football – and the Week 10 results certainly provided plenty of food for discussion.

Cardinal Newman’s 13-3 loss to Marin Catholic in the Redwood Empire Conference Adobe division was the big highlight as the top game in the North Bay this year. What does that mean for the future of the Cardinals?

Casa Grande also scored a big win over American Canyon in a big REC-Valley clash, Vintage scored a huge upset over San Marin in the REC-Adobe and Ukiah bounced back well against a strong Maria Carrillo team.

Here are our takeaways from those games, along with a look at the updated playoff picture heading into the final week of the season.

Cardinal Newman falls again to Marin Catholic

Disappointing is probably the best way to describe Cardinal Newman’s 13-3 loss to Marin Catholic last week. It’s the Cardinals’ fourth consecutive loss to their Marin rivals and while this loss doesn’t end their season like the past three meetings, it certainly doesn’t lessen the pain.

This is perhaps the best Newman team assembled in the last decade and perhaps one of the worst – by their standards – Marin Catholic teams in that same period. And yet, in the end, it was Marin Catholic’s defense that stole the show.

The Wildcats held the Cardinals to just three points — 38 points lower than their season average — sacked freshman quarterback Tino “LT” Retamoza four times and picked him off twice.

Newman’s defense kept the Cardinals in the game, but the offense just couldn’t string much together. Major credit goes to Marin Catholic’s defense, which has now allowed just 10 points with two shutouts in the REC-Adobe game and has allowed just 17 points in the last six games.

This was a much more competitive match than the past three meetings, but it is certainly a disappointing result for the program given Newman’s trajectory this season.

If there’s anything positive to take from the loss — other than not ending the Cardinals’ season — it’s that Cardinal Newman could get another shot at Marin Catholic in the playoffs. The Cardinals are still ranked higher than the Wildcats in the North Coast Section, at Nos. 4 and 5 respectively. If so, they will face each other again in the first round of the Open/Division 1 playoffs against Marin Catholic.

– Guus Morris

Casa Grande in Valley driver’s seat

The Gauchos passed their biggest competitive test of the season in American Canyon, beating both the Wolves and the weather as they took over the title race from REC-Valley. Casa could win the title Saturday against crosstown rival Petaluma.

And while it’s hard to take much away from a match that was played in pouring rain from start to finish, one thing is certainly clear: Casa Grande’s defense is as advertised.

Sure, they’ve given up the most points in their last five games (14), but to hold an ultra-explosive American Canyon offense that low certainly deserves some flowers. The Wolves also had six turnovers, another asset to Casa’s defense.

Not to discredit the Wolves’ performance though, as their defense allowed zero points in the second half. AmCan will be fine, and should have a big rebound game at home against Redwood on Friday.

Casa now looks to the always tough Egg Bowl rivalry at crosstown rival Petaluma, where the Gauchos will attempt to capture the first-ever REC-Valley title. A trip to west Petaluma awaits, as does a Trojans team that has won three of its last four games.

Looking ahead, Casa’s win last week could also have huge implications for the play-offs. While no one will know for sure until next Sunday how the games will be set up, both the Gauchos and Wolves were expected to be playing in Division 2 heading into last Friday night. Now Casa is expected to remain in Division 2, while AmCan drops to Division 3.

– Kienan O’Doherty

Vintage causes major upset at Adobe

The Crushers delivered one of the most surprising results of the season last week when they defeated San Marin 17-7. The Mustangs have been one of the top programs in the North Bay over the past five years, winning state titles in 2021 and 2022, ranked No. 8 in the NCS heading into the game and defeated Windsor earlier this season.

On a rainy evening, Vintage returned to its roots in ball control. The Crushers ran the ball down San Marin’s throat for 178 yards on 41 carries and had three sacks and two key interceptions on defense.

Coaches who faced the Crushers this year call them one of the more underrated teams in the region. Well, the secret may be out. This Vintage team is strong and can beat anyone on any day.