Redwood, Terra Linda headline second week
The second week of this abbreviated spring season begins on Friday as San Rafael takes on Healdsburg in a nonleague content. The MCAL slate is headline by a rare Saturday night game as Redwood takes on Terra Linda at San Rafael High.
Friday
Healdsburg (0-1) at San Rafael (0-1), 7 p.m., San Rafael
The Bulldogs host a nonleague game this Friday night against a somewhat familiar foe. San Rafael defeated Healdsburg 21-6 last season behind a monster game from Drew Caveney, who was filling in at quarterback at the time. Caveney ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns while also accounting for 152 yards in the air. San Rafael lacks that kind of rushing attack at the quarterback position this season, having been limited to under 100 total yards in a loss to Terra Linda last week. Healdsburg is coming off a 43-2 loss against El Molino.
Saturday
Novato (1-0) at San Marin (0-1), 2 p.m., San Marin
The Mustangs and Hornets finished the 2019 campaign with their traditional rivalry game, a 48-7 San Marin victory as then-seniors Matt Sargent, Dante DiMare and Will Hickey all had big days. Justin Guin, now San Marin’s starting tailback, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in that game last year. Novato comes in after shutting out Drake 13-0 last week while San Marin had the undeniable task of opening against Marin Catholic, a 35-0 loss. The Mustangs have won the past five meetings in this rivalry, dating back to 2015 — the previous four in blowout fashion.
Tam (0-1) at Drake (0-1), 2 p.m., San Anselmo
The Red-tailed Hawks won this matchup 48-6 last year, getting a kick return touchdown from then-senior Ben Reade on the game’s opening play. Although the Pirates responded with a touchdown of their own — a run by Zach Atkinson — it was all Tam from there. The Red-tailed Hawks come in following a tough 2219 loss against Redwood where the Giants took the lead in the last two minutes. Drake struggled with turnovers and was unable to find the end zone last week against Novato. Drake last defeated Tam in 2015.
Windsor (0-1) at Marin Catholic (1-0), 2 p.m., Kentfield
The Wildcats, fresh off a 35-0 win against San Marin, host the Jaguars in a nonleague game. Windsor gave Cardinal Newman a battle — the game was tied 7-7 at the half — before the Cardinals pulled away for a 28-7 victory. Although MC hasn’t played Windsor in recent years, this game could be a measuring stick considering MC and Cardinal Newman have become very familiar with each other in recent years. MC eliminated the Cardinals from the North Coast Section playoffs in 2017, a crazy 59-56 victory which saw quarterback Spencer Petras throw for more than 500 yards. The Cardinals got a measure of revenge, knocking MC out of last yea’rs playoffs following a 16-13 win.
Redwood (1-0) vs. Terra Linda (1-0), 7 p.m., San Rafael High
Redwood rolled past Terra Linda 37-13 in the Trojans’ homecoming game last year, with then-senior running back Luke McKernan doing the bulk of the damage with 195 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Redwood ran for just 85 yards last week but rallied for a 22-19 win against Tam. Terra Linda, which last defeated Redwood in 2017, posted a 28-0 win in the Bell Game against San Rafael last week.