Kelseyville drops 20-18 decision to Justin-Siena in 2026 season opener at Napa
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NAPA >> If you’ve ever wondered where the old saying “Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” comes from, ask Logan Barrick.
Kelseyville High School’s first-year varsity football coach need only point to the final minute of his team’s season opener against the Justin-Siena Braves on Friday night in Napa.
“I’ve never seen a game like that,” Barrick said of the wild ending that left Justin-Siena, a team that went 0-10 last season but is now under new management, with a 20-18 victory over the visiting Knights.
Talk about your heartbreakers.
Justin-Siena (1-0) was one play and one first down away from running out the clock in the fourth quarter when Kelseyville’s Jayden Fabisch ripped the ball out of the hands of a Justin-Siena ballcarrier around the Justin-Siena 35-yard-line. He raced down the Justin-Siena sideline and had a clear path to the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown, according to Barrick.
“One guy (from Justin-Siena) was about five yards behind him, and he wasn’t going to catch Fabisch,” Barrick said. “That’s when one of our guys clipped him from behind.”
The unnecessary penalty negated the touchdown and left Kelseyville with the ball at the Justin-Siena 20. One play later, Justin-Siena sacked Kelseyville quarterback Kimo Brown, knocked the ball loose and recovered it. The Braves ran out the final few seconds to preserve their season-opening win.
“There was no reason for that penalty,” Barrick said. “No penalty and we win the game.”
Added Barrick, “Sometimes our focus goes away and that was the case, absolutely.”
The game started much better for the Knights (0-1), who built a 12-0 lead on the strength of two Case Pivniska touchdowns – the first one on a run, the second on a catch.
Justin-Siena closed to 12-6 before pushing ahead 13-12 in the second quarter. The Braves opened up as much as a 20-12 lead in the third quarter before Brown capped a Kelseyville drive with a short run to make it 20-18 early in the fourth quarter. The Knights went for the game-tying two-point conversion but came up short.
Kelseyville went 0-for-3 on its conversions Friday night, including two missed PAT kicks that were both backed up penalties.
The Knights finished with 228 rushing yards, led by Bryce Keener (17 carries for 89 yards) and Pivniska (seven carries for 64 yards), who was making his first varsity start. Brown added 38 yards on the ground while also going 8-for-17 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown. JD Smart caught three passes for 72 yards in his high school football debut.
“Our focus next week in practice will be focus,” Barrick said. “This is the wakeup call we need.”
Barrick credited a Justin-Siena team that was close to folding up after last season with a great first effort.
“This Justin team has made a complete transition from the team they were a year ago,” he said.
Kelseyville takes next week off before returning to action Saturday, Sept. 12 with a North Central League I interlock game against Stuart Hall of San Francisco at 5:30 p.m. in Kezar Stadium. Since Stuart Hall has no junior varsity team, Kelseyville’s JVs will travel to Paradise for a 5:30 p.m. game.
