{"id":7365,"date":"2026-10-08T19:55:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T19:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=7365"},"modified":"2026-10-08T19:55:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T19:55:18","slug":"saints-mustangs-clash-in-south-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/?p=7365","title":{"rendered":"Saints, Mustangs clash in South opener"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Knights host Cloverdale while Cougars, Trojans are on the road in Week 6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brian Sumpter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lake County Sports on Facebook<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LAKE COUNTY >> The only North Central League I game Middletown didn\u2019t win a year ago, against St. Helena, may have been a blessing in disguise for the Mustangs once the postseason rolled around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown, the NCL I runner-up, remained in North Coast Section Division 7 and went on to win the section title during head coach Kurtis Woodard\u2019s first season, the fifth section title in the Mustangs\u2019 history. St. Helena, the undefeated NCL I champion, got bumped up into Division 6, and ultimately lost to Bishop O\u2019Dowd, a Division 4 school dropping down two divisions, in the semifinals, its first and only loss during an 11-1 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not that the Mustangs planned it that way. They took a 34-21 lead into the fourth quarter against St. Helena before things went south, the Saints rallying for a 41-34 win at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll credit to them,\u201d Woodard said. \u201cSt. Helena ran it right down our throats in the fourth quarter. We couldn\u2019t stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Middletown (4-1) and St. Helena (3-2) reacquaint themselves Friday night at Bill Foltmer Field, the Mustangs\u2019 homecoming, part of Week 6 of the high school football season. More importantly for both teams, it\u2019s their NCL I South opener under the league\u2019s new format of North and South divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other Week 6 games involving Lake County games, Upper Lake (1-4) travels to Maize Field in Willits to play the Wolverines (2-4) in the North opener for both teams, and Kelseyville (2-3) hosts Cloverdale (4-1) in NCL I interlock action. On Saturday, Lower Lake (1-3) hits the road for Kezar Stadium in San Francisco to play Stuart Hall (4-1) in NCL I South action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Helena at Middletown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Saints are looking for a third straight win over Middletown. Besides their win last year, they defeated the Mustangs 9-7 in 2024, the 40th<\/sup> and final season for former Middletown head coach Bill Foltmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While hard hit by graduation after its spectacular run last season, St. Helena has been putting points on the board this year outside of a 41-6 season-opening loss at Fortuna on Aug. 28, which is also the last time Middletown didn\u2019t score at least 41 points in a game (the Mustangs lost 10-7 to Pierce in Middletown on the same day).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have got some running backs who are explosive,\u201d Woodard said of St. Helena seniors George Filippini and Julian Earls, both holdovers from last year\u2019s 11-1 squad. \u201cAnd their quarterback is an athlete,\u201d Woodard added of junior Daniel Gonzalez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earls and Filippini offer a legitimate one-two punch. Earls has rushed for 478 yards and five TDs while Filippini has 445 yards and five TDs. Earls is also the team\u2019s leading receiver with nine catches for 129 yards and two TDs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey like to throw it to No. 24 (Earls),\u201d Woodard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hernandez can do a little bit of everything. He\u2019s 30-for-45 passing for 377 yards and four TDs, and he\u2019s also rushed for three scores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Helena\u2019s option attack does a good job getting opposing defenses out of position, according to Woodard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of smoke and mirrors they (Saints) try to use, but I think we\u2019ll do a good job of not going for that. It\u2019s the point of the season where I have confidence in my defense,\u201d Woodard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll need to keep on our toes because they are a good team,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Helena\u2019s defense is vulnerable, according to Woodard. The Saints have allowed 150 points through five games, including 41 to both Fortuna and Willits (Willits won 41-35 in overtime).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve looked at a lot of film, and we\u2019ve got a good feel about the things we can attack,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The St. Helena game is the first of two big South matchups for the Mustangs, who are home again Oct. 16 to play Stuart Hall and its high-powered passing attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upper Lake at Willits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been on an upward trajectory all season,\u201d Upper Lake head coach John Toohey said of the Wolverines, who dropped their first three games, including a 12-5 loss to Fort Bragg and 42-0 setback against Middletown, only to answer with back-to-back wins over St. Helena, 41-35 in overtime, and Lower Lake, 44-14. They lost 16-13 in overtime to Cloverdale a week ago in Willits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey played some pretty gutsy football against St. Helena and Cloverdale,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cWillits incorporates a lot of misdirection into its offense, and their ability to finish running plays helped them against St. Helena.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upper Lake scored a season-best 22 points a week ago in a 41-22 homecoming loss to St. Helena, and Toohey said he believes the Cougars have turned a corner in regard to the offense being able to move the ball, which Upper Lake did on the ground and through the air against the Saints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThings finally came together,\u201d Toohey said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Upper Lake\u2019s defense can hold its own this week, the Cougars could earn a league win on a field that hasn\u2019t been kind to Lake County teams in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey (Wolverines) are going to bang you, so we need to dig in and hold them up,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cWe were missing two linebackers last week, which made it tough. We\u2019ve got them both back this week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upper Lake had to contend with the heat in practice earlier this week, going under the lights Tuesday and starting Wednesday\u2019s practice indoors before moving back outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe kids had fun under the lights,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a good week of practice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloverdale at Kelseyville<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloverdale is off to its best start since 2022. In fact, the Eagles have nearly as many wins this season (four) as they\u2019ve had in the last three years combined (five). A varsity program that nearly folded up a couple of years ago because of a lack of players is more than holding its own so far this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCloverdale\u2019s got a lot of experience,\u201d Kelseyville head coach Logan Barrick said of a handful of three-year veterans who started as sophomores, took their lumps, but are now administering a few lumps of their own as seniors this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir experience is getting them through,\u201d Barrick said of such players as seniors quarterback Kyle Bernardi and fullback\/linebacker Carson Brown, and junior quarterback\/running back Evan Robledo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robledo has 671 passing yards and seven touchdowns and has run for another 275 yards and a score. Brown, who leads the team with 46 carries, does a lot of the team\u2019s hard running up the middle and has 221 yards and two TDs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs good a job as he does on offense, he really impresses me at linebacker,\u201d Barrick said of Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cloverdale has two active wide receivers in senior Vann Randolph (11 catches for 243 yards, three TDs) and junior Kingston Cavallo (10 catches, 200 yards, three TDs). Another junior, Jaxson Randolph, has 10 catches for 145 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelseyville enters play minus starting quarterback Kimo Brown (ankle), who may be able to return next week when the Knights open their NCL I North schedule at Upper Lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo Kimo,\u201d Barrick said. \u201cWe\u2019re unsure of when he\u2019ll return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running back Bryce Keener and Andrew Souza are also out with injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deake Lyndall Jr., who came on for Brown late in the first half last week against Lower Lake during a 28-21 win, draws the start at quarterback this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDeake has had a lot more reps in practice this week, so he\u2019ll be ready to go,\u201d Barrick said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we just need to put a whole game together,\u201d Barrick said when asked what the Knights need to do to win a second straight game. \u201cWe had three or four drives stopped inside the 20 (last week against Lower Lake). Credit to them, but we also hurt ourselves with mistakes \u2026 turnovers, penalties, miscommunication. We need to play a whole game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the Eagles, who last beat Kelseyville in 2021 (72-0 at Cloverdale), Barrick said containing the quarterback is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd we need to hold our ground up the middle,\u201d Barrick said. \u201cIf we do that I think we\u2019ll be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Cloverdale, Kelseyville has four regular-season games remaining \u2013 NCL I North contests against Upper Lake (Oct. 16, away), Fort Bragg (Oct. 30, home) and Willits (Nov. 7, away) and a non-league road game Oct. 23 against Dougherty Valley, which replaces Clear Lake on this year\u2019s schedule. Clear Lake has no varsity team this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lower Lake at Stuart Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With school out this week for an intersession break, Lower Lake head coach Jay Jakubowski said attendance hasn\u2019t been what he hoped for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s improved since Monday when I had only half my team out there, but I still don\u2019t know who is going on the field for me when we play Stuart Hall,\u201d Jakubowski said. \u201cIt\u2019s that time of year when I have guys who decide they don\u2019t want to lose anymore or who don\u2019t want to come to practice. It\u2019s the Lower Lake curse \u2026 or my curse. We\u2019ve got guys, some of them starters, who just stop showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Jakubowski said he does have a core group of dependable players, he said it\u2019s hard to build a gameplan for a league opener against a strong opponent when there are no-shows in practice every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey (Knights) have really athletic kids,\u201d Jakubowski said. \u201cTheir quarterback (Napoleon Cabading) is pretty accurate and No. 2 (wide receiver Jake Oenning is a really, really athletic kid who has that breakaway ability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabading is 42-for-68 for 688 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception this season, and if breaks containment and has room to run, he\u2019ll beat you with his legs (five rushing touchdowns so far).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf he breaks the pocket, he\u2019s a mobile guy who can eat up some yards,\u201d Jakubowski said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cabading has no shortage of downfield targets \u2013 Oenning (14 catches, 187 yards, two TDs), Titus Hughes (eight catches, 167 yards, three TDs) and Trey Hughes (11 catches, 154 yards, two TDs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Knights will mix up a few runs between passes, but throwing the ball is how they move it up and down the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey can be explosive,\u201d Jakubowski said. \u201cThey have big-play capability at multiple positions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stuart Hall is coming off a 33-0 win at Fort Bragg. Earlier this season they dropped a 43-33 contest at home to Kelseyville, which ran the ball with great success against the Stuart Hall defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quarterback Brody Shields draws the start against Stuart Hall after coming out of the Trojans\u2019 28-21 loss a week ago at Kelseyville with a banged up heel late in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to do what we do best more consistently on offense,\u201d Jakubowski said of making the running game a factor and not relying on Shields to throw the ball 30 times. \u201cAnd we need to eliminate the big play on defense. We need to keep the quarterback in the pocket and make him throw into our coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trojans did have success moving the ball on the ground against Kelseyville a week ago, led by Vincent Linton, and hope to repeat that success against Stuart Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe made some progress last week against Kelseyville and made some good things happen,\u201d Jakubowski said. \u201cIf we can win the physical battle with them, I think we can be competitive. I just don\u2019t know who is going to be there for me (on Saturday).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trojans are excited about making the trip to San Francisco and playing at the former home of the NFL\u2019s 49ers in their league opener, according to Jakubowski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey probably not exciting about getting up early for the trip down there,\u201d Jakubowski joked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Stuart Hall has no junior varsity team, Lower Lake at Stuart Hall is a varsity-only affair that kicks off at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Stuart Hall, the Trojans return home for back-to-back NCL I South games against Cloverdale (Oct. 16) and Middletown (Oct. 23).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knights host Cloverdale while Cougars, Trojans are on the road in Week 6 By Brian Sumpter Lake County Sports on Facebook LAKE COUNTY >> The only North Central League I game Middletown didn\u2019t win a year ago, against St. Helena, may have been a blessing in disguise for the Mustangs once the postseason rolled around. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,20,110,58,26,17,18,19,59,144,15,57],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7365"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7367,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7365\/revisions\/7367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/briansumptersports.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}