Prep football: Marin’s Casanovas, Davis help drive St. Vincent de Paul to State football crown

Sophomore quarterback Gabe Casanovas had the Mustangs rolling Friday as St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma claimed its first CIF State football championship with a 27-6 victory over Wasco in the Division 6-AA game at Pasadena City College.

Casanovas, one of several Marin County players on the St. Vincent roster, passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one more in the win. Jack Davis caught one touchdown pass and ran in another.

After the Mustangs (13-2) constructed a one-point lead in the first half, St. Vincent head coach Trent Herzog said the team needed at least two more touchdowns to win the game. The Mustangs offense did better than that. Meanwhile, the defense made sure Wasco never scored in the second half.

St. Vincent started the second half with a 65-yard drive, capped with a 22-yard pass from Casanovas to Mason Caturegli. The extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving the Mustangs with a 13-6 edge.

Casanovas, who was averaging 185.3 passing yards and 55.1 rushing yards per game entering Friday’s contest, put together another complete game. A pair of big runs by the North Bay League’s offensive player of the year helped set up two St. Vincent touchdowns to close out the game.

Casanovas kept the Mustangs’ drive alive and pushed the ball to the Tigers’ 20 as the third quarter came to a close. Caturegli charged forward with the Mustangs’ powerful offensive line leading the way. Finally, senior all-league player Davis followed junior lineman Rob Rooks into the end zone for a 20-6 lead with 10 minutes, 19 seconds left to play.

The Mustangs were content to keep the ball on the ground in the final minutes of the game and, after Casanovas reeled off another long run, the Mustangs were just 11 yards shy of another touchdown. After Davis pushed the ball another six yards on two carries, Casanovas scored the 49th touchdown of his season to seal the win with 2:21 left on the clock.

Casanovas rolled out for a nine-yard pass to his left to connect Davis, another Marin resident, who was roaming at back of end zone for the game’s opening score with 3:53 left in the first quarter. Junior Tyler Chelew drove the ball through the uprights for the extra point, which proved to be crucial as the teams went into halftime.

Wasco wasted no time in getting on the board, but the Mustangs blocked the extra-point attempt to maintain a 7-6 lead. From there, the Mustangs controlled the game on both sides of the ball.

The Wasco offense managed to peel off a handful of big gains, but the St. Vincent defense for the most part kept the Tigers deep in their own territory. Seniors Jack Olyphant and Chris Troy helped set the tone for St. Vincent defense this season, and the Mustangs lived up to expectations on high school’s biggest stage in the state.

The Mustangs expect to return a solid Marin core next year with Casanovas, sophomore receiver Jack Ellis, Chelew, sophomore tight end Jack Benjamin, sophomore defensive back George Chaput, and junior linebackers Jack Stevenson and Liam Daly.