Preps of the week: Redwood makes history with another NCS victory
The Redwood High football team is set to compete for a section title for the first time in program history thanks to a last-minute victory in the North Coast Section Division IV semifinals on Friday.
On a night when Ukiah struggled to get anything going in the passing game, Redwood had no such issues — a key reason why the Giants will still be practicing and playing after Thanksgiving.
The Branson School football team has already accomplished what Redwood is seeking to do this weekend, having clinched the 8-person D-I title with a victory over Stuart Hall on Saturday.
This weekend was also a successful one for Marin cross country teams with a total of five section titles — three team, two individual — won on Saturday.
Basketball season is also ramping up with some big early-season performances already in the books.
Kody Vasquez, Ronan Ralston, and Ben Vaughn, Redwood football
Vasquez threw four touchdowns in Ukiah on Friday night, rallying the Giants for a 28-25 victory over the Wildcats in the NCS D-IV semifinals. Two of Vasquez’s touchdowns went to Ralston — a deep shot in the second quarter to put Redwood on the board followed by fourth-quarter score to give Redwood its first lead of the game at 21-18. Vasquez, who earlier threw a touchdown to Dylan McGrath, found Vaughn on a five-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left to secure the victory. No. 5 Redwood faces No. 2 American Canyon for the title at 7 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Napa.
Thomas Lardner, Mo Jacoby, and Colby Buxton, Branson football
The Bulls won their fourth 8-person section title on Saturday, overcoming rival Stuart Hall 40-24 on Saturday afternoon. Lardner, the team’s quarterback, got the Bulls off to a blistering start with three touchdown passes — and three successful two-point conversion tosses — to give them a 26-0 halftime lead. Jacoby caught the first two touchdowns and Buxton snagged the third. Jacoby caught five passes for 50 yards and was a beast on defense, coming up with 20 tackles. Buxton had 27 carries for 134 yards, adding two rushing touchdowns in the second half.
Gabe Casanovas, St. Vincent de Paul football
The Novato resident has been stellar during his junior season at quarterback for the Mustangs, throwing four more touchdowns on Saturday to help them take down Maria Carrillo 53-24 in the NCS D-V semifinals. Casanovas completed 11 of 19 passes for 284 yards against the Pumas and brought his season total for touchdowns up to 33. St. Vincent faces undefeated Sonoma Valley for the section title at 7 p.m. Saturday at Casa Grande High in Petaluma.
Claire Ellis, St. Vincent de Paul girls volleyball
Ellis, another Novato resident, produced a huge game to guide the Mustangs to their first NorCal title in program history in a sweep of San Francisco Waldorf on Tuesday. Ellis, the team’s top hitter this season as a sophomore, piled up 26 kills with six aces and three digs.
Ian Sharp, Archie Williams boys cross country
Sharp picked up his second individual victory of the postseason by winning the NCS D-IV boys race at Hayward High on Saturday. Sharp, who also won the MCAL championship the previous week, finished the 3-mile NCS race in 16 minutes, 23.6 seconds. Not only did he claim the individual victory, he led the Peregrine Falcons to the team win as well. Ryan Seeley, Milo Hetherington, Nolan Marsh, and Sean Chamberlain were the Peregrine Falcons’ other scorers.
Ani Stieg, Archie Williams girls cross country
Stieg, like Sharp, is also 2-for-2 in the postseason, winning MCALs then following that up with a victory in the NCS D-IV race. Stieg turned in a time of 19:50.1 to finish 20 seconds faster than any other runner. Stieg also led the way as Archie Williams claimed the team title, getting scoring contributions from Alyssa Silverstein, Ainsley Sullivan, Brooke Lee, and Teya Strong.
Farah Allen, Branson girls cross country
Marin teams enjoyed a banner day at the NCS Championships with Allen placing third in D-V to lead the Bulls to the team title. Allen crossed the finish line in 19:18.5. The Bulls also got strong performances from Audrey Spaly, Hailey Sellers, Maya Gidney, and Imogen Brown to round out their top five.
Ossie Joplin and Storm Jackson, Redwood boys water polo
Joplin paced the Giants in scoring in both of their NorCal games this week, netting five times in a 14-13 quarterfinal win against Harker on Tuesday then contributing four more goals in a 10-9 loss to Clovis in Thursday’s semifinal. Jackson, a freshman, provided perhaps the most memorable moment of the week for the team, scoring the game-winning goal against Harker with just three seconds left on the clock.
Gio Brovelli and Luke Shapiro, San Rafael boys basketball
The Bulldogs’ top two scorers combined for 34 points in a win over Analy then combined for 57 points in a victory against San Domenico to fuel a 2-0 start to the season. Brovelli scored 23 points in a 77-47 win against Analy then scored 26 more in a 75-65 win against San Domenico. Shapiro had an 11-point, nine-rebound, four-assist stat line against Analy then went off for 31 points, six rebounds, and six assists against the Panthers.
Izzy McFadden, Marin Catholic girls basketball
The MCAL’s reigning player of the year picked up right where she left off in 2023, piling up 30 points as MC made a successful season debut with a 67-61 win against St. Mary’s (Berkeley) on Saturday.
Paige Macy, Branson girls basketball
Macy, one of the top rebounders in the MCAL, pulled down 21 boards in a 50-29 win against Sonoma Valley in the season opener on Saturday. Macy also chipped in by scoring 12 points.