Santa Rosa scores 28-20 victory in football season opener

Tim Marlow (88) follows blockers into the end zone for a Santa Rosa touchdown Friday. Photos by Joe Quinn

By Joe Quinn, Correspondent

The Santa Rosa Academy football team opened the 2019 season with a 28-20 win over the Hamilton High Bobcats of Anza Friday at Heritage High School.

Overall, it was a well-deserved win for new head coach Perry Jones, his staff and the
team. The Rangers owned the first half, wearing down the clock on the first drive with good old-fashioned mixed play calling. They finally crossed the goal line on a right side dive by Tim
Marlow.

That success continued with a bit of lightning on a touchdown pass from Aaron Pinard to Marlow after the defense forced the visiting Bobcats to turn the ball over on downs. Marlow was wide open, the pass was on target and he outran the Bobcat defense for the long TD.

Good coaching and hard play brought Hamilton back by the middle of the fourth quarter. With three minutes left in the game, the Bobcats scored, bringing them within eight at 28-20. They attempted the two-point conversion but were stuffed by the staunch Ranger defense.

The defense rose to the occasion at several points in the game, and this was a key one. The Bobcats quarterback was rushed the entire game although he made some key plays to keep them in the mix.

Strong play by the Rangers line on both sides of the ball, quarterback keepers by Pinard, coupled with hard yardage gains by William Peterson were too much for the Bobcats to overcome. Add to that the total game threat by Marlow and the Bobcats’ fate was sealed.

The Santa Rosa offensive line seemed in control most of the game and key blocks and smart play by Ian Frank and Luke Adams often paved the way. Joshua Zabella, the big center, anchored the middle and with the rest of the line made it happen.

Lineman pave the way for a big gain as quarterback Adam Pinard (4) hands off to Tim Marlow.