Prep football: Week 3 game preview capsules for all Marin teams

This week marks the final week of non-league play for most teams in the newly formed Redwood Empire League. All 11-man Marin football teams aside from San Marin and Marin Catholic will start battling for their respective league titles next week.

The Mustangs and Wildcats compete in the six-team Adobe League while everyone else competes in a seven-team league.

San Marin has perhaps the toughest task this week as it travels to face Casa Grande on Friday night. The local schedule is slanted toward Saturday this week with six of the eight games taking place then — highlighted by Marin Catholic facing Tam in Mill Valley.

Friday

San Marin (3-0, #9 in NCS) at Casa Grande (2-1, #17 in NCS), 7 p.m., Petaluma

The biggest game of the week on the Marin schedule sees the Mustangs head a few miles north to face the Gauchos. Casa Grande, which resides in the second-tier Redwood Empire Valley League with Redwood and Tam, has already faced two teams in the first-tier Adobe League – where San Marin will compete – with mixed results. The Gauchos got rolled by 61-14 by Cardinal Newman in the season opener but scored a comfortable 34-13 win against Rancho Cotate last week. QB Danny Mercado is a dual threat, having amassed 457 yards in the air along with a team-high 250 rushing yards. He’s also scored 11 touchdowns – seven as a passer and four more as a runner. San Marin QB Daniel Rolovich is coming off the best game of his varsity career with five total touchdowns in a 34-12 win against Moreau Catholic. Three of Rolovich’s four scoring tosses were hauled in by WR Wesley Timmel.

Terra Linda (2-0, #63 in NCS) at Heritage (2-1, #31 in NCS), 7 p.m., Brentwood

The Trojans will face their toughest challenge to date this season against the Patriots, who are nestled in between Tam (#30) and Redwood (#33) in the MaxPreps rankings. Heritage has displayed a penchant for playing in close games, losing 20-19 to Foothill (Pleasanton) before a 28-25 win against Granada and a 22-13 win against Dublin. Heritage QB Phillip Babbitt (481 yards) is flanked by RB Mehki Ananandus (195 yards) and WR Jordan Kinnaird (227 yards). Terra Linda QB Joshua Milani, a transfer from Rancho Cotate, has adjusted well to life at TL so far with six touchdowns against no interceptions. WR Santi Frias (five catches, 165 yards) has emerged as a big-play threat.

Saturday

Tomales (0-3) vs. Roseland University Prep (2-0), noon, Santa Rosa

The Braves, fresh off a 54-6 loss against Crystal Springs Upland, face another uphill battle while in search of their first win of the season. Roseland has outscored opponents 100-40 so far this season, including a 58-34 win against Crystal Springs Upland. Tomales has been outscored 168-30 so far this season.

Marin Catholic (1-2, #6 in NCS) at Tam (0-3, #30 in NCS), 2 p.m., Mill Valley

While there is no more MCAL football with the formation of the Redwood Empire Leagues, the Wildcats and Red-tailed Hawks opted to keep their series going this season. The teams met twice last season, once in league and again in the NCS Division III semifinals. MC won the MCAL meeting 35-14 but had a tougher time in the playoff game, despite posting a nearly identical 35-16 score line. The Wildcats held a slim 14-7 lead at the half after Tam QB Braden Young hit Andrew Gordon for a 90-yard score late in the second quarter. MC pulled away in the second half behind three touchdown passes from QB Peter Macaulay en route to winning section and state titles. Most of the big offensive stars from that game have since graduated but Braiden Bachich-Dixon, who caught three touchdowns in the game, returns as MC’s top receiving threat.

Concord (1-2, #93 in NCS) at Archie Williams (2-1, #78 in NCS), 2 p.m., San Anselmo

A week after challenging one of the tougher teams in NCS — a 56-20 loss to No. 18 American Canyon — the Peregrine Falcons return home looking to exceed last season’s total of two wins. Concord defeated San Lorenzo 37-7 last week after blowout losses to Newark Memorial and Alameda. Sophomore QB Juan Gonzalez has been the standout through three games, throwing for 585 yards with five touchdowns against two interceptions. Senior RB Jayden Reger has run for 187 yards and Concord’s other four touchdowns. Archie Williams kicks off Redwood Empire Mountain play next week with the first of three consecutive games against former MCAL opponents — Novato, Terra Linda, then San Rafael.

Tulelake (2-0) at Branson (1-1), 2 p.m., Ross

The Bulls welcome Tulelake – nicknamed the Honkers – in what could be a pretty competitive battle. Branson closed out last season as the No. 21-ranked 8-person team on MaxPreps while Tulelake checked in at No. 23. The Honkers have played Butte Valley twice so far this season, winning by a combined score of 128-14. Senior QB Xavier Silva and freshman RB Max Robison have been the team’s offensive standouts through two games. Branson, meanwhile, has leaned on the connection between QB Thomas Lardner (483 yards, 4 touchdowns) and WR Mo Jacoby (14 catches, 252 yards, 3 TDs).

Novato (1-1, #90 in NCS) at San Jose (1-2, #84 in Central Coast), 7 p.m., San Jose

The Hornets, fresh off a 34-7 home win against Encinal on Saturday, hit the road to take on a San Jose team that has lost its last two games by identical 42-0 scores. After opening the season with a 21-19 win against Mills, the Bulldogs have lost to Lincoln (San Jose) and Silver Creek. San Jose appears to be a run-heavy team, having carried the ball 33 times for 221 times while attempting just four passes in their one win. Novato has been balanced on offense through two games, with QB Trevor Cleary averaging 115 yards per game in the air while RB John DeMartini averages 107 yards on the ground.

Redwood (2-1, #33 in NCS) at Enterprise (2-1, #10 in Northern), 7:30 p.m., Redding

The Giants enjoyed a banner season last year, winning seven games and hosting an NCS playoff game for the first time. One of the early-season harbingers of that success was a 24-21 home win against Enterprise that moved the Giants to 4-0. Cornerback Wilson Schwartz sealed the win with a late interception. Enterprise shut out its first two opponents this season – Corning and West Valley – by a combined score of 83-0 before falling 62-34 against Lassen last week. Redwood limited Enterprise QB J.J. Johnson last year, intercepting him four times and holding him to 61 passing yards. Johnson did plenty of damage with his legs, though, rushing for 136 yards and three scores. Redwood QB Kody Vasquez threw for 198 yards and three scores in the game.

Bye week

San Rafael (2-1). Next game: at Healdsburg, 7 p.m., Sept. 27.