Preps of the week: Marin Catholic controls the clock to beat San Marin

Last week’s slate of football games was arguably the biggest of the season for Marin teams as all the former MCAL schools battled each other on Thursday.

Marin Catholic at San Marin was the marquee game as the Wildcats went north to play under the lights and came away with a crucial victory. Tam took down Redwood in a game that wasn’t decided until the final minute. Novato and San Rafael made statements in wins over Terra Linda and Archie Williams, respectively.

Elsewhere, the Branson girls volleyball team and the Archie Williams boys water polo team earned important wins against other league title contenders. The girls water polo teams from Archie Williams and Marin Academy both remained undefeated after pulling out close wins.

Jarred Geissberger and Caedon Afsharipour, Marin Catholic football

The Wildcats earned a win in their Redwood Empire Adobe League debut and gained a measure of revenge for last season, when San Marin closed out the MCAL by beating MC 10-6. MC ran the ball effectively in a 21-7 victory Thursday with Geissberger gaining 83 yards and scoring twice. Afsharipour ran for another 61 yards as MC used a 15-play, 90-yard drive to go up by two scores and chew up the clock. Afsharipour threw for 188 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown to Jordan Rogers and a 28-yard throw to Chase Merrick on a third-and-10 at midfield during the decisive drive.

Miles Kelsey and Ethan Koo, Tam football

The Red-tailed Hawks had the ball while nursing a six-point lead in the fourth quarter against Redwood on Thursday. Both running backs carried the ball five times on the ensuing drive, grinding up the clock in the process. Tam kicked a short field goal in the final minute to cap the scoring at 19-10 and put the game away. Kelsey had 38 yards and Koo added 37 more on the drive.

Abby King and Celia Tolmie, Branson girls volleyball

The Bulls only played one game last week but it was a big one as they swept aside Redwood in three sets to take another big step toward winning the league title. Tolmie posted team-highs with 44 assists and six blocks, diversifying her attack to allow four different players — including King — to finish with double-digit kills. King had 10 kills and tied Tolmie with six blocks. The Bulls finished the week ranked as the top team in the North Coast Section by MaxPreps.com. Redwood sits in fourth and Marin Catholic sits in second.

Vincent Krilanovich and Jake Carrera, Archie Williams boys water polo

The Peregrine Falcons remained unbeaten in league while handing Redwood its first MCAL loss in a 12-9 victory on Thursday. Krilanovich scored a game-high five goals to pace the Peregrine Falcons. Carerra, the MCAL’s reigning player of the year, added three goals as the Peregrine Falcons earned a measure of revenge against a Redwood team that defeated them 12-11 in last season’s league championship game.

Sal Carrow and John DeMartini, Novato football

Novato secured its fifth consecutive win while limiting opponents to seven points or less across all five games, including Thursday’s 30-7 win against Terra Linda. Carrow had the biggest defensive play of the game, returning an interception 28 yards for a touchdown. Carrow also came in at played some quarterback at the end of the game when the Hornets were without their other options under center due to injuries. DeMartini continued to be the hammer in Novato’s rushing attack, carrying the ball 27 times for a season-best 223 yards and two scores.

Lachlan Royston, Harper Corso, and Dante Granziani, San Rafael football

The Bulldogs’ passing attack was in fine form during a 41-12 victory against Archie Williams on Thursday. Royston completed 13 of 16 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns. His two favorite targets were Corso (six catches, 90 yards, three TDs) and Granziani (four catches, 112 yards, 2 TDs). San Rafael’s Joe Miller also threw a touchdown pass.

Holly Hovey, Archie Williams girls water polo

Hovey scored a game-high four goals as the Peregrine Falcons held on for a 7-6 victory against Redwood on Thursday. Archie Williams changed the momentum of the game with four goals in the third period. Archie Williams and Marin Academy are tied for first place with identical 6-0 records. The teams close out the regular season against each other on Oct. 23.

Gabby Reichley, Marin Academy girls water polo

Reichley scored six times as Marin Academy took down Terra Linda 12-2 early in the week then tied for team-high honors with three goals as MA had to rally late for a 12-9 win against Tam. Gabby Reichley, Hannah Reichley and Kelly Kurtzig each scored three times in the game. MA closed the contest on a 4-0 scoring run after entering the fourth quarter trailing Tam 9-8.

Maddox McClellan, Redwood boys water polo

McClellan scored multiple goals in every games at the Battle in the Creek tournament as Redwood (18-2) went 4-0 and claimed the title with a 9-7 win over College Park. McClellan scored twice against College Park, Harker, and Mid-Pacific Institute. His biggest performance came in a seven-goal outburst in a victory against Monte Vista on Friday.

Petra Rabb, Novato girls volleyball

Rabb had a monster game as the Hornets rose up to claim their first MCAL win of the season in four sets against playoff-bound Terra Linda. Rabb had 30 assists, 18 digs, nine aces, and a pair of kills as Novato won its first league game since 2022.

Eva Layton, Redwood field hockey

The Giants goalie registered seven saves as Redwood pulled out a 1-0 victory against Marin Catholic on Friday. Layton made a save on a penalty shot then picked up another save when MC retrieved the rebound and fired another shot on goal. The victory helped Redwood stay in front of MC for third place in the MCAL standings.