Schools

Marin Catholic Football Gets Thanksgiving Wish

The undefeated Wildcats rout Eureka to set up a semifinal rematch with Encinal.

Winning might be old hat, but it just doesn't seem to get old at Marin Catholic.

The top-seeded and undefeated Wildcats (12-0) blasted No. 9 Eureka (8-3) 42-7 in Saturday's North Coast Section quarterfinals.

The victory sets up a semifinal rematch from last year's playoffs against No. 4 Encinal (11-1). Encinal beat Marin Catholic in the 2010 NCS semifinals.

"We kind of expect every year, somehow, we'll meet Encinal again. This is the fourth year in a row," Marin Catholic coach Mazi Moyaed said.

Encinal beat No. 5 Miramonte 48-14 on Friday and No. 13 Tamalpais 40-21 in last week's opener.

Marin Catholic isn't looking tired after a Thanksgiving feast as the Wildcats prepare for next week's rematch.

"Every game is still a lot of fun," the Wildcats' Nick Devere said. "This was good competition and a good game."

Wildcats quarterback Andrew Goff passed for five touchdowns, including two to Chris Tewhill. The high-powered duo hooked up first with 6:17 left in the first quarter on a 7-yard pass. The extra kick gave Marin Catholic a 7-0 lead.

A blown snap by Eureka bounced out of the end zone and gave Marin Catholic a safety 2 minutes later. The Wildcats tried to build the momentum as Andrew Cellis caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Goff for 15-0 lead just before the end of the first quarter.

Connor Mulcahy caught a 10-yard pass from Goff early in the second quarter for a 21-0 Wildcats lead. For a while, it looked like Marin Catholic would have a smooth ride to victory, but that was not necessarily the case.

Marin Catholic recovered a Eureka fumble on the Loggers' 35-yard line, but back-to-back penalties kept the Wildcats out of the end zone. A holding penalty negated scoring pass to Nick Devere. The Wildcats then turned the ball over on downs.

Defense was solid on both sides. The Wildcats recorded seven tackles for losses. Marin Catholic's Samuel Killpack picked off a pass late in the second quarter, but Eureka got the ball right back when Nathan Madsen recovered a fumble by Goff. The Loggers scored on the ensuing possession on a 22-yard pass from Zach Stone as time expired in the first half.

"Every team we play, we want to come at them with everything we have," senior lineman David Howell said. "We've got to stay hungry."

The Wildcats went back in the second half to what they do best — passing and scoring. Goff completed passes to Tewhill and Ryan Farney to build a 35-7 lead in the third quarter.

Jay Demski Jr. scooped up the ball as it rolled into the Eureka end zone after a blocked punt to ice Marin Catholic's victory.

"That was a great show of heart," Devere said. "We're ready for whoever come after us."


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