One week after suffering a tough home loss, The Acalanes Dons Football team (3-1) showed why they remain one of the most feared squads in the area. The offense amassed 512 total yards and 6 TDs (3 by air and 3 on the ground) to hold off the Marin Catholic Wildcats (1-3) for their third win of the young season.
The seniors ruled the night for the Dons. QB Tyler Winkles unleashed his full arsenal Friday night, finishing the game with 429 yards passing, tallying 3 TDs by air and notching one with his legs. The playcaller was in complete control all night. He spread the ball to six different receivers, completing 27 of his 36 attempts. His two favorite options remained the top two wideouts in the league: Jackson Boselli and Finn Rivera. Boselli finished the night with 6 catches for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. And Rivera was a slot machine, cashing in on 11 catches for an even 100 yards.
In the end, with the Dons needing to secure a first down to run out the clock, it was the senior QB who flashed his blinding speed. Facing a 3rd down and 6 from the Wildcat 40 yard line, Winkles rolled right for 10 yards to secure a new set of downs with 1:40 left in the game. The tough team from Marin, with no timeouts remaining, could do nothing to stop the clock. From there, it was victory formation time, ending the Wildcat’s valiant comeback effort.
Running back Joaquin Bordi proved again why the coaches continue to feed him the ball in tight spots. The junior gazelle ran for 65 yards and two TDs on the night and also tallied 1 catch for 10 yards and a converted on an important 2-point conversion
On the defensive side of the ball, the Dons notched a bevy of highlight-reel plays. In the first half, two-way star Finn Rivera crushed the Wildcat running back to force a fourth down. On another crucial 3rd down, LB Mason Anderson displayed text-book form taking down the running back with a perfect open field tackle. Rivera finished with 14 tackles and Anderson tallied 10.
The game remained tight through the first half with the Wildcats scoring first. After trading TDs, the Dons were leading 14-12 with 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. Marin Catholic pushed the ball down the field and took the lead going into the locker room with a field goal with 20 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Dons came out of the gate in the third quarter looking to inflict as much damage as possible. Efficiency was the name of the game as Winkles spread the ball all over the field, winding up at the goal line for a run up the gut for 6. Dons now lead 20-15 after a failed 2-point conversion try.
After a quick 3 led by Cash Ricker’s timely sack on 3rd and 14, the Dons got the ball back and Winkles again wasted no time. On the first play, from their own 35-yard line, the senior QB unleashed a perfect spiral to Boselli for a 65 yard strike to put the home team up 27-15.
The defense again stepped up to force a punt thanks to a swarming line and middle led by Luke Daffner and Dax Vail who continued to make timely tackles. But the play of the quarter was Grant Condy’s interception. The Wildcats tried for a deep ball down the middle that was snagged by the senior DB who returned it 30 yards to the midfield to give the Dons a chance to put this game away early.
Winkles awarded Condy for the defensive stop by getting him involved in the offense. He found Condie on a bubble screen and the quick Don then followed his blockers into the end zone to make the score 35-15.
The play of the game, though, set up the bubble screen. Sophomore wide receiver Jake Mikalis showed why he got the call up to varsity by hauling in a tipped pass off another Don’s receiver for a 35 yard completion to set up the Condy TD. Mikalis used his quick hands and “right man, right place” mentality to make the grab. The sophomore finished with a respectable 3 catches for 56 yards.
Riding high into the 4th quarter, the Dons were met by a never-say-die Marin Catholic team who quickly scored to claw back to within two scores 35-23. After holding the Dons on the next drive, Marin Catholic worked methodically down the field and ended the drive with a rushing TD to make this a ballgame.
With the score now 35-30, the Dons capped a quick drive with Winkles 3rd TD pass of the night. Sophomore kicker Jonny Rubin nailed his fourth PAT of the night to make the score 42-30.
Marin Catholic came marching down the field and scored again with 3 minutes left on the clock as the faithful Dons crowd drew restless. With the score now 42-37, Acalanes was able to hold on to the ball, run the time out on the Wildcats comeback chances, and notch their third victory of the season.
The Dons stay in Lafayette for their third home game in a row as they welcome American Canyon to the field on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7pm. It’s homecoming weekend for Acalanes so you can be sure the Dons will be ready to show up!