Healdsburg Powers Past Terra Linda 41-14

With three interceptions, a strong ground game and a quick pass offense that thwarted blitz after blitz, Healdsburg (2-1) cruised to a 41-14 win Friday night over the Terra Linda Trojans (1-2) at

to the Fortuna Huskies last week where Healdsburg coughed up a 25-point second half lead, Friday’s victory marked a crucial rebound. From the very beginning of the game, the Greyhounds looked more driven than demoralized by last week’s disappointment.

“Last week was psychologically really a bummer,” said Hounds Coach Tom Kirkpatrick. “We had a lot to work on this week, and, to their credit, the kids did everything they had to do.

"The overall intensity and level of focus was much higher tonight," Kirkpatrick said.

Trojans' coach Tom Bosque said his team "played ourselves out of that one," according to an article in the Marin Independent Journal.

Leading Healdsburg’s offense was a two-headed monster of precision passing and explosive running by the premier tailback.

Senior quarterback Max Opperman was crisp and efficient, completing 12 of 16 passes for 153 yards with zero interceptions and a touchdown.

Opperman also ran for two touchdowns: a goal-line quarterback sneak in the first quarter and, in the third quarter, quarterback draw to the right corner of the end zone out of a shotgun formation from the 5-yard-line.

Opperman picked apart the Trojan defense all game, exploiting whatever holes he could find. When Terra Linda blitzed, which they did frequently, Opperman sent the ball immediately to open targets on the flank for big gains.

The right-hander repeatedly scampered away from pressure and threw accurately on the run from both his weak and strong sides. In the third, for example, Opperman rolled left to avoid a near sack and hit Charlie Conrad in tight coverage with a low bullet 20 yards down the sideline.

Senior running back Gerardo Cervantes was equally devastating, running 15 times for 147 yards (9.8 yards/carry). Cervantes was explosive, bursting through holes in the front line and juking downfield defenders with sharp cutbacks and afterburner acceleration.

In the fourth quarter, Cervantes sealed the victory with an 86-yard kickoff-return for a touchdown. As Cervantes crossed midfield, the last potential tackler was dispatched by a crushing block from Senior John Etchell, and the speedster was off.

Cervantes also contributed on defense with an interception in the third quarter, which followed two other interceptions in the second quarter – one by Junior Andrew Kozel, the other by Conrad.

Healdsburg’s defense, like its offense, was stellar overall, pressuring Trojan quarterback Jake Troll-McKillip with changing formations that allowed some defenders to blitz untouched. The quarterback attack was led by Hounds senior Richard Grant, who repeatedly came charging off the edge unobstructed, recording two sacks.

“I started inside, then they split me out wide (of the defensive line) and I wasn’t getting blocked,” Grant said.

The Hounds JV football team also took Terra Linda, 42-28 in an earlier game Friday night.

The Greyhounds next game is Friday, Sept. 23, when Healdsburg leaves Rec Park for a road game against Acalanes High School in Lafayette.

Hounds will be at home again on Oct. 7, when they play Analy, and again on Oct. 21, when they match up with Windsor.

For a HHS football schedule,