Windsor's Swarming Defense Too Much for Greyhounds

The were outmuscled and trampled on by a ferocious Windsor defense that forced five turnovers and controlled the line of scrimmage Friday during the annual Grape Bowl at in Healdsburg.

Healdsburg lost the game to its undefeated rival, 27-15.

"We played a good game and I'm proud of my players," said Greyhounds head coach Tom Kirkpatrick. "They're a really good team and it caught up to us.

"Their defense is just nails," Kirkpatrick said of the Windsor Jaguars. "They had us covered."

Friday's home loss marked the first defeat for the Greyhounds (6-2) since the second week of the season, and it was perhaps the first time this year that the team's offense was stymied over several quarters.

An early lead and the strength of its defense kept Healdsburg in the game, but the offensive struggles that began late in the first quarter never abated.

The Jaguars barely beat Healdsburg last year, winning on the game's final play with a 22-yard touchown pass. than they were last year, but so are the Jaguars; Windsor was widely considered the heavy favorite going into Friday's contest.

The game began auspiciously for Healdsburg, with the Greyhounds going up 13-0 in the first quarter on two consecutive scoring drives. Both drives were capped by touchdown passes (seven yards and 24 yards, respectively) from s to senior wide receiver Charlie Conrad.

After their first touchdown, the Greyhounds gambled and won with a surprising onside kick that barely squeaked beyond the required 10 yards of distance and was recovered by Senior Mitch Mariani. Healdsburg looked in cruise control after the ensuing touchdown, but soon the crackling offense plunged back to earth.

Windsor put its first points on the board 10 minutes into the first quarter, on a goal line quarterback sneak that followed a 55-yard run by senior tailback Darrian Roman and made the score 13-6 (Windsor failed on its two-point conversion try). From there, things unraveled for Healdsburg.

Opperman threw the first of three interceptions -- he also lost two fumbles -- at the start of the second quarter, when he was blindsided by a charging defender right as he released a pass downfield.

The underthrown ball that resulted flew right to Windsor defender Taylor Biaggi, who returned the interception from midfield to the Healdsburg 22. Windsor scored another touchdown on the ensuing mini-drive, making the score 13-12.

Backfield pressure caused another interception in the middle of the second quarter, when a retreating Opperman lobbed a weak ball over several pressuring lineman who appeared to block his view.

Opperman's floating gift was intercepted by senior Vince Valdes in the backfield near the Healdsburg 45-yard-line and returned for a touchdown. Windsor converted on the two-point try that followed, giving the Jags a 20-13 lead.

Opperman, who's been on the money most of the season, looked increasingly antsy and tentative in the second half, constantly rolling away from pressure and frequently missing downfield targets or throwing the ball away.

His poor passing numbers (7/26, 114 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions) were largely the product of an aggressive defensive front that hurried and hit the undersized quarterback all game.

Windsor's defense also did a decent job of containing Healdsburg's explosive running back, who took 19 carries for 123 yards. Cervantes juked his usual share of would-be tacklers and frequently pushed forward after contact for add-on yardage. Yet, with Healdsburg's normally reliable blocking scheme faltering, Cervantes never broke free for a huge gain and could not carry the sagging offense.

Healdsburg's own steady defense kept the game within reach. The Greyhounds' best chance to regain momentum came at the end of the third quarter -- with the score 27-13 and Windsor backed up near its own goal line -- when Jaguars quarterback Christian

McAlvian bobbled a snap from the shotgun and saw it go rolling through the endzone when one diving defender batted it away from his reach.

Senior lineman Jordan Harringon pounced on the ball at the back of the endzone, but only gained full possession as the ball's nose crossed out of bounds. That made the play a safety instead of a touchdown, meaning two points for Healdsburg instead of six.

"It was out by an inch," Harrington said. "I got it in the endzone but it just barely slid out."

The safety did give Healdsburg the ball back, but after a good kickoff return started them inside Jaguar territory, the offense stalled once again. To top it off, Healdsburg's 4th down punt was itself blocked, giving Windsor strong field position with nine minutes to go and all but sealing the deal.

For a Hounds game schedule,