By Dave Curtis
Marin Independent Journal

If the Marin Catholic football team was looking to test itself before the MCAL season kicks off, the Wildcats have achieved their goal. And in the process, coach Mazi Moayed's squad has shown it doesn't quit.

A week after overcoming scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns to overcome St. Ignatius, the Wildcats (2-0) repeated the feat Saturday for a stirring 33-29 victory over Vacaville in Kentfield.

"We knew the type of ball game we were going to be in for," Moayed said. "We expected it to go down four quarters, that's what we talked to our kids about. We're a little different team than we were last year, we're a little more quick strike. Sometimes that's going to get us three and out (on offense)."

That quick strike offense is what saved the Wildcats, who had limited success running the ball. Marin Catholic was limited to 104 yards rushing but quarterback Jared Goff overcame that with three long TD passes to Ryan Farney. Two of those strikes came on consecutive passes just 1:38 apart as the Wildcats turned a 27-13 deficit into a 27-27 tie in the fourth quarter courtesy of Farney's 80- and 34-yard TD catches.

"We did it last week," Farney said of the late comeback. "So we've just got to keep believing, keep believing. . . . This is definitely the biggest win I've been a part of."

What made the Wildcats' victory improbable was the offensive firepower the Bulldogs demonstrated. Vacaville rolled up more than 500 yards rushing, including a 216-yard effort from Melvin Mason and a 157-yard day by Curtis Goins.

However, when Vacaville (1-1) needed its ground game in the fourth quarter, it found some problems. A fumble set up Marin Catholic's final touchdown, a 3-yard run by Chris Tewhill, and Vacaville was stopped on a fourth-and-2 play from the Marin Catholic 4 with 1 minute, 15 seconds remaining in the game.

"We were in a pretty good spot early," Vacaville coach Mike Papadopolous said. "They found the things that we definitely were aware of and they exploited them. You can't do that against a great football team like Marin Catholic. We put the ball on the ground and gave it back to them.

"We definitely had some spots where we probably could have put it away, but definitely they took advantage of those things and their team won today."

Vacaville showed its offensive prowess early in the game, driving for a score on its opening drive. But the Bulldogs also showed one of their flaws when they lost a fumble on their second possession. Marin Catholic's Mike Nichols scooped it up and ran 62 yards for a touchdown near the end of the first quarter.

Vacaville regained the lead in the second quarter only to see Marin Catholic answer when Goff hit Farney with passes of 53 and 32 yards, the second one taking Farney into the end zone.

That duo then got the Wildcats back into the game before Tewhill's TD run accounted for the decisive score.

Tewhill's run followed a clutch fourth-down run by Akili Terry, who was cleared by the North Coast Section to play after an investigation of his contact with former Marin Catholic player Chris Adams before Terry entered Marin Catholic. The NCS has yet to rule what if any penalties might be forthcoming for Marin Catholic relating to Terry's participation with the varsity last season. Athletic direction Adam Callan said the school will learn more about the NCS plans next week.

For now, however, the Wildcats were all about the celebration.

"I think we're going to have a long, long season if we keep playing the way we are," Tewhill said. "This year we have a lot of new guys on the team. And it's a great thing to see them stepping up to the challenge."