Napa gains momentum early thanks to strong rushing attack to beat St. Patrick-St. Vincent, end losing streak

By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Don Lex

kfost91197@gmail.com

Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews

When you haven’t won a game in a while, it’s best to go back to what has always worked and what the program once built a whole identity around. After all, winning is fun and something that everyone should want more of. 

In Friday night’s season opener, Napa High ended a 16-game losing streak as they rolled past St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo, 31-6, at Memorial Stadium. 

The Grizzlies (1-0) gained the advantage in the game by utilizing a strong rushing attack that churned out 239 yards on the ground. They were able to establish such a strong rushing attack thanks to a variety of runs from under center to in the gun running between and off tackles. 

“We want to give ourselves the best advantage and have a multi-faceted game, so that way we can go and change week to week and make sure that we can do our stuff,” Napa High head coach Chris Harris said of the rushing attack in the game. “So yeah, they did a great job tonight, getting in and out of different looks, and I was really happy they did.”

They started the scoring in the game by going down the field on a run-heavy drive that culminated in a Capponi 48-yard bust to the end zone at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter. 

Before that touchdown, Napa fumbled the opening kickoff of the game. The key moment came when the defense forced a quick stop after the sudden change. 

“I mean, when you got a team that doesn’t win a game the previous year, and you start out the thing like that, that could have gone two ways,” Harris explained. “They could have got down on themselves, and they didn’t. That mental toughness, they understand, ‘Hey, it’s just one play, part of the game.’ The defense went out there and made a stop, got the offense the ball back, and we did a good job.” 

In the second quarter, the Grizzlies gained a two-score lead when Capponi found Erik Flores on a back-shoulder fade to take a 12-0 lead with 6:26 left till half. Flores had 2 receptions for 54 yards to be the leading receiver in the game. 

“It was pretty sick,” Capponi said of his first touchdown through the air. “I saw him get uncovered and just lit a perfect ball in there.” 

Just four minutes later, Capponi found Isaac Cruz for a 28-yard score, which was his second through the air. The quarterback completed 5 of 6 passes for 105 yards. He added 90 yards rushing on 15 carries. In the contest, Capponi accounted for 4 scores. Two of which came on the ground, and the other two via the air to show his dual-threat ability.

“He was just a leader, man,” Harris said of Capponi. “He did a great job. Took the ball in his own hands when he needed to, made plays just, just an athlete going through the progressions. He had a great game tonight.” 

With just 12.1 seconds left to tick off before the half, Capponi scrambled on a broken play to score from 12 yards out. This gave Napa a 25-0 halftime lead. 

Napa took a 31-0 lead in the third quarter when Anthony Alfaro rumbled into the end zone on a 14-yard score. 

The Bruins (0-1) got their only score of the game when Curtis Berry scored on a 14-yard run with 7:38 remaining in the game. 

With the victory, the Grizzlies broke a 16-game losing streak that dated back to 2023. It was a huge weight lifted off Napa to win the game. 

“The win is amazing,” Capponi explained. “I’ve only had one win under my belt at Napa High, but this is definitely one to remember.” 

Next week, the Grizzlies will be back in action on Friday night when they travel to Sebastopol to meet Analy. Kickoff is at 7 pm.