Dragon football game breaks records

As the Dragon football players drove the two hours back from North Highlands on Friday night, there was a chant that rallied them: “Next season starts NOW!”

There was good reason for the hype. After a disappointing start to the season, playing teams that were consistently physically bigger, the mighty Dragons had their best game of the year, winning against Highlands High 51-12 in North Highlands, Calif. With five interceptions, they broke Sonoma Valley High School’s record on the field. The same can be said for the team’s 66 tackles and John Methner’s two sacks.

“Also, It was the first Sonoma Team to score 50+ points in a game in over 20 years and is considered a school record on MaxPreps,” said Coach Clay Jackson in an email, referring to the popular youth sports stats site.

Tren Ohman had a particularly good night, throwing three touchdowns and 300 yards total. Fernando Andrade led the team with 11 solo tackles and two assists. MaxPreps named Mikey Serbicki, Joey Fiorito, Rollo Benstead and Methner as “Players of the Game.”

“It really energized our team, our program, and buzz in the community. If we play schools of similar size we can play with anyone,” Jackson said. “We had some emotional adversity during the week and it really bonded the team. We had our best week of practice. This team has never been down from a loss.”

With an overall record of 2-8 (0.20% wins) and a Valley Vine league record of 0-5 placing them sixth, this late win was the boost the Dragons needed to rally through their final game of the season. With a battle against Napa High on Friday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m., these record-breaking Dragons seek to recapture some magic on the field.

“Well, we only have one game left, but we think its winnable. If we play mistake-free football (no turnovers and limit penalties) and tackle we should be able to compete for a win,” Jackson wrote. “Coach Adams (of Napa) is a very good friend of mine. We coached together at Napa and were roomies at a coaching trip to University of Arizona. He's a good guy, but they are struggling this year. They are big and physical team are key is to use our speed to get some of our athletes in space to make plays. Defensively we just need to play sound and be aggressive.”