The weather was brisk but not wet, the perfect fall day for Homecoming. The four classes paraded their destination-oriented floats—San Francisco, Las Vegas, Hollywood and Rio de Janeiro—around town Friday afternoon, and down through the middle of the football game at halftime.
Their class royalty was introduced, and it was not missed on the crowd or the coaches that three out of the four boy royals were wearing cardinal red and shoulder pads, and dashed off to the team meeting once the ceremonies were completed.
Too soon, the festivities of halftime gave way to a somber second half. The scoreboard showed a tie game, 14-14, which reflected the two touchdowns the Greyhounds scored in the first quarter—and the two touchdowns the Piner Prospectors scored in the second.
More worrisome than the change in tempo, Healdsburg’s leading offensive player, Frank Rea, had twisted an ankle making a tackle early in the second quarter. So while Healdsburg’s first-quarter momentum led to two touchdowns, it was abruptly stalled by Rea’s absence. The junior stayed on the bench, ankle in an ice pack, for the duration of the half but he was missed on the field: He is the team’s leading passer and leading rusher, one of the leading scorers and a top tackler on defense.
With Rea off the field, it was up to Piner’s senior quarterback Soso Prak to deliver the fireworks and points. He scored two running touchdowns and threw bullet passes (his long black air flowing dramatically from under his helmet) to receivers for the other two, all four scores coming before Healdsburg could once again find the end zone, in the fourth quarter.
Freshman Dylan Hayes took over in the quarterback position in Rea’s absence. He performed well, and Louis Valencia picked up two rushing touchdowns, but the final score of 28-20 gave the Prospectors’ their first win of the season and Healdsburg their sixth loss.
This weekend’s game will be played on the road against Terra Linda, which also has a 0-6 record and shares the cellar with the Greyhounds. The game will be played on Saturday, Oct. 18, starting at 2pm at the high school in San Rafael.
