Wolves @ Gauchos: Friday game to decide first place in the Vine Valley League
Coming up the night after Halloween is the game of the year for the American Canyon Wolves Football Program. On Nov. 1, the Wolves are traveling to the neutral site of Petaluma High School to take on the Casa Grande Gauchos for first place in the Vine Valley League (VVAL).
The stakes are even higher with American Canyon looking for their first solo league title since the 2017-2018 season before moving from the Solano County Athletic Conference (SCAC) to VVAL the following year.
The Gauchos and Wolves have shared a relatively even rivalry since the 2018-2019 season, with the overall record being in favor of the Wolves at 4-3. The Gauchos have had the Wolves number over the past couple years, however, winning the last two meetings.
Even with American Canyon’s historic run from last year and winning the Division 5-A State Title, Casa Grande has been one of two teams the Wolves couldn’t beat since the beginning of last season, the other being fellow State Title holder Saint Vincent De Paul.
The Wolves and Gauchos enter the contest undefeated against league opponents, each sitting at 4-0 so far. When asked what this game means to him, team captain and leading rusher Andre Lopez said, “It means a lot to me! The entire time I’ve played Casa, we haven’t beaten them. I’ve been feeling confident in my guys. We’ve been practicing and upped the intensity just for this game. I’m going in confident with my guys.”
The Wolves have executed well in all three phases throughout the year, offense, defense and special teams. Offensively the team is averaging 37 points per game and have totaled 35 touchdowns on the year on the ground and through the air. The run game led by a rotating backfield of Andre Lopez, Isaac Anderson and Marcus-Jasiri Hughes, as well as a dominant offensive line, has been the main driving force for the offense throughout the season.
Casa Grande has seen success with a balanced offensive attack but rely more heavily on their pass game. The team is steadily approaching 1000 yards passing on the season, with another 781 rushing yards on top. In league specifically, the Gauchos have been dominant, putting up no less than 31 points in each of the last three played games. The defense has also managed to hold league opponents to 21 points per game, and accumulated multiple forced fumbles and interceptions during league play so far.
Look forward to seeing these two Vine Valley League rivals clash this Saturday, Nov. 1, at Petaluma High School in Petaluma. Kickoff and the battle for the top spot in the league begins at 7 p.m.
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