First Round Exit Ends Dragons Up & Down Season

The 2022 Football season for SVHS was unique, with hope, disappointment, and joy at all corners. Led by junior quarterback Trent Ohman and a wide receiver core of sophomore Hudson Giarretta, junior Max Harrison, and senior Spencer Jacobs, the Dragons sported a pass-heavy offense, which led to mixed results.

After dropping the first game of the year, the Dragons came back to win three straight against Oakland, Terra Linda, and Kelseyville. Ohman and the Dragon offense amounted to 998 yards in these three games, the passing offense leading the way with 693 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. This brought great hope that the Dragon football program was in a turnaround from frustrating past seasons.

But, this hope soon lost its light, as the Dragons dropped 5 straight games to American Canyon, Justin-Siena, Casa Grande, Petaluma, and Vintage. The offense greatly stalled in these games as they were only able to achieve 559 total yards across the five games, a yardage they doubled in the first four non-league games. 

This brought the Dragons to a 3-6 record heading into the last league game against the Napa Grizzlies. Because of the three wins, a playoff berth was still possible, and a win against Napa would almost cement their position in the NCS D5 bracket. 

With this first playoff berth in decades on the line, Ohman led the way tossing for 298 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ohman also ran for 69 yards, along with junior Lee Scott rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown, helping the offense score 28 points. This would be enough as the Grizzlies were held to 21 points by Sonoma’s defense. The huge win resulted in a seven seed for the Dragons, to face 2nd-seeded Miramonte in the first round of playoffs.

The Miramonte Matadors made quick work of the Dragons in the playoff, as their high-powered offense jumped out to a 28-0 lead after the first quarter. The rest of the game was a formality after the explosive start by the Matadors, but the game ended in a 55-8 defeat. The Matadors were too much for Sonoma, piling up 478 total yards compared to Sonoma’s 94.

While the end for Football might have been a let-down a lot of positives can be found. The young duo of Ohman and Giarretta, who compiled 812 yards receiving, will be a focus for the Dragons season next year, a connection that showed much promise this season. Running back Lee Scott, who averaged a solid 4.1 yards per carry, can also return next year, resulting in key pieces staying for the 2023 season. The Dragons will look to build off an up-and-down year, and continue the trend for Sonoma football upwards.