Windsor eager to take on state's leading rusher

WINDSOR

In a drill Tuesday night, Windsor cornerback Kameron Richardson poached a pass, intercepted it and began sprinting down the sidelines. Sixty yards ahead of him. All alone. No one near him. For about four seconds. Windsor coach Rob Gatrell took off after him. It was a sight. Gatrell, 34, played pro football for eight years, was an offensive lineman for the 49ers, Patriots and Rams. At 275, 30 pounds below his playing weight, Gatrell soon was in lock-step with Richardson.

This visual treat revealed two things. One, this is the kind of athletic talent necessary to play in the NFL. Two, this is the kind of coach Gatrell is, one who demands maximum effort and is not shy about demonstrating it, even if it involves some personal sweat equity.

"Did you do this to get some exercise?" I asked Gatrell, already knowing the answer.

"I didn't do it for the exercise," Gatrell said. "I did it to make sure Kameron finished."

Finish as in finish the play. If this happens in the game, Gatrell was saying by his actions, I don't want you to be coasting. It could be the play that decides the game. With his sprint he was telling his team the same thing. Finish every play. Play to the whistle. That will never be more obvious and necessary than Friday night, when the Jaguars play Concord for the D2 NCS title.

Concord's Olito Thompson is the state's leading rusher with 3,203 yards. He's rushed for 1,102 yards in his last three games. His style is subtly sensational. Thompson hits a hole that's clogged, takes a one- or two-second pause for the masses to further merge, and then uses a quick sidestep to break outside, at top speed within a stride, his field of vision and his ability to go sideways splitting defensive secondaries, reducing them to arm tackles, if they're lucky.

"He's not a bruiser and he's not a blazer," said Windsor defensive coordinator Vic Amick. "But he single-handedly has carried his team to the championship game because he has good balance, great field of vision, stays on his feet. His legs are his biggest strength. You should be tired if you carry the ball 41 times a game, but he's not. To stay healthy despite all that activity is pretty amazing. Our guys are pretty hyped about it. They're excited to face a running back who will go on to play D1 (college football). It's a pretty easy sell (to get them to play hard)."

This is how easy a sell it is: Darrian Roman wanted to play Concord and Thompson last Saturday night. The Jaguars' linebacker and running back was in the stands in Rohnert Park watching Thompson gain 275 yards against Rancho Cotate.

"I was so excited watching him," Roman said. "I just knew I wanted to play him right then."

That statement was not a boast. Rather, Roman was eager for the challenge. Windsor allows on average 8.7 points a game. Windsor, and it's not just Roman, wants to be tested. The Jaguars want to know how good they are. Thompson will let them know.

"Our coach tells us," said linebacker Taylor Biaggi, "that you can't be the best until you beat the best. You always prepare hard for an opponent but when you face someone like this, you feel that extra something."

That extra something, however, seems almost like a way of life for Windsor. Its practices are laced with the shouting of one of two words. "HAVOC!" which may be followed immediately by "BOOM!" Or there might be a 30-second pause. For a guy who made a pro football living on the offensive line, Gatrell acts and speaks like a linebacker. He wants his defense to be rowdy, rowdy but within the rules.

"Look at the way the Pittsburgh Steelers play defense," Gatrell said. "They fly around all over the place. They create havoc. That's how I like my defense to play. We don't want an offense to dictate to us. We want to dictate to the offense."

In the course of his answering questions about California's leading rusher, Gatrell stopped in mid-sentence to say, "You know, we got some weapons, too." Gatrell was more than happy to answer questions about a quality opponent but, in his quiet way, he was saying enough is enough. We're 13-0. We've scored 500 points. We've only given up 113. We've done some things, OK? We're not scared to play. And you know about the havoc thing.

"Our offense is playing their best football of the season right now," Gatrell said. "And our defense has speed, tenacity, intensity and they're relentless."

And they know how to tackle. A good defense tackles properly. A poor defender leaves his feet to tackle — "and you lose all your power when you do that," Amick said. A poor defender ducks his head — "and then you can't see where you are going," Amick said. Thompson will embarrass Windsor if the Jaguars tackle like that. Windsor will walk on nails to remind themselves that good tackling is fundamentals, however boring that may sound.

"Our goal is to keep him under 100 yards with no touchdowns," Roman said of the Concord player who averages 246 yards a game, who averages 9 yards a carry, who has scored 34 touchdowns. That has happened once this season. Against Amador Valley, Thompson rushed 26 times for 93 yards and no touchdowns.

So it can be done. Will it? That's why this game should attract more than Windsor and Concord fans. Everyone knows Concord will run Thompson; it has just 388 yards rushing without him. Everyone knows Windsor likes to play defense; it has 18 interceptions, 53 sacks and eight games allowing a touchdown or less in each. Everyone knows something will give.

So if you like irresistible objects meeting immoveable ones, bring a thermos of hot chocolate, some popcorn and pay a couple bucks Friday night. It'll be like going to the movies except better. This entertainment is unscripted.

For more North Bay sports go to padecky.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Bob Padecky at 521-5223 or bob.padecky@pressdemocrat.com.