Prep football: Turnovers costly as Marin Catholic drops opener

File the Marin Catholic High football team’s disappointing season-opening loss under the “Oh, Snap!” category.

The Wildcats gifted visiting Inderkum of Sacramento two errant snaps on punts, both of which resulted in first-half touchdowns and the powerful Tigers coasted past Marin Catholic 26-0 on a sunny Saturday in Kentfield.

The non-league game was a premier matchup between two of Northern California’s top teams from last season as the defending state 3-A champion Wildcats hosted Inderkum, which lost by a touchdown against 1-A state champ Folsom in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals last season.

But the contest never lived up to its advance billing as Marin Catholic‘s offense struggled mightily from the outset against a quick and agile Inderkum defense.

“That was choppy and ugly,” Marin Catholic coach Mazi Moayed said. “We put the ball on the ground far too much to overcome against a team as good as Inderkum.”

Marin Catholic trailed 13-0 in the first four minutes after a pair of air-mailed snaps on punt attempts resulted in turnovers. Inderkum quarterback Ricky Cole scored on a 20-yard run after the first bad snap for a 7-0 lead then the Tigers recovered the next bad snap in the end zone for a 13-0 lead.

The game was never really in doubt from then on.

Marin Catholic did not secure its initial first down until quarterback Caedon Afsharipour scrambled for 10 yards on his team’s third possession.

Afsharipour, under intense pressure all game from a fierce Inderkum pass rush, completed 5-of-18 passes for 43 yards and threw two interceptions. MC was without three starting offensive linemen by the end of the game, having lost both guards to injuries in the first half after already being without its center.

“We were able to push and run the ball some,” Moayed said. “But we were not able to pass protect well enough.”

MC’s most effective offense came from running back Kyle Conroy, who accounted for more than half of the Wildcats’ 116 total rushing yards with 73 yards on 12 carries.

Afsharipour, however, was sacked four times and under pressure in the pocket at least another half-dozen times.

“Our defensive line – they’re quick,” Inderkum coach Reggie Harris said. “My ends caused a lot of pressure and disrupted the MC quarterback from the outset.”

Despite the disappointing outing by the offense, MC’s defense played a strong game.

“MC gave us a hard time,” Harris said. “Their defensive line really gave us trouble.”

The MC defensive line sacked Inderkum quarterback Ricky Cole five times and held the Tigers to less than 200 yards of total offense.

“We played pretty well,” MC linebacker Josh Riley said. “We made some mistakes, but nothing we can’t fix. I’m not worried about the offense, either. They’re good. I think they are going to figure it out.”

Inderkum 26, Marin Catholic 0

Non-league

Inderkum  13  0  0  13  –  26

Marin Catholic  0  0  0  0  –  0

SCORING SUMMARY

I – R. Cole 20 run (Guiterrez kick)

I – Lewis recovered fumble in end zone (kick blocked)

I – Lewis fumble return (Guiterrez kick)

I – Costley 8 run (run failed)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Inderkum, R. Cole 17-52, Lewis 2-4, Costley 10-44, Jenkins 1-8. Totals: 30-108. MC, Conroy 12-73, bad snaps 2-(minus-47), Afsharipour 9-(minus-10), Geissberger 4-29, Serafin 2-18, Bachich-Dixon 4-43. Totals: 33-153.

PASSING–Inderkum, R. Cole 13-20-0 72. MC, Afsharipour 5-18-2 43, Bachich-Dixon 2-3-0 15. Totals: 7-21-2 57.

RECEIVING–Inderkum, M. Maxwell 3-20, Z. Maxwell 4-25, Chouteau 2-23, Lewis 1-(minus-1), JJ Cole 1-6, Rios 1-(minus-1), Jenkins 1-0. Totals: 13-72. MC, Rogers 1-28, Johnson 1-(minus-1), Conroy 2-17, Bachich-Dixon 2-9, Barrett 1-4. Totals: 7-57.

Records–Inderkum 2-0, Marin Catholic 0-1.