Maybe it was rust from the long layoff. Or maybe it was going up against the first seed in the North Coast Section (NCS) Div. III playoffs. Either way the Encinal High football team was out matched in its 56-21 NCS quarterfinal game defeat to Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa Saturday, Nov. 24.

The Jets entered the road contest as the underdog and it showed. From the outset the eighth-seeded Jets were unable to keep up with the high scoring capabilities of the Cardinals.

Newman scored on each of its first five drives of the game, taking a 35-0 lead by the half. Cardinal quarterback Jackson Pavitt started the scoring off with a 16-yard touchdown pass to running back Shane Moran. The sophomore running back rushed in for a score from four yards out on the Cardinals’ next possession. Cardinal Newman’s third and final score of the opening quarter came on a 31-yard pass from Pavitt to senior wide receiver Chauncey Leberthon with less than a minute left in the quarter.

The second quarter saw more of the same with Pavitt, a junior, starting the quarter with a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Jake Woods. Pavitt scored the Cardinals’ fifth touchdown of the first half on the ground with a one-yard touchdown run.

While the Cardinals scored with ease in the first half, the Jets could not muster any life on offense. The Jets had just two first downs in the first half. They were forced to punt on five possessions and turned the ball over on downs on the sixth.

The Jets finally got on the scoreboard in the second half. After trailing 42-0, Jets quarterback David Romero-rienholz hit tight end Jalen Hercules for a 29-yard touchdown pass. The Jets scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. One on an interception return by Hercules. The other was a 55-yard run by senior running back Landis Green.

The loss ended the season for the Jets. They finished with an 8-4 overall record. The loss marks the second year in a row the Cardinals bounced the Jets out of the playoffs. Last year they lost 49-32 to the Cardinals in the NCS Div. III quarterfinals.

The game was delayed due to the poor air quality caused by the Camp Fire in Butte County. The game was originally scheduled for Nov. 10.