Prep football: Windsor repeats at SRJC 7-on-7 tournament; Piner, Healdsburg turn heads

Season openers are still over a month away, but local prep teams are starting to ramp up their preparation. |

Season openers are still over a month away, but local teams are starting to ramp up their preparation ahead of what should be an exciting 2024 prep football season.

Eleven teams took to fields at Santa Rosa Junior College and Santa Rosa High School on Saturday for a 7-on-7 tournament hosted by the SRJC football program.

Windsor won the tournament championship for the second straight season, beating Piner 20-13 in an exciting title game to finish the day 7-0. Piner finished 6-1 overall.

Here’s a closer look at some of the highlights from the tournament.

Windsor repeats

The Jaguars, coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes in the North Coast Section playoffs, will be a very young squad this year after graduating the vast majority of their offensive skill players along with several key figures on defense. Head coach DJ Sexton said they’ll likely be starting a handful of underclassmen this fall.

But despite their youth, the Jaguars showed up to play on Saturday.

The group will be led by senior three-star athlete Hayden Anderson, who recently committed to UNLV and will be entering his fourth season as a varsity starter. Anderson and rising sophomore quarterback Carter Vose connected for touchdowns repeatedly throughout the day, including on the game-winner in the championship game.

Anderson then also sealed the win with a pass breakup on Piner’s final attempt to tie or win.

“It’s a young football team and we do have some veterans in some key areas, but proud of the way we came out and competed at a high level,” Sexton said. “Saw some pretty good competition with Rancho and Campo, and that was a heck of a game against that Piner team, they got a lot of good athletes.”

A few other young players who stood out were junior Fernando Lopez, rising sophomores Jeremiah Harrison and Blayke Ferronato and incoming freshman Riley Nowlin.

“For a young team, it’s good to see us compete against some older, talented teams,” Sexton added. “That was a big bright spot.”

While replacing their outgoing talent will be a tall task, Sexton is confident in the group he’ll have coming into the season. He highlighted the line as a big strength, which, when coupled with their young skill players, could have the Jaguars in position to put together another successful campaign this fall.

“As young as we are, I think these guys are going to surprise us with them being ready to play early,” Sexton said. “They’ve shown a lot already and we’re way further along than we’ve been in a long time in July.”

Sexton also revealed Saturday that he recently endured a serious health scare. He had open heart surgery two months ago after doctors discovered he had an aortic aneurysm, a potentially fatal condition where a section of the aorta, the main artery of the body, swells to the point of possibly rupturing. Doctors caught it before it had grown too large and likely saved Sexton’s life.

Sexton said he’s now feeling back to 100%

Piner makes noise

The Prospectors were undoubtedly the surprise team of the tournament, going 4-0 in pool play before rallying to wins over Rancho Cotate and Casa Grande in bracket play.

Rising junior quarterback Soso Prak repeatedly stepped up in big moments for game-clinching passes and touchdowns to his star receiving tandem of Apollo Pereira and Jaden Hernandez, both returning off all-league junior seasons.

Hernandez hauled in a game-winning touchdown in their 20-19 win over Casa Grande in the semifinals and then sealed the win with a pass breakup on the Gauchos’ final play.

Pereira was Prak’s No. 1 target all afternoon and hauled in numerous touchdowns and impressive catches. He was also named the defensive MVP of the tournament.

“First and foremost, we’re just trying to hone in the little details, and that’s what I told myself because this is 7-on-7 — it’s not real football, but it does translate a little, so it’s nice to see the mental side of it come through: getting over being tired, pushing through, knowing you can go for the win,” new Piner head coach Adam Rosenstein said. “Those are the little things I was looking for, just have the group come together.”

Rosenstein, a teacher at the school and a 2005 graduate, took over the program a few months ago after interim head coach Ronnie Cummings stepped down after the 2023 season. Cummings replaced Terence Bell, who had stepped down earlier in the season to spend more time with his family.

“I know it’s been a change for them because they were with somebody for so long, but they’ve been welcoming and at the same time I hope I’m showing them the same thing,” Rosenstein said. “I’m here for them, to help them grow and give them the opportunity to just be a tighter knit group.”

Other notes

Another team that turned some heads at the tournament was Healdsburg. The Greyhounds have gone winless in four of the last five seasons and just hired their third coach in the same number of years, but they held their own Saturday. They went 3-1 during pool play and then played Casa Grande close until late in a 26-6 loss in their first game of bracket play. Senior quarterback Nova Perrill has a big arm and a few weapons at receiver.

-Like Windsor, Rancho Cotate graduated most of its offense from last season but appears to have a legit first option in senior back/receiver Gio Martinez. A fast, strong offensive player, Martinez was third on the Cougars last year in all-purpose yards (898) and touchdowns (11). He’ll very likely be the top target for rising junior quarterback Wyatt Gregory, a lefty who will be taking the reins of the offense from dual-threat star Jacob Pruitt.

While the starting quarterback role will certainly be in the hands of reigning Vine Valley Athletic League MVP Danny Mercado this fall, Casa Grande appears to have his successor waiting in the wings. Junior lefty Joey Cerda looked solid in his reps for the Gauchos. He and Mercado each threw a number of impressive touchdowns throughout the day.

While Analy was hoping for better than their 1-3 stint in pool play and a first-round exit in bracket play, junior quarterback Caden Lewis showed flashes of a strong and accurate arm. Lewis appeared in eight games last season, backing up senior quarterback Jake Lewis, and completed nearly 60% of his passes with five touchdowns and one interception. He’ll step into the starter role this fall.

A handful of these teams will be on display again at the D1 Bound 7-on-7 Tournament on July 26-27 at St. Vincent in Petaluma.

Y ou can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JustGusPD.