SANTA ROSA, Calif. – The old cliché "a star is born" pretty much tells it all with
respect to the first varsity start for Cardinal Newman quarterback Tino Retamoza.
Retamoza, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound freshman, used his right arm and some very
deceptive speed running the ball to account for five touchdowns in a stunning 56-0
Friday night whitewashing of a solid visiting Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland, and it came in
a game that went to a running clock with 4:30 left in the first half.

"I felt confident throughout the week with the coaches getting our guys ready, both
on offense and defense," responded Cardinal Neaman head coach Richard Sanchez
when asked if he could have foreseen such a lopsided win. "Our kids were clued in all
week long and I'm proud of the preparation, and when they put it all together in the
first half it feels really good.
 

At the core of things was Retamoza. He had seen action in all three previous Cardinal
Newman victories but with three quarterbacks still vying to see who would emerge, it
was the freshman that won out and it appears to be a great decision for the
Cardinals.

"I thought the game plan fit his talent set," remarked Sanchez. "He kept his poise
and did well with the ball. It worked out really well and I'm very proud of him."

Retamoza completed his first six passes and was 7-of-8 for 145 yards and three TDs,
plus he rushed the ball five times for 88 yards and two TDs, all in a first half that saw
the host Cardinals take a 49-0 lead. Retamoza did come out for the second half and
threw two incompletions before Newman head coach Richard Sanchez decided he
had done enough for his initial varsity start calling the signals.

"It's just really a blessing to be out here with an incredible line, an incredible
atmosphere," said Retamoza. "I just love my whole team, and it couldn't have been
a better opportunity for me."

"I came into this game as a freshman and I really didn't know what to expect,"
responded Retamoza when asked if he had any pre-game jitters for his first varsity
start. "But I knew I had to just go out there and do my thing."

There was more than one star for Cardinal Newman and coming in right behind
Retamoza was Jamari Gentry. The 5-foot-11, 172-pound running back had 135 yards
rushing with one TD, plus he had 69 yards receiving on two pass receptions, both for
touchdowns, once again all before halftime.

In fact, it was Gentry that ignited the rout.

Cardinal Newman (4-0) kicked off to start the game after deferring and they gave up
a first down to O'Dowd before the defense forced a punt that left the Cardinals with
the ball at their own 39-yard line.

On the very first play Retamoza handed off to Gentry and he took off around right
end, broke free and raced down the sidelines 61-yards for a touchdown and the blitz
was on.
O'Dowd got another fist down on its second series before punting and Newman had
great field position once again at its own 34.

This time, on the very first play of the drive, Retamoza showed his speed by racing
past several defenders pretty much straight up the gut for 47 yards to get the ball to
the 19 of O'Dowd. After a 9-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Carmine Guevara,
Retamoza took it himself once again straight ahead for a 10-yard TD run and it was
14-0 Newman.

An O'Dowd three-and-out gave the ball back to Newman at the Dragons 41 and a 5-
play drive was capped by a 5-run and a 4-yard TD run by 6-foot-4, 293-pound
sophomore lineman turned fullback Kahlio Vaetoe that made it 21-0 after one
quarter.

The final play of the first quarter was a 48-yard pass from Retamoza to 6-foot-1,
165-pound junior wide receiver Jonah Bertoli that set up a 1-yard TD pass on the
first play of the second quarter to 6-foot-3, 255-pound senior defensive end turned
tight end Jesse Myers. Myers, in his first game at full strength after getting dinged up
in week one against Casa Grande-Petaluma, had two sacks, both in the first half.

The fifth Newman touchdown came on a 63-yard pass from Retamoza to Gentry. The
sixth Cardinals TD came on a 10-yard from Retamoza in which he ran over would be
tacklers to find the end zone, and finally the seventh score that gave Newman a 49-0
lead at halftime was via a 6-yard TD pass from Retamoza to Gentry.

The game's final tally came with mostly reserves in the game and on the Cardinals
opening drive of the second half when junior running back Brody Estrella broke loose
for a 34-yard TD run after a 24-run helped set up the score. Estrella finished with the
one TD and 61-yards rushing on three carries.

While the offense was clicking under Retamoza and Gentry, the defense led by
Myers, 6-foot-2, 221-pound senior linebacker Logan Rodriguez, and 6-foot-2, 245-
pound defensive end Jimmy McKenzie, was manhandling the O'Dowd offense.

O'Dowd's quarterback Devin Wilson and star wide receiver Deji Ajose were totally
taken out of the game by the Cardinals defense, and primary running back Saliou
Sow didn't fare much better. Sow had 19 carries for 67 yards, but 52 yards of his
total came on seven carries of the game's final drive and against Newman subs. That
drive ended when Cardinals senior defensive back Joe Khoury intercepted O'Dowd
reserve quarterback Dale Smith and returned it 25-yards before the offense took a
knee to end the game.

Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior, was only 4-of-11 passing for 10 yards. He was
sacked three times and finished with minus-10 yards rushing, meaning the Neman
defense held him to a zero output. Ajose, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound Washington-
committed senior, caught two of the completed passes from Wilson but for minus-5
yards.

With the win over a Bishop O'Dowd team that was fairly high up in some local media
rankings after a win on the road at Monte Vista-Danville two weeks ago that
preceded a solid outing in a loss against to Oakland rival McClymonds, Cardinal
Newman has stamped itself as a favorite to capture the new Redwood Empire
Conference Football Adobe League.

For Bishop O'Dowd (2-2) it doesn't get easier, and in fact it is going to be even
tougher next week when the Dragons travel to Folsom to meet the Cal-Hi Sports No.
11 ranked Bulldogs.

Cardinal Newman has one more non-league game with visiting Pleasant Valley-Chico
next Friday night before beginning Adobe League action in three weeks after a bye
with host and archrival Windsor.