PETALUMA

With a share of its fifth consecutive Sonoma County League championship already in hand, Casa Grande completed the regular season with a 27-14 non-league win Friday night at home against Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.

Though the Gauchos didn?t need a victory to make the 3A playoffs, another check mark in the win column is always a good thing when it comes to impressing the North Coast Section seeding committee.

Casa?s impressive 8-1-1 record, which included a tie with Montgomery, a perennial North Bay League playoff contender, and a hotly-contested 15-12 loss to Sonoma, should land the Gauchos a high seed.

?I think this should give us a two or three seed,? said Casa coachRick O?Brien. ?It?s a great way to enter the playoffs.?

Meanwhile, Sacred Heart is probably happy to finally be finished with the SCL. Last week, the Fightin? Irish gave up a 95-yard drive in the final minutes to lose to Sonoma, 21-17. Sacred Heart dropped to 5-5.

?Casa is an excellent team, well coached,? said Sacred Heart coach John Lee. ?They don?t do a lot of things on offense, but what they do, they do well.?

Casa led 14-7 at the half, but the margin could have been much greater. Fumbles by Anthony Biasi and Paul Trombetta stopped drives inside the 5-yard line. Then with 1:14 left in the half, with Casa leading 14-0, quarterback Matt O?Brien?s pass in the flat was picked off by Spencer Cameron and returned to the Gauchos? 3-yard line, where Lonbaye Yarnway bolted over to cut the lead to 14-7.

On the opening drive of the game, it looked as if the Gauchos would have an easy time, maybe even a laugher, to close out the season. Anthony Biasi, who had 139 yards rushing in the first half -- 229 yards on 30 rushes for the game -- ran off right tackle on the game?s first play for 69 yards.

Biasi finished off a 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. Biasi gained all 75 yards on the drive, on six carries.

After the Gauchos squandered two drives with the inopportune fumbles, they finally broke through for a 14-0 lead on a 31-yard keeper by O?Brien with 4:04 left in the half.

Casa dominated the statistical picture in the first half, gaining 254 yards to just 67 for the Fightin? Irish.

As they did to start the game, the Gauchos drove 59 yards on their first possession of the second half, culminated by a 1-yard run by Biasi.

The Gauchos? 21-7 lead was short-lived. Sacred Heart took just two plays to score on the ensuing kickoff. Matt Loftus ran 45 yards on a keeper, and Yarnway broke loose for a 35-yard TD run. Yarnway finished with 96 yards on 17 carries.

"They are a very good football team,? O?Brien said. ?Stopping Yarnway is the key. I thought we contained him pretty well.?

Biasi provided the back-breaking touchdown that gave Casa a 27-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. The senior back ran left, cut back against the grain and went 12 yards untouched for his third TD. Trombetta added 61 yards on 12 rushes for Casa, including a spectacular 20-yard run in the fourth quarter that produced a key first down.