St. Vincent de Paul named The Sporting News California high school football Team of the Week for Week 6

Lance Smith

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St. Vincent de Paul named The Sporting News California high school football Team of the Week for Week 6 image

What a time to be a St. Vincent de Paul football fan.

The Mustangs have officially proven in the last four or so years that there is indeed room for another high school football powerhouse of statewide relevance in Sonoma County/the North Bay. And they're still not done rising.

Now on an 18-game winning streak overall and a 26-game winning streak against CIF-accredited competition, St. Vincent (5-0) picked up one of its best non-league wins in program history on Saturday with a 28-7 victory over Rohnert Park stalwart Rancho Cotate.

The two-time reigning section and state champion took a 14-0 lead into halftime and led 14-7 after three quarters before putting the game away with its final two touchdowns. Rancho Cotate had entered 4-0 and held its previous three opponents to single digits before running into St. Vincent de Paul.

Mason Caturegli led the way offensively by rushing for 167 yards and all four of St. Vincent's touchdowns.

The Mustangs' defense held Rancho Cotate to just five completions on 19 pass attempts, including zero touchdowns in the air and one interception, with CJ Perez registering two sacks and Omar Mughannam grabbing the pick.

For its statement win over Rancho Cotate, St. Vincent de Paul ran away with the voting as SN's Week Six California Team of the Week, receiving more than 95% of the polling.

St. Vincent is coming off a 14-1 campaign in which its only loss came in its second game against Truckee, which plays in Nevada's NIAA despite technically being in California. Truckee went on to a 12-1 season and NIAA 3A state finals appearance. The Mustangs will have gone two calendar years since their last loss against CIF competition, which came on Oct. 21, 2023 at Ukiah, if they can avoid upset in their upcoming games against Santa Rosa and Analy.

Winning streaks not included, perhaps the most impressive stat of 2025 for St. Vincent de Paul football is that three of the five teams it has defeated are otherwise unbeaten. American Canyon, Woodland Christian, and Rancho Cotate are a combined 13-0 except for their losses to the Mustangs. After moving up from Division 6 to win CIF-NCS D5 and 4-AA for state in 2024, St. Vincent could plausibly run the table again even against teams multiple divisions higher. Not the least bit shabby for a high school with under 200 students. And again, the program's rise from small-school dominance to statewide prominence might not have any end in sight.

Team of the Week voting results

Meet the Team of the Week candidates

California (San Ramon): The Grizzlies defeated Livermore 44-20 and shut the Cowboys out in the second half in a battle of 5-0 teams.

Chino Hills: After losing the first half 21-0, the Huskies returned the favor with a 21-0 second half of their own and beat Upland 27-21 in overtime to avoid upset in their Baseline League opener.

Claremont: The Wolfpack came back from a 21-7 third quarter deficit against Los Osos to win 28-24 in Sierra League play and keep the undefeated bid alive.

Clovis: The Cougars shut out Buchanan (Clovis) to win their TRAC opener and hand the Bears their first loss of the year. It was Clovis' second consecutive shutout and third of the season.

De La Salle: The Spartans used a 21-0 start to stay unbeaten and roll past Cathedral Catholic, their highest-ranked opponent of the regular season, by a score of 35-14. 

Eagle Rock: The Eagles dealt Marshall its first loss in a 41-7 rout to open Northern League play. Eagle Rock has won four straight by at least 24 points each after an 0-2 start.

George Washington Prep: The Generals routed Fremont (Los Angeles) 38-8 to start 5-0 for the first time in the MaxPreps era (2004-present) after winning just three games in 2024.

Imperial: The Tigers outdueled rival Central (El Centro) 10-7 in an Imperial Valley League battle of 6-0 teams. Neither team had scored since the first quarter when Imperial kicked the game-winning field goal in the final minutes of the contest.

Murrieta Valley: The Nighthawks came back from a two-touchdown halftime lead to beat Norco 55-45 and hand the Cougars their first loss.

Oakdale: The Mustangs won their fifth straight game and eclipsed 70 points for the second time in a 71-55 Valley Oak League win over East Union, which came in 6-0.

Palos Verdes: After getting upset 21-18 by Culver City last year, the Sea Kings got revenge with a 48-7 blowout win to open Bay League play.

Patrick Henry: The Patriots rallied from down 14-0 and 21-7 to beat previously-unbeaten Mission Bay 28-21 on the road. 

Rancho Cucamonga: The Cougars upset Damien, which entered 5-0 and ranked 16th in California, by a score of 24-22 to begin Baseline League play.

Saint Francis (Mountain View): The Lancers steamrolled Bellarmine College Prep 56-17 in WCAL play for their first win after losing their first four games against elite competition.

Santa Fe Christian: To open Coastal League play, the Eagles handed fellow unbeaten team Army-Navy 35-20 and are now 7-0.

Sonora (Sonora): The Wildcats survived Hilmar 22-21 to move to 7-0 overall and 3-0 in Trans Valley League play. After trailing 21-16 at halftime, they scored the only touchdown of the half late in the fourth quarter to win it.

South Pasadena: The Tigers upset Monrovia, which entered 5-0, 23-21 to open Rio Hondo League play with a bang.

St. Vincent de Paul: In a battle of unbeaten teams, the Mustangs cruised past Rancho Cotate 28-7 to start 5-0.

Steele Canyon: The Cougars handled El Capitan (Lakeside) 35-13 in Grossmont - Hills League play to become of California's only 7-0 teams.

Venice: The Gondoliers snapped a two-game skipped and opened Western League play in style by cruising to a 27-7 victory over previously-unbeaten University (Los Angeles).

Vintage: The Crushers stomped rival Napa 37-0 for their second straight shutout, which moved them to 5-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 spring season.

Westlake: The Warriors rolled Rio Mesa 49-20 to start 6-0 the very next year after going 0-10.

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Lance Smith

Lance has covered high school basketball, football and softball since 2019. A graduate of The USC Marshall School of Business, Smith dabbles in linear algebra and football and basketball computer rankings.