Marin Catholic Football Dominates San Marin

Marin County | California

If Marin Catholic’s play was a little uneven last week in their 21-7 victory over Novato, the Wildcats left little double this week about their league dominance with a 55-3 victory over San Marin. It was an exciting game behind the camera, and after reading out local paper this morning, I learned that this was the team’s 37th straight MCAL victory. They scored on their first six possessions, possibly a record.

Marin Catholic will be traveling to Napa next Thursday for a night game with Justin Siena. I won’t be going because at my age I’m having problems with night vision, and I don’t have a ride.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marin Catholic Football Defeats Novato

Marin County | California

Marin Catholic was a little shaky at the start of last Saturday’s game again Novato but managed to settle down for a 21-7 victory. The Wildcats have won every league (MCAL) game since they lost to Novato in 2008. It’ll be interesting to see if they can maintain their winning streak through this season.

Here are a few game photos.  Many more are at VarsityPix.com.

 

St. Ignatius Upsets Marin Catholic Football

Marin County | California

St. Ignatius staged a convincing 21-14 victory over rival Marin Catholic last Saturday, something that doesn’t often happen. Coupled with a loss to Cosumnes Oaks two weeks ago, this was the first time since 2007 that the Marin Catholic Wildcats went down back-to-back.

Our local newspaper noted that this defeat broke a streak of 32 home victories going back to 2010. From my position behind the camera, it looked like quarterback Darius Peterson (7) was the only Wildcat on the field. He threw for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and added 108 running yards. A one-man show, his milage wasn’t enough to manage a victory against his school’s San Francisco rivals. Peterson’s teammates added just 17 yards to the day’s totals.

Clearly he’s going to need more help if the Wildcats stand a chance next Friday against the Heritage Patriots of Brentwood.

Many more photos are at VarsityPix.com.

As you can see below, I was again intrigued by sideline picture opportunities.

 

Dinner with Paul

Marin County | California

As he opened his battered case inscribed with “JESUS IS A LIBERAL,” I wondered what he was going to do with a feather.

The Rev. Paul Gaffney was about to address a small group of homeless and low-income people, the kind of folks many of the more prosperous citizens of Marin County tend to shun. Every Tuesday, Paul brings the group together in the borrowed community room at the First Presbyterian Church in San Rafael, California.

I was there because Paul is about to update the Interfaith Street Chaplaincy of Marin website, and he asked me to take new photos.

According to the website, Paul was ordained into the Christian Ministry by the Northern California/Nevada Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Lafayette Christian Church on June 4, 2006. These days he spends most of his time as a street chaplain, providing emotional and spiritual support to the people you might see lingering on the streets of San Rafael, with no place to call home.

After twenty or so people gathered in a circle, Paul introduced a short poem as a way of encouraging discussion. The topic was personal fear, and how it can restrict our lives, or be used as a catalyst to personal exploration and growth.

My hearing is shot, so I didn’t get much of what was said, but I think the feather was used to help the group stay focused as it was passed around the circle, giving each participant a chance to testify about personal fear if the spirit called.

The group lasted for about thirty minutes, and then Paul got word from the kitchen that the dinner was ready. By that time many more people had arrived for the free meal, and that was fine with him. It wasn’t like the old Salvation Army where you had to listen to a temperance lecture before being fed. Everyone was welcome here.

The dinners have been a tradition for many years and used to be handled by volunteers from various Marin congregations. About two years ago many of the congregations dropped out, so Paul took over the operation with a handful of the helpers. They meet in the church kitchen at 9:30 am, and work throughout the day to prepare a meal of fresh foods for about sixty expected quests.

Everything went off without a hitch, and I left deeply impressed.

The Rev. Paul Gaffney starts preparing meals every Tuesday at 9:30 AM for homeless and low-income citizens in Marin County.

Paul works with a loyal group of kitchen helpers.

JESUS IS A LIBERAL

Some hands have a million stories to tell.

Soup for this evening and something for breakfast.