Tompkins back from injury as Justin, Napa hold Thanksgiving football practices

By MARTY JAMES
Executive Sports Editor

Thanksgiving 2008 will stand out for Casey Tompkins for years and years.

Out since Sept. 27 with an injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Tompkins returned to football practice Wednesday at Justin-Siena High School.

“There’s nothing that I could be more thankful for,” Tompkins said at Thursday morning’s Thanksgiving Day practice at Dodd Stadium. “You can imagine how thankful I am.”

Braves’ coach Rich Cotruvo said Tompkins will start at defensive tackle for Justin-Siena (7-4), the No. 4 seed which has a three-game winning streak, in Saturday’s CIF North Coast Section Division IV semifinal playoff game at No. 1 Ferndale (11-0). It’s a 1 p.m. start at Ferndale High, a small town in Humboldt County.

Tompkins’ return is very important, as Justin-Siena is bracing for a Ferndale offense that is balanced and high scoring. The Wildcats average 262.2 yards rushing, 103.4 yards passing and 43.9 points per game.

“I’m happy for Casey,” said Cotruvo. “He’s put a lot of work in. It’s one of those unfortunate things that happen in life. But he’s battled back.

“He makes a big difference to our whole team, not just with his presence on the field, but in the huddle and off the field as well. It makes a huge difference, just for the team psychologically to have him out there, as well as physically. He’s a big, strong kid.”

Napa (10-1) also practiced Thursday. The Indians are preparing for tonight’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinal playoff game at 7:30 p.m. against visiting Laguna Creek-Elk Grove (8-3) at Memorial Stadium.

Yesterday was Napa’s sixth straight Thanksgiving Day practice. Coach Troy Mott made it an open practice at the stadium, allowing family, alumni and fans to see his team, a top seed that has won nine in a row.

“It’s about family and trying to make sure that we understand that we’re really, really thankful to be practicing on a day like today,” said Mott.

“We wanted to make sure that we opened it up to the family, so that they can come on a day like today and watch their kids practice. A lot of our (alumni) come back and we want to open it up for guys that have played football here before to come out.”

A number of alumni — including Jason Lehman, a wide receiver at Occidental College in Southern California — were also at Justin-Siena, looking on as the Braves practiced. A team brunch was planned for after the practice.

“It’s a celebration in a way, with a lot of the alumni coming back and checking things out,” said Cotruvo. “It’s good to see them. It’s good for our kids to see the legacy that they’re following. What we try to build here is tradition.

“There’s not too many teams in California, let alone in the country, still playing football. We consider ourselves very fortunate and thankful that we can do this.”

The Braves opened the playoffs beating St. Patrick/St. Vincent-Vallejo, 34-19. Cotruvo said he is pleased with the team’s effort, but added that there’s a job to do and the players have to be focused.

“The guys have been working hard,” he said.

Tompkins, who is wearing a knee brace, got a medical clearance to play earlier in the week. Tompkins, who has missed seven games, has had extensive therapy on the knee.

“I’m just going to go out there and try my best, whatever the coaches need me to do,” he said.

Up until the injury, he had been dominating at the line of scrimmage.

He is also a standout wrestler, advancing to the CIF State Meet last year. Tompkins, the CIF North Coast Section champion, was the first wrestler in school history to qualify for state. He is also a shot-put and discus thrower in track and field.

The field at Memorial Stadium had already been lined, with the end zone sporting “NI” in large blue and gold colors, by the time Napa took the field for a light practice. It’s a field that the Indians like a whole lot.

“Last week our stadium was loud and crazy,” said Mott. “The stadium is so tight-knit that our kids really feel that energy from the stands and play with a lot of enthusiasm here. Our band is phenomenal.

“We have a really good thing going right now with the atmosphere that we can create here at the stadium, and our kids feed off of that.”

Today is a non-school day, but Mott wants to stay as close as he can to a routine, so the Indians will have a morning walk-through on their campus field and will also watch film.

“Routine is important to me,” he said.

Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2009