'It was the right decision.' Raiders win appeal, star cleared to play vs. St. Mary's

Central Catholic running back Dauson Booker will play in Friday's Holy Bowl rivalry with St. Mary's.

The school appealed his one-game suspension to Valley Oak League commissioner Norm Antinetti and VOL president Frank Gonzales, principal at Manteca High, per Sac-Joaquin Section protocol, and learned of his eligibility on Wednesday.

The Raiders (1-0) travel to St. Mary's (2-0), ranked No. 10 in Cal-Hi Sports' latest state poll, the second-highest ranking among Northern California teams. The Rams trail only No. 4 De La Salle.

Booker, an impact player in all three phases, improves unranked Central Catholic's chances at the upset.

"Dauson is a big piece of what we do," said athletic director Billy Hylla, also the defensive coordinator. "Obviously, if you have that piece, it makes you a little bit better. "

Booker was suspended for one game after he was ejected from the Raiders' season-opening victory against Archbishop Riordan on Aug. 25. Booker was penalized for spearing an opponent late in the first half, interrupting what had been a career night for the versatile star.

In less than a half, Booker had amassed 190 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries. He also returned a punt 50 yards for a score as Central Catholic put in motion a 68-7 victory.

Initially, Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa wasn't going to appeal the ejection. He was going to let Booker sit out against Marin Catholic, the Raiders' Week 1 opponent. Then Mother Nature intervened, complicating matters for Central Catholic.

Extreme heat and concerns over the air quality in Marin County forced Marin Catholic officials to cancel the Saturday game with the Raiders. Suddenly, Central Catholic was without a contact and faced the prospects of going a second week without Booker in the game plan.

In swift order, the school switched its stance on the appeal.

"We didn't appeal this because Dauson is a good football player," Hylla said. "We appealed this because we thought it was right. We were supposed to play a game last week and it didn't work out. It was like we were going to punish the kid double."

Antinetti said he and Gonzales needed little convincing, especially after learning of Central Catholic's struggles to keep the game with Marin Catholic alive. The Raiders contend they did everything within their power, including offering to host the Wildcats at David Patton Field, to keep that game alive.

"Let's face it, Marin Catholic didn't want to play Central Catholic," Antinetti said. "So why should a kid have to pay a penalty for a team canceling on them when he had nothing to do with it? He sat out one week, and that was last week. It would be unfair to make him sit two weeks in a row."

If left up to the section, Booker would have had to serve his suspension this week. On Tuesday, the section ruled that Central Catholic-Marin Catholic was a no contest, and based on its interpretation of rule 503.3 in the bylaws, Booker would have missed Friday's rivalry clash.

"We ruled that last week's canceled game against Marin Catholic was not a contest," said Will DeBoard, the section's Assistant Commissioner. "It wasn't played, so therefore it wasn't a contest. By our interpretation of that rule, he would have to sit his next game, which is against St. Mary's."

Antinetti feels the appeals process produced a just result.

"The kid is a senior. What are we going to do — take two weeks out of the his season?" Antinetti said. "Common sense tells you it's not fair and not right, so that's what we ruled on. The kid paid his penalty."

Canepa agrees, and thanked the VOL's brass for doing what was best for the player.

"I'll be honest with you, no matter who it was, it was the right decision," Canepa said. "(Booker) was on the scout team all week and took the punishment that was given to him, and then we have a team that decided not to play. It's not on him. He did everything he was supposed to do. Any kid, no matter if it's our team or not, shouldn't have to miss another game. Two weeks, that's 20 percent of their season."

With Booker cleared, Canepa can now turn his full attention to St. Mary's, a team faced with its own adversity. The Rams lost their starting quarterback, sophomore Noah May, to a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. Modesto native Marcus Aponte started in his place last week, engineering a 48-34 victory over Cardinal Newman.

"We're ready to play," Canepa said. "Are we better for not playing last week? I don't know. We didn't get anyone hurt, but we didn't get to play. We're fired up. It's the Holy Bowl."

To contact reporter James Burns, email jburns@modbee.com, or follow him on Twitter @jburns1980.

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 3:07 PM with the headline "'It was the right decision.' Raiders win appeal, star cleared to play vs. St. Mary's."