Top-seeded St. Vincent began its quest for a third straight state title with a gutty 42-28 win over visiting eight seed Analy on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs.

The Mustangs (10-1) never trailed but needed a 32-yard touchdown connection from junior quarterback Willie Pedersen to Barrett Chaput with under a minute left to seal the win. Pedersen passed for 243 yards on 12-of-19 attempts with three scores while filling in for starter Gabe Casanovas, who missed the game recovering from a concussion.

St. Vincent was also without star running back Mason Caturegli for the third straight game, recovering from a leg injury he suffered against Ukiah on Oct. 24.

Senior George Chaput had a breakout game in Caturegli’s stead, scoring four touchdowns and leading the Mustangs in rushing (75 yards on 14 carries) and receiving (three catches, 67 yards).

It was a far cry from the last meeting between these two teams, a 49-0 win for St. Vincent in REC-Bay play a month ago.

Analy (6-5) got a big outing from senior running back Brantz Jacobs (23 carries for 148 yards, three touchdowns) and senior wide receiver Logan Willis (five receptions, 136 yards, touchdown) to give the Mustangs a battle.

The Tigers never led but were within a score at halftime, 28-21, and heading into the fourth quarter, 35-28. They had a chance to tie or take the lead after a St. Vincent fumble midway through the fourth, but Frankie Monachello got the ball back on a fourth-down interception with just over seven minutes to play.

The Mustangs then drained the clock but faced a key fourth and 14 with just under a minute left when Pedersen hit Barrett Chaput for the game-sealing score.

“Analy did a good job; they had a good game plan,” St. Vincent head coach Trent Herzog said. “They saw five men in the box and ran the ball successfully. They had some big plays in the pass game, but at halftime we cleaned it up. We knew giving them the front we gave them that they’d be able to run the ball a little bit — a bit too much for my liking — but I told the kids that at the end of the day, we won and we move on. We just got to clean everything up.”

St. Vincent has another league rematch in the semifinals against No. 5 seed Maria Carrillo (8-3), which defeated No. 4 seed Las Lomas 35-31 in the first round Friday night. The Mustangs beat the Pumas 39-14 in their league meeting last week to close out the regular season.