Let the truth be told it is the Carmel High football team and everyone else in the Mission Trail Athletic League heading into the 2014 season.
The Padres are riding a 40-game MTAL winning streak and the streak will likely increase to 47 barring something catastrophic happening.
Yes, last year Soledad and Pacific Grove played the Breakers tough before ultimately falling, but that was following a five-game stretch where Carmel barely had any competition.
The Padres outscored their opponents by a combined 259-71 going into that game and the numbers could’ve been much higher if most of the starters were not pulled after just a single half of play.
Then there was the playoff game against its bitter rival that will forever go down in infamy for Carmel.
In what went down as the highest scoring game in Monterey County history and happened to be a Central Coast Section Division IV semifinal playoff game to boot it was Pacific Grove 77, Carmel 53.
That loss is all the motivation Carmel needs as the Padres are looking to capture their eighth straight MTAL title.
“We were pretty embarrassed by that loss,” said Carmel coach Golden Anderson who is in his sixth year at the helm of the Padres. “We could’ve lost 3-0 or 6-3 and it would’ve felt the same. We weren’t proud of our performance.”
This year Anderson said his team has had about a 95 to almost 100 percent attendance over summer practice.
Returning this year for the Padres is reigning two-time MTAL Back of the Year Connor Marden who returns for his senior campaign.
During his time at quarterback for Carmel, Marden has accumulated 6,541 yards of total offense and 77 touchdowns.
“He’s doing well -- he’s bigger stronger and taller this year,” Anderson said of his star quarterback. “He has more maturity and he’s a better leader. He’s matured a lot since he was a sophomore.”
The Padres will lose the services of Holden Smith who rushed for 4,615 yards and 75 touchdowns in his three years at Carmel to graduation but that just gives dual-threat Marden to show why he was named Prep2Prep Sophomore and Junior of the Year.
“He’s a different player -- he’s understanding of everything now,” said Anderson. “He’s adapted to know what everyone else is doing. He's got complete command of the offense.”
Marden will have his No.1 receiver back in William Kehoe who caught 54 balls for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
The Padres, following a tough non-league schedule, have it all lined up to repeat as MTAL champions, make a run at a Central Coast Section Division IV title and possibly a state birth.
“It’s exciting coach gave us a good preseason schedule,” said Marden. “It’s going to be game by game because we can’t look forward to anything else or you get distracted."
The Padres will wrap up their season with three home games when they host Soledad, King City and Pacific Grove in the final three games of the regular season.
“In the last five seasons (the MTAL) has had a team in the CCS finals (four times),” Anderson said. “Our league doesn’t get enough respect because the majority of the league is smaller schools. We know Pacific Grove, Soledad and King City will be formidable.”
Here's a rundown on the teams:
Carmel (11-1, 7-0): Riding a 40-game league-winning streak — the longest since Palma’s run of 59-straight from 1989-1997 — that doesn’t look to end anytime soon. Marden returns for his senior campaign and will look to add to his video-game like numbers of 6,541 yards of total offense and 77 touchdowns. The Padres quick-strike offense, one similar to the Oregon Ducks in college football, put up at least 40 points in every league game last season.
Pacific Grove (11-2, 6-1): Pacific Grove has incredibly seen its win totals increase every year in coach Chris Morgan’s six seasons. That remarkable trend will likely end this year as the Breakers are coming off an 11-win season including a birth in the Central Coast Section Division IV Championship game — a 56-21 loss to state finalist Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton.
The Breakers won’t have the services of its two offensive weapons in quarterback Luke Lowell and MTAL Offensive Player of the Year Jack Speed who have graduated. Pacific Grove didn't lose everything on offense as it still has leading rusher Jason Leach who rushed for 1,642 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
King City (6-4, 5-2): A team that returns 16 players including the bulk being starters gives reason for optimism for a program that last made the playoffs eight years ago. In a year in which the second guaranteed playoff spot in the MTAL is up for grabs, the Mustangs will be in the mix with the amount of returning talent they have. Quarterback Chase Barbree, who threw for more than 1,239 yards and 12 touchdowns;leading rusher Wacey Barrington, who ran for 675 yards and nine touchdowns; and 6-foot-3 wide receiver Dominic Rose, who had 29 catches for 412 yards and six touchdowns are all back. If the Mustangs can survive league road contests at Soledad and Pacific Grove, the playoffs could be a reality.
Soledad (5-5, 3-4): After making the playoffs in both 2011 and 2012, Soledad took a step back last year. This year Fernando Longoria returns for his third year as quarterback of the Aztecs. If Soledad hopes to return to the playoffs it will have to survive a tough non-league slate that includes three teams that are all viable candidates to make the playoffs.
The Aztecs will not face a non-league opponent at home this year. They will visit Alvarez — a team coming off its best season in school history — Monte Vista Christian in Watsonville and finally visit Alisal before beginning MTAL play.
Stevenson (6-3, 4-3): Not only do the Pirates start the season later than other teams in the Central Coast Section — Sept. 20 at home against Harbor — they will also only play a nine-game schedule.
Last year they were quite successful going 6-3 and featured a quarterback throwing for a 1,000 plus yards in Alec Negri and a running back rushing for over 1,000 yards in Miller Drew (1,160 yards and 14 touchdowns).
The Pirates do a great job of beating everyone on their schedule they are favored to beat and at least contending when being the underdog. If Stevenson can continue that trend and perhaps pull off a couple of upsets they could very well be looking at their first playoff birth since 2000.
Marina (4-6, 2-5): Marina is coming off a season that saw its first, second, third and fourth-ever victories in the schools four-year history after losing its first 27. This year the Mariners will have some work if they hope to match the success of last year as they lost their starting quarterback William Robinson and his top two receivers in Brian Hunt and Esaias Pokini to graduation.
Isaac Camacho will take over at quarterback for the Mariners and Anthony Silva, who missed almost the entire season last year due injury, will be the main running back.
This school, which started varsity football in 2010, still lacks a lot of things most other programs take for granted. They still don’t have an on-campus practice field, a workout facility or football locker room.
Greenfield (1-9, 1-6): This year the Bruins are putting themselves on fairly equal footing by facing teams of similar talent.
Greenfield will take on St. Francis CCC — one of only two independent football programs in the entire CCS — Pajaro Valley and North Monterey County in non-league.
Greenfield will have between 24-27 players on its roster to start the year. Many players will go both ways.
Gonzales (0-10, 0-7): There is reason for optimism for Gonzales as Chrystian Harrigan changed his mind and decided to play football this season. Harrigan, a senior quarterback who transferred last year from Palma, ran for 930 yards on only 89 carries and threw for nearly 800 yards after missing the first three games of the season after transferring. With Harrigan leading the offense and a non-league schedule of NMC, St. Francis CCC and Pajaro Valley, the Spartans hope to end their 16-game losing streak — which dates back to 2012 — before beginning MTAL play against league favorite Carmel on Oct. 3.
