If there was one word to describe the 2015 Carmel High football it’s hungry.
After having its 46-game MTAL winning streak come to an end and a gut wrenching 52-49 CCS Division IV semifinal loss to eventual champion Terra Nova, it’s safe to say Carmel is starved.
“It definitely makes us more hungry; it was definitely a wakeup call,” said senior tight end John Stivers. “We can’t win every game so we needed a different mindset and it fuels our training.”
This year the Padres are more motivated to regain its MTAL superiority and show that they are still a serious threat when the playoffs come around.
“We have a really motivated group,” said Carmel coach Golden Anderson. “I don’t think it has anything to do with wins or losses. I think they are just motivated to put the best product we can out there.”
Carmel, which is known for its quick-striking offense, needs to find a quarterback to replace the graduated Connor Marden. Anderson hasn’t named a starter for the season opener yet but says that matching what the talented Marden did isn’t a priority.
“Everything we do is to protect the quarterback,” said Anderson. “Then take advantage of what they do. We just try to maximize their strengths and get them in the line of fire.”
This year Jonathan Hugo and Daniel Higman are battling for the starting QB spot.
Stivers, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound tight end, and junior tailback Covossay Windham will complement the new signal-caller nicely.
Stiver, who has received offers from several Ivy League schools and others throughout the West Coast, caught a team-high 64 passes for 818 yards and nine touchdowns last year while Windham rushed for 1,574 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore.
“We definitely have a lot of energy coming into the season and all through summer,” said Stivers. “I’m loving our intensity. Everyone is getting better at their jobs; it’s fun.”
As for grasping Anderson’s complex and quick-strike attack, Hugo said he’s just trying to help the team be as successful as possible.
“I’ll just do whatever I can to help the team win,” said Hugo. “I’ll do whatever coach wants me to do. I’m just excited to play. What happened last year was last year; this is a new season."
Scoring has never been an issue under Anderson, but defense is a different story.
“We’ve changed schemes and we just put a priority on defense,” said Anderson. “It wasn’t going to the level of our satisfaction. We as coaches have to do our best to put the kids in a situation to be successful. Schematically we have changed.”
Carmel hosts Menlo tonight, visits Scotts Valley the following Friday afternoon and then hosts Sacred Heart Prep two weeks after that.
“Always in the pre-season we try and challenge ourselves with three different offenses and three different defenses,” said Anderson. “That to us challenges us and that’s what we’re after. We’re not after a preseason 3-0 record; yeah it would be great, but we are trying to challenge (ourselves)."
As for MTAL play, the Padres by far return the most talent and are primed to regain the MTAL title, barring any major setbacks.
PACIFIC GROVE (10-2, 7-0)
The defending MTAL champions will see a major overhaul on offense as the Breakers graduated the MTAL Most Valuable Player Jason Leach who rushed for 1,736 yards and 22 touchdowns, including 202 yards and two touchdowns against Carmel; and quarterback Anthony Coppola who threw for nearly 900 yards and six touchdowns. The Breakers return all-MTAL defensive selections in Uche Ebo who led the defense in sacks (12.5) and tackles (90), along with linebacker James Donlon. Kacee Takasaki is the probable quarterback.
CARMEL (8-4, 6-1)
The Padres had their 46-game MTAL winning streak come to an end last year against rival Pacific Grove in the annual Shoe Game. This year the Padres will replace Connor Marden, a three-year starting quarterback. But returning to help new junior quarterback Jonathan Hugo are junior running back Covossay Windham (1,574 yards, 17 touchdowns) and senior tight end John Stivers (64 catches, 818 yards, nine touchdowns).
SOLEDAD (6-4, 5-2)
The only team in the MTAL not named Carmel or Pacific Grove to have at least a .500 record or better the past three seasons is Soledad. Senior running back Enrique Pacheco, who led the Aztecs in rushing yards and touchdowns last year, returns. Eric Martinez will take over the quarterbacking duties and will be looking for Kevin Lemus when the Aztecs aren’t running the ball. Sammy Garcia, an all-MTAL defensive lineman selection, returns to anchor the defensive line.
GONZALES (5-5, 3-4)
The Spartans won more games than the previous three years combined in 2014. Logan Gomez will likely be Gonzales’ starting QB and the senior will have some big shoes to fill in Chrystian Harrigan who managed 1,900 yards of offense, including 16 touchdowns. Gomez will be targeting Fabian Acosta who returns as the Spartans’ top receiver from last year.
Isaac Madrigal and Danny Bravo, who combined for 10 sacks last year, are both back to anchor the defensive line.
KING CITY (4-6, 3-4)
After a disappointing 2014 campaign, the Mustangs are thinking bounce-back. King City was very streaky last season, starting the year with back-to-back losses before winning three straight, then losing four straight before ending its season with a win at home against Gonzales. Quarterback Jacob Flores is back for his senior year and looking to improve from ast season when he threw for nearly 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wacey Barrington, King City’s leading rusher from last year (549 yards, four touchdowns) also returns. A.D. Ramirez is the Mustangs' top returning tackler, having recorded 45 takedowns last season.
STEVENSON (5-4, 3-4)
For the fourth straight year the Pirates will play only nine games this season opposed to the normal 10 but during this stretch Stevenson has yet to yield a losing record. Senior quarterback Read Reynolds is back to captain the ship for Stevenson will be on the road for its first four games to start the year. Reynolds combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense including 11 touchdowns. Kenny Pich who led the team in catches, yards and touchdowns will again be Reynolds’ top target and Chris Archer who will lead the defense this year.
GREENFIELD (1-9, 1-7)
Following back-to-back 1-9 seasons there’s nowhere else to go but up for the Bruins. Greenfield who is known to run the ball frequently will rely on Anthony Leon this year while Chris Carrillo will play the flex position as the Bruins will look to get the ball in his hand in a multitude of ways. Leading the way for Leon will be Fabian Jackson an all-MTAL lineman and Ernie Chad. The Bruins will face St. Francis Central Coast Catholic, Pajaro Valley and Alisal in its nonleague games so there’s a chance Greenfield can head into MTAL play with more wins than they had all of last season.
MARINA (0-10, 0-7)
The Mariners come into the 2015 campaign riding an 11-game losing streak. Last season Marina tallied only 49 points all season. Senior E.J. Jennings will be the Swiss army knife for Mariners as he’ll likely see time at the quarterback, wide receiver and linebacker positions. Junior tailback Jose Yarzaba will be the feature running back this season while Jennings will be targeting Angel Guevara and Zach Larson when Marina decides to throw the ball.
