There are a couple of teams in the CCS Division IV playoffs that would love to get another shot at teams that beat them in the regular season. Soquel and Monte Vista Christian of Watsonville would love another shot at MBL Pacific champs Seaside. After getting their hearts torn out last Friday night by a fourth-quarter rally, I'm sure that Menlo wants another crack at Sacred Heart Prep.
One rematch that will be featured in the first round of the D-IV playoff is the #6 seed Soquel Knights (8-2) traveling down to Pacific Grove High School Friday night (7 pm) to take on the #3 seed MTAL champion Carmel Padres (9-1). The Padres' lone blemish this year came courtesy of the Knights in week 2. Soquel went down to Carmel High School on a Saturday afternoon and thumped the Padres to the tune of 48-20. That was the first loss that Carmel had taken on its own field since Sacred Heart Cathedral bounced the Padres in the first round of the 2008 CCS playoffs.
Carmel coach Golden Anderson will be looking for a way to slow down Soquel's potent double-wing scrum style running attack led by the 6-1 215-pound senior Fabiano Hale. The Division I college recruit Hale has accumulated an impressive 1,840 yards rushing and 34 touchdowns this season.
He is accompanied by running mate Ryan Reyes. Together Hale and Reyes ran wild in the first game against the Padres, chalking up over 325 yards and six touchdowns. The Knights' offensive line, using about six-inch splits, dominated the Padres up front all game.
Since that first matchup, Carmel has gone on to basically blow out all of its opponents, averaging over 50 points a game. Sophomore QB Connor Marden leads Monterey County in passing yards with 2,127 and TD passes with 28. He has exceeded everyone's expectation in taking over the reigns from Carmel's record setting QB and super-athlete Devin Pearson who has gone on to Cal on a baseball scholarship.
Marden is joined offensively by returning all-league starting running back Holden Smith, a junior who leads Monterey County in rushing with 1,461 yards and 20 TDs and the Monterey County-leading junior wide receiver Thomas Spanos, who has racked up 750 yards receiving and 12 TDs.
This offense is high-flying and young, led by all underclassmen; as a result the offense has continued to grow and improve. The Padres run a balanced spread offense with several weapons on the outside including WRs Mason Braun, River Hain and Shane Lackey. These guys are all dangerous.
The offensive line has been improving all year for the Padres. The linemen are very young as well, and they are constantly subbing about seven kids in and out. They aren't that big, but they do fire off the ball as well as anyone in the area.
Defense is where the Knights will test the Padres all night. Carmel had no answer for the physically bigger Soquel offense in the first game. Hale was dragging Padre defenders all over the field, Reyes was carving up the Padre defense on the outside, and the Knights' O-line was imposing its will on the smaller Carmel defensive front.
The Padres have shored up some issues on defense and most teams they've played since the Soquel game have been unable to get anything going until late in the second half when the games have been in hand. However, Pacific Grove RB Kevin Tesky was able to run for over 200 yards 4 TDs against the Padre defense last weekend in the PG-Carmel rivalry game. These kind of holes in the Padres rush defense could prove lucrative to the run-heavy Knights.
Soquel has played a tougher schedule than Carmel since the two teams met in September. The Knights lost the following week to Seaside, then lost to eventual SCCAL champion Aptos later in the season. Coach Ron Myers has kept his team grounded and focused throughout the season. The Knights seem confident that they can make a playoff run and take home the CCS D-IV crown as Hale has been quoted as saying that their season won't be finished until they hoist the CCS championship trophy.
In order to do this, they will have to slow down Carmel's improved high octane offense, and grind down the Padre defense with their vaunted rushing attack. This game may be a little closer than the first match-up, but on paper the Knights seem to have the edge. Don't count out the Padres; they aren't accustomed to losing, especially at Pacific Grove High School, where they have gone 6-0 since 2009 including playoff games.
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Matt Murphy is a former assistant football coach at Seaside High School. He was part of the staff that led the Spartans to the 2009 CCS Division III title. If you would like to submit content on high school sports in your area, please contact us at info@prep2prep.com or tweet us @Prep2PrepSports.
