It wasn’t the prettiest way to win yet somehow, some way Monte Vista Christian managed to get the job done for head coach Joe Sturdivant in last week’s debut with the program.
The Mustangs held off Seaside’s late comeback for a 16-8 non league victory on Aug. 27 in a game riddled with turnovers and numerous penalties for both sidelines.
“I thought the kids battled extremely well,” Sturdivant said. “I thought [Seaside] was really good. A big and physical team that matched up well with us. It made us look small up front but I thought that there’s a lot of good teaching points, huge mistakes and just doing the little things right.”
Perhaps it was season-opening nerves, but it was apparent that MVC struggled to move the ball down field.
Sturdivant opted not to scrimmage in last week’s jamboree at Alisal High, which weighed on the first-year head coach because of how difficult it is to simulate live action.
Thus was the case for MVC junior Zach Moran, who had one touchdown reception in his debut with the team.
“Playing varsity for the first time, that’s a whole different game compared to JV,” Moran said. “I was really impressed with their speed and their size, just the physicality, because we’ve only practiced against JV. So seeing that for the first time, it felt good to hit again.”
MVC’s rocky start began in the first quarter when Seaside senior Dominic Bonilla blocked a punt that resulted in a safety, giving the Spartans an early 2-0 lead.
The Mustangs also turned the ball over on downs twice despite catching a break themselves when junior Blaise Borjon recovered a fumble late in the first quarter.
They finally got things rolling in the second stanza as junior running back Reece Walker punched in a 6-yard touchdown run that put the Mustangs ahead at 7-2.
Massimo Melo, a junior, extended the margin with a 27-yard field goal in the third, while Moran hauled in a 7-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Evan Vessey in the fourth quarter.
Vessey completed 21 of 25 pass attempts for 210 yards and the one touchdown to
Moran, who made up for it to his teammate after he dropped the ball on a wide open pass during that same scoring drive.
Prior to the touchdown reception, Moran widened up to fake the downblock and then sprinted across the end zone toward the back pylon to get open for the catch.
“I see the other front guys covered, so I’m just looking back,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m getting the ball.’ I just made sure if I gotta put my whole body on this ball I’m gonna catch it this time.”
MVC’s defense played lights-out throughout the contest, especially on the final drive of the game. Rocco DeBernardo, a junior, recorded one of his two sacks that resulted in a loss of 10 yards, while Walker followed up with his first sack of the night that included a team-leading 10 tackles.
Jordan Ramirez, a senior, sealed the deal with an interception off a tipped pass attempt. He also had a productive day on offense with 58 yards rushing on eight carries and eight receptions for 75 yards.
“We’re on it with the defense,” DeBernardo said. “We are locked on defense. No one’s scoring points on us anymore. That was a mistake.”
DeBernardo was referring to a 2-yard touchdown run by Seaside senior Josiah Escort late in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit in half at 16-8.
Sturdivant said the biggest concern was not knowing how mentally tough the players would be going into their meeting with the Spartans. But there was no doubt they showed up for their coach when it mattered most Thursday night.
“You might be bigger than us, but we’re gonna get down and dirty,” Sturdivant said. “We made a bunch of mistakes, but we can also have that aspect to us. And that’s what I’m most proud of, is just the toughness our team showed, and the defense never broke.”
Next up, MVC (1-0) hosts Modesto Christian (0-1) on Friday at 7pm. The Crusaders suffered a 20-0 defeat to Minarets in non league play Friday night.
The King’s Academy 44, at Aptos 29: Anthony Najera finished with 176 yards rushing on 19 carries in the Mariners’ loss to the Knights in non league action Aug. 28.
Aptos (0-1) plays at Soquel (0-1) on Friday at 7:30pm. Soquel suffered a 24-0 loss to Los Gatos in non league play on Friday night.
Santa Cruz 23, at Watsonville 7: Senior quarterback Edwin Cornejo tossed for 145 yards with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions in the Wildcatz’s loss to the Cardinals in non league play Aug. 28.
Cornejo put Watsonville ahead 7-0 when he connected with Jayden Ayala on a 14-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
Santa Cruz then poured in 23 unanswered points, starting with a 13-yard touchdown run by AJ DaCosta and an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryder Perll to Brady Meyer, also in the opening stanza.
Perll added a 7-yard touchdown run, while Elijah Landig knocked in a 27-yard field goal to cap off the scoring.
Next up, Watsonville (0-1) plays at Alisal (0-1) on Thursday at 7:30pm. The Trojans fell to Alvarez, 13-2, in non league play Aug. 28.
Santa Cruz (1-0) hosts Scotts Valley (1-0) on Friday at 7:30pm. The Falcons are coming off a 21-7 win over Gonzales in non league play Aug. 28.
At Pajaro Valley 24, Gunn 7: Landin Manzi, Adrian Valadez and Noel Rincon each scored TDs in the Grizzlies’ non league win over the Titans on Saturday afternoon.
Adrian Mendoza added a field goal, while Valadez and Lucas Ortiz each recorded one interception to help get the first victory for head coach Ray Myers in his debut with the program.
Next up, PV (1-0) plays at Evergreen Valley (0-1) in non league play on Friday at 7pm. The Cougars fell to Del Mar, 24-13, in the teams’ season-opener on Aug. 28
At Mission College Prep 24, St. Francis 13: Nicholas Fantl hauled in one touchdown reception and tossed for another in the Sharks’ loss to the Royals on Aug. 29.
Keon Barcinas-Hill had one touchdown reception, while Jacob Fonseca tossed one TD and three interceptions. On defense, Angel Serrano forced one fumble and teammate Tahj Ibrahim recovered one fumble.
Next up, St. Francis (0-1) hosts Greenfield (0-1) in non league play on Saturday at 12:30pm. The Bruins suffered a 26-0 loss to King City in the teams’ season-opener Aug. 27.
Editor’s note: Some of the statistics used in this story are from the Monterey Bay Preps website.
