APTOS — The Aptos High football team had the league champs on the ropes but it didn’t have quite enough firepower to deliver the final blow.
The Mariners dropped their season finale, 42-28, against Salinas High on Friday night in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan division action.
Aptos finished the season with a 5-5 overall record and went 4-3 in PCAL Gabilan play. The Cowboys (9-1, 7-0) finished the season undefeated in league play.
The Mariners built a seven-point lead in the third quarter and they had a couple of chances in the red zone to possibly close out the game.
But Salinas quarterback Carl Richardson, along with the help of the defense, shut down any possibility of a comeback victory. He completed 20-of-31 passes for game-high 324 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Richardson also had a team-high 48 rushing yards on 16 carries and an 8-yard touchdown reception that tied the game at 28-all in the third quarter.
It seemed like there was nothing Richardson couldn’t do on the field, leading the Cowboys to their third-straight league title—including one they won in 2017 in the now defunct Monterey Bay League Gabilan division.
“I’m definitely fired up,” Richardson said. “Going unbeaten in league and getting a three-peat, which is the first time in Salinas High history, you can’t really put words to how much that means for us as a team.”
Aptos junior Fisher Johnson had 29 yards rushing on 11 carries and came in during the second quarter to play at quarterback, completing 5-of-10 pass attempts for 93 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Johnson replaced sophomore Nick Forbes, who was dealing with a minor ankle injury. Johnson rallied the troops and the Mariners gained some momentum in the second and third quarters.
Still, the Cowboys and Richardson showed the people in the stands why they were the top team in the league, once again.
“We fought really hard and we’re definitely not down on ourselves,” Johnson said. “Overall we’re a good team and someone that needs to be worried about in CCS.”
Aptos battled back from a 21-point deficit to begin the game and coach Randy Blankenship said they showed a lot of heart. But the injuries started to pile up and Salinas’ deep roster helped it out in the end.
“We had them on their heels and we couldn’t deliver the knockout punch,” Blankenship said.
Johnson did a good job of replacing Forbes and said he was ready to go in, especially being in the same offense for three years.
“I was ready and I just capitalized on the opportunity and it worked out,” he said. “Unfortunately we didn’t win but we’ll be back.”
All eyes were set on Richardson, who was playing in front of NCAA Division I scouts from schools like Colorado, Utah and UCLA that were in the stands.
“I kind of block that out and play some high school football with my teammates,” Richardson said. “There’s nothing better than playing friday night lights with some Salinas High Cowboys. It was a ton of fun and I’m just excited to get this win tonight.”
Fresno State recently put an offer on the table for Richardson. He’s also received offers from Boise State, Washington State, Colorado State and Nevada.
According to stats provided on the MaxPreps website, Richardson has 2,956 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games played. He also has 507 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 66 attempts.
Richardson connected on a pair of touchdown passes with both junior Austin Villanueva and senior Cade Smith. He also found senior J.J. Chin on a deep 30-yard strike in end zone, making the catch in the thick fog.
“(Richardson) is the best quarterback in the area and probably the best at Salinas, ever,” said Salinas coach Steven Zenk. “He brings that humbleness to the table every day and he’s a great leader.”
Chin had 42 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Villanueva had a game-high 144 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions, while Smith had 104 yards and two touchdowns on game-high seven receptions.
The Cowboys finished with 332 receiving yards on 21 receptions. But the college prospect did have some trouble in the second quarter, throwing two interceptions that turned into 14 points for the Mariners.
Johnson had one of those and said the coaching staff had them in the right coverage.
“I was squatting and one of the defensive linemen tipped it,” Johnson said. “It didn’t come out of his hand cleanely and it came right to me.”
Aptos senior Josh Powell had 120 yards rushing and a touchdown on 18 carries, while senior Dre Gomez had 21 yards rushing and a touchdown on six carries.
Johnson connected with senior Rafael Sammet for a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Sammet had 46 yards receiving and a touchdown on four receptions.
Junior Alex Rosas bulldozed his way into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown that gave Aptos its first lead of the game at 28-21.
Rosas had 50 yards rushing and a touchdown on 10 carries. The Mariners finished with 296 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 65 carries.
Blankenship said they decided to blitz more in the second quarter and felt like Salinas didn’t have an answer. But the players on Aptos’ defense also had to play on offense, which wore them down as the game progressed.
“So now the pressure on (Richardson) was not as good,” Blankenship said. “Plus, they went to the quick passing game.”
Zenk said they fell asleep a bit in the second quarter but they also went up against a well-coached team.
“They wanted it more than we did in that second quarter and it was obvious,” Zenk said. “A lot of great guys on that coaching staff and they do a great job.”
As soon as Johnson went in for Aptos they started running option plays out of the wing-T formation, which Zenk said is something he hadn’t seen all year from them.
“They started to run the option and we weren’t prepared for it,” Zenk said. “You run down option and belly option, it’s lethal… They’ve been throwing the ball all year and went to the other stuff tonight.”
Zenk made some adjustments at the half and they went with a 4-man front instead of three, which he said worked as planned. The Cowboys outscored the Mariners 21-7 in the second half to hold on for the win.
The season is far from over for both teams. The Mariners earned the No. 4 seed in the Central Coast Section D-III playoff bracket and will host No. 5 San Benito High (5-5, 4-3) on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Cowboys earned the No. 2 seed in the CCS D-II playoffs and will host No. 7 Oak Grove (8-2) on the same day and time.
The Mariners lost, 22-14, against Haybalers on Sept. 27 in the teams’ PCAL Gabilan division opener. They’ll try to get some redemption on Friday with kickoff slated at 7 p.m.
