WATSONVILLE — It’s only been a few months since Jubenal Rodriguez took over the Monte Vista Christian football program, but the new head coach has already made a big impression on a majority of the Mustangs.

Junior lineman Anthony Shepherd had a laundry list of teaching moments from his short but poignant conversations with Rodriguez, who last fall led the Gilroy High football team to a 13-0 season and a Central Coast Section championship. 

From small adjustments to his footwork and stance, to big picture changes in his conditioning and leadership, Shepherd has been trying to soak everything in like a sponge.

“He’s been a really big influence on me in the short time that we’ve had him,” Shepherd said.



 

His most impressive quality?

“He knows the game,” said senior safety Scott Tinsley. “This being my 10th year of tackle football, I’ve seen good coaches, I’ve seen bad coaches, and he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had IQ-wise. [He commands] respect from his players. I’m ready to follow him into the battlefield on Friday nights.”

After a disappointing campaign in 2017, there is a palpable excitement heading into the first season of the Rodriguez era. The tempo has been upped, and the player-to-player accountability has been restored. A repeat of last year’s 4-6 record, which was the program’s first losing season since 2013, won’t be acceptable for the players.

“Since the last snap of the last game, it was just ‘next year, next year, what can we do for next year?’” said senior receiver Dan Brierley. “[We’ve] been trying to get that team mentality and just trying to work.”

Added senior linebacker Jason Bettencourt: “We’re just hungry to win. We want to go as far as we can. Obviously, CCS champs, that’s our goal.”

The program seemed like it was inching toward that accomplishment in the final years of the David Reese era. The Mustangs advanced to the CCS Division IV championship in 2014, and made the semifinals of the section’s Open Division III playoffs the following season. 

Reese stepped down after the 2016 season, leaving the program in a stable position after nine years at the helm — he had six winning seasons and five playoff appearances in that time — but the team hit a rough patch last year under Bruce Dini, who was informed he would not return as head coach mere days after the conclusion of the 2017 season.

The returning players have relished the fresh start, and have not wasted many opportunities to get better.

“Pads are clapping at practice. People are always on the ground at practice. We’re always competing and getting on each other,” Tinsley said. “I think that’s what was missing in the past and I’m super excited to have that as our main culture at practice.”

Tinsley is one of 14 returning seniors that will try to lead the Mustangs to a successful season during the inaugural year of the Pacific Coast Athletic League. M.V.C. is in the second-toughest division of the newly-formed equity league, the Mission, with Alisal High, Carmel High, North Salinas High, Scotts Valley High, Soledad High and Watsonville High.

The only team of those six to finish with a losing record last season played in the upper division of the now-defunct Monterey Bay League with powerhouses Palma High, San Benito High, Salinas High and Aptos High.

With a good mix of size up front and speed on the edges, the Mustangs believe they have a good shot at winning the league crown.

At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, Shepherd is a massive cornerstone of the M.V.C. offense at right tackle, and 6-foot-1, 250-pound junior Nolan Lukin bookends the line at left tackle. Seniors Emileo Padilla-Chavez (6-foot-2, 290 pounds), Jonathan Seimsen (6-0, 225) and Alec Ramirez (5-9, 235) will operate in the interior of the trenches.

Junior Quinn Alexander is slated to be the Mustangs’ top rusher this fall after only seeing 24 touches last year behind 1,200-yard rusher Cody Paresa, who is now playing at Chapman University in Southern California. Despite his limited amount of experience, Alexander has the overwhelming trust of his teammates to lead the team’s new run-heavy Wing-T offense because of his work during the offseason. 

“He’s the hardest worker in the weight room every single time,” Tinsley said of Alexander. “He’s adding weight, adding weight, adding weight, just trying to be our workhorse this year.”

Senior Nick Bautista (6-0, 180) is back after catching 69 passes for 1,102 yards — the second-most in the CCS — and eight touchdowns last season. Brierley (5-10, 170), who caught seven touchdowns last season, will also get plenty of passes thrown his way

Junior Nathan Renggli and senior Reese Selck have battled for the starting quarterback position following the graduation of Sean White, who last year threw for 2,390 yards and 21 touchdowns.

“We’re fast and we’re intense,” Brierley said of the new offense. “Everyday it’s full go and nonstop action. Our line has never looked better. We’re going to surprise some people.”

Because of the private school’s limited numbers, several of the team’s offensive standouts will also play on defense. Shepherd, Bettencourt and Tinsley will lead the Mustangs’ defense from the first, second and third levels, respectively.

“We do a really good job of playing as a team,” Bettencourt said. “We follow directions. We aren’t the biggest in numbers, obviously, and we’re not the biggest in size, but we play as a team and we get our jobs done.”

M.V.C. will find out its strengths and weaknesses very quickly in what is expected to be a brutally tough three-game preseason schedule. The Mustangs will start the season at home against CCS D-IV champion Christopher High (Aug. 24) before hitting the road to play section powerhouses The King’s Academy (Aug. 31) and Aptos (Sept. 7). 

They will have a bye week before traveling to Soledad High for their league opener on Sept. 21.

“We want to go undefeated,” Shepherd said. “That’s not easy, but we’re a tough team (and) we’re conditioned. We’re a little undermanned but all the guys we do have are strong at heart and strong at the game of football.”

Editor’s Note: This article will publish in the Pajaronian’s “Kickoff 2018” section on Aug. 17. The yearly section will feature previews, schedules and player spotlights for the six high school football teams in the Pajaro Valley: Pajaro Valley, Watsonville, St. Francis, Monte Vista Christian, Aptos and North Monterey County.

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TONY NUNEZ
Tony Nuñez is the Chair of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board of Directors. He can be reached at [email protected].

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