The Watsonville High Wildcatz have had two full weeks to flush their 49-7 preseason loss to Burlingame High, and now the North Salinas High Vikings will be at the forefront of their minds.
The two Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission division members will square off tonight at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas at 7:30 p.m.
It will be the first time the squads have met since they were members of the now-defunct Monterey Bay League Pacific division in 2015. The Vikings won that game, 35-7.
North Salinas (3-2, 0-1) is fresh off a 42-19 league loss to Alisal High in which it fell behind 28-0 early in the third quarter.
The Vikings, coached by Ben Ceralde, have been up and down through the first five games, scoring wins over Mountain View High, Alvarez High and Monterey High, while losing to North Monterey County High and aforementioned Alisal.
Senior running back Matt Morales has been the Vikings’ go-to back. He has rushed for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns heading into tonight’s game.
Watsonville (3-1), meanwhile, has tapered off over its last two games after an impressive output during its first two wins of the year. After scoring a combined 76 points against Pajaro Valley High and Santa Cruz High, the Wildcatz, coached by Ron Myers, have managed just 23 points against St. Francis High and Burlingame.
Senior running back Matthew Barcelo is second in the Monterey Bay in rushing touchdowns (8). He and the rest of the Wildcatz’s rushers will try to get on track in their PCAL-Mission debut.
Here’s a look at the other local high school football games happening this week:
• Pajaro Valley High at Gonzales High; tonight, 7:30 p.m.: The Grizzlies are no longer winless, and they’ve had two weeks to prepare for what will be a formidable opponent in undefeated Gonzales High.
The Spartans (4-0, 1-0), coached by Art Berlanga, are off to their best start since 2003, and are one week removed from thumping Soquel High in a 54-7 victory.
Senior do-it-all athlete Payton Flores leads the Monterey Bay in rushing yards (846) and touchdowns (9), while also trowing two touchdowns and catching one.
Pajaro Valley (1-3), coached by Kevin Cordova, will have to find ways to slow him down if it wishes to start its PCAL-Santa Lucia division season with a victory.
The last time the Grizzlies were on the field they walloped Lynbrook High, 41-6, behind senior quarterback Max Arevalo and junior fullback J.J. Briseno, whom both scored a pair of touchdowns.
Tonight’s meeting will be the first game between the two squads since 2014. Gonzales won that game, 42-12, to avenge a 57-28 loss from the year before. The Grizzlies own a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Spartans.
• Aptos High vs Seaside High; tonight, 7:30 p.m.: The Mariners have rushed for more than 350 yards in all four of their wins this season, and they have a very good chance to push that streak to five straight games tonight in their homecoming game against the Spartans.
Seaside (0-4, 0-1) has struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball this season. The Spartans, coached by Alfred Avila, are allowing 35 points per game this season.
The good news? They will have some reinforcements along the defensive line in the PCAL-Gabilan division game with the return of Kefu Leander, a standout 6-foot-2, 318-pound junior transfer from Marina High.
Even with Leander wreaking havoc on the defensive line, it will be tough for the Spartans to stop Aptos’ (4-0, 1-0) machine-like running game.
Senior running back Marcos Reyes has 458 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground this season. Junior fullback Josh Powell has totaled 278 yards rushing and four touchdowns. And senior quarterback Hunter Matys has not been shy about running the ball either, accumulating 245 yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries.
Aptos, coached by Randy Blankenship, has outscored its opponents 187-47 through its best start to a season since 2014.
The Mariners have also dominated the Spartans in recent meetings. Dating back to 2013, Aptos has beaten Seaside three consecutive times.
A win would give Aptos its best start to a season since 2003.
• North Monterey County High vs Pacific Grove High; tonight, 7:30 p.m.: Both the Condors and the Breakers will try to shrug off disappointing PCAL-Cypress division starts tonight in Castroville.
N.M.C. (2-3, 0-1) last week was stifled by a resurgent Monterey team in a 30-6 loss at home. The Condors rushed for just 62 yards, and gave up 226 rushing yards to the Toreadores.
Pacific Grove (2-2, 0-1) had a similar performance against San Lorenzo Valley High in a 26-7 loss. The Breakers managed only 97 yards of total offense while giving up 227 yards on the ground.
The Condors, coached by Sean Gomes, were hoping to challenge for the league title this fall. A championship is still not out of the question for them or the Breakers, who are coached by Chris Morgan.
It will be the first meeting between the Condors and Breakers in more than 20 years.
• Monte Vista Christian vs Carmel High; tonight, 7:30 p.m.: The Mustangs will without a doubt have their hands full tonight, as they try to slow down the explosive Padres in a PCAL-Mission division battle.
Carmel (4-0, 1-0) is averaging 50 points per game this season, and is fresh off a 51-13 dismantling of the Scotts Valley High Falcons on Sept. 22. The Padres, coached by Golden Anderson, can move the ball on the ground or through the air, and junior Dakota Mornhinweg is the straw that stirs the drink in their high-powered offense.
He has 438 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, and has also caught 12 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns.
M.V.C.’s offense, meanwhile, found a rhythm in last week’s 34-19 win over Soledad High, as it eclipsed its season point total (28) in one night. Senior wingback Daniel Brierley scored a pair of touchdowns to help head coach Jubenal Rodriguez earn his first win at M.V.C.
It will be the first meeting between the two teams since they faced off in the Central Coast Section Division IV semifinals in 2011. Carmel won that game 59-35.
• St. Francis High at King City High; tonight, 7:30 p.m.: St. Francis will make its PCAL-Cypress division debut tonight at King City.
The Sharks (3-1), coached by John Ausman, have had two weeks to prepare for the Mustangs and their speedy junior running back Alex Valdez, who last week shredded Santa Cruz for 211 yards and four touchdowns on 40 carries in a 28-6 win.
Senior quarterback Dylan Oliveros and senior receiver Luis Briseno, whom have connected 11 times for 194 yards and a touchdown, were assuredly on the Sharks’ scouting report of coach Mac Villanueva’s Mustangs.
St. Francis’ defense has been one of its strengths this season. It has allowed just 10.5 points per game through the preseason.
The Sharks have paired their stout defense with a steady running attack, which features multiple ball carriers with more than 20 touches on the year. They are averaging 290.7 yards rushing per game this season, and senior quarterback Joseph Ramirez has had an efficient year throwing the ball in tossing three touchdown passes on just seven passing attempts.
It will be the first time St. Francis has played King City since 2012. The Mustangs won that game, 20-13, and hold a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series.
