The quest for a sixth Central Coast Section title continues for Aptos following another stunning win this week in the Division III playoffs.
Senior running back Nate Garcia had a pair of touchdowns to help the No. 7 seed Mariners sail past No. 3 Palo Alto, 49-35, in Friday’s semifinals game that was played in the rain for most of the evening.
“We were preparing for this weather knowing it was going to be hard,” he said. “A little weather is not going to stop us.”
This is the first time Garcia and most of his fellow teammates have experienced the postseason after the Mariners didn’t qualify in 2023.
So far, he’s been making a name for himself. Garcia, who is also a middle linebacker, made several big tackles throughout the course of the game.
“Coming off a hard season last year, these boys, we want it,” Garcia said. “All the weeks, training and leading up to the games, we’re literally doing everything we can to come out victorious, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Next on the list is top seed Carmel (12-0), which is coming off a 40-21 victory over No. 4 Hollister.
“Tough matchup coming up, but we know damn well we have what it takes to win that game,” Garcia said.
The Mariners advanced to a section championship game for the first time since 2018. That year they won the D-III title against Sacred Heart Prep under recently retired coach Randy Blankenship.
Prior to that, Blankenship led them to three consecutive CCS championships from 2013-15, while Bill Garrison won a D-II title—the program’s first-ever section crown—in 2003.
Aptos coach Zach Hewett is attempting to add his name on that list in just his first season at the helm.
“I got a lot of emotions right now,” he said. “I’m just overwhelmed. That was a really good football team that we played, and our offense was absolutely dynamite tonight. They did a really good job of pacing things out.”
Aptos punted just once on Friday night.
“We were just scoring, and when you do that, it just puts so much pressure on the other team,” Hewett said.
The fireworks show began when Palo Alto jumped out to a 7-0 lead following a 2-yard rushing touchdown by senior Joseph Kessler.
Aptos responded with back-to-back scores, starting with a 13-yard rushing touchdown by Gavin McDonald
The second TD was set up following a fumble lost by Palo Alto. One play later, Deric Moren sprinted 56 yards into the end zone that put Aptos ahead at 14-7.
The extravaganza was far from over, though.
While still in the first quarter, Palo Alto running back Isaiah Phillips found a couple of open lanes and took the rock for a 45-yard touchdown to tie the score at 14-all.
“They have really fast backs and really strong backs,” Garcia said. “They can bounce it outside and hit outside, and they can also hit the middle. But the defense today, we were hungry. We wanted it more than them, and we came out victorious.”
For a minute, it was the Vikings who were riding a wave of momentum by re-taking the lead at 21-14 with 9:11 remaining in the first half. After beating his defender stride for stride, receiver Jake Wang made a spectacular one-handed grab for a 63-yard touchdown down the sideline.
Palo Alto was on the verge of another potential scoring drive until Aptos senior Casey MacConnell put a halt to it by recording his ninth interception of the season.
The Mariners capitalized on the turnover, yet again, with a scoring drive capped off by Garcia’s first touchdown of the evening.
Prior to the score, senior quarterback Ryan Solorio connected with receiver Moises Torres to set them up at Palo Alto’s 7-yard line. But that wouldn’t be the last we’d hear from them.
Just before the break, Solorio tossed a 9-yard pass to Torres in the back of the end zone for an amazing catch of his own which took both skill and concentration.
Torres leaped to snatch the ball in mid-air while keeping his tip toes inbounds as he landed for the touchdown reception, giving Aptos a 28-21 lead going into halftime.
“He has unbelievable hands, and he’s a really good receiver,” Hewett said. “Moises, he pulls off some catches that are pretty ridiculous. That one was, that was really something. That’s probably the number one on his list of improbable circus things that I’ve seen him do.”
It was all Aptos from there on out. McConnell returned the opening kickoff in the third quarter for a 63-yard touchdown and Garcia extended their lead to 42-28 following a 6-yard touchdown run in the third stanza.
Senior Felix Valencia added an insurance score as he bulldozed his way into the end zone from 1 yard out.
“Casey housing the opening kick off in the second half, putting us up two touchdowns, we held that constantly for the rest of the game until we got it to three touchdowns,” Hewett said. “That kid has made so many big plays over the course of the year.”
Palo Alto sophomore quarterback Justin Fung, who tossed four touchdowns on Friday, connected with Malcolm Phillips for a late score. But the damage had already been done.
Next week’s D-III championship game between Aptos and Carmel will take place at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas on Nov. 29 at 7pm.
“It’s a hell of a passing attack,” Hewtt said. “They got the one Alabama commit lineman [Jackson Lloyd], so they will be able to run the ball. We’ll see. Just keep getting lucky and just keep staying in games.”
Garcia said there’s always things they can clean up. Yet for the most part he’s feeling confident going into next week’s CCS championship against the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division–South champion Padres.
“Our offense was moving the ball very well today, [and] our defense was stopping [Palo Alto] on the run and pass,” Garcia said. “It just all depends on how much we want it, if we want that ring or not.”
Central Coast Section Football Championships schedule
Open Division champion: St. Ignatius
Division I: No. 2 St. Francis vs. No. 5 Los Gatos, at San Jose City College, Nov. 29 at 7pm
Division II: No. 1 Wilcox vs. No. 6 Menlo/No. 7 Palma, TBD
Division III: No. 1 Carmel vs. No. 7 Aptos, at Rabobank Stadium, Nov. 29 at 7pm
Division IV: No. 3 Sacred Heart Prep vs. No. 4 Burlingame, TBD
Division V: No. 3 Leland vs. No. 4 Sequoia, at MacDonald High School, Nov. 30 at 7pm
