Zach Hewett made quite the debut Thursday evening in his first game as head coach of the Aptos High football head coach.
The Mariners rolled past The King’s Academy, 34-7, in the teams’ regular season-opener in front of hundreds of fans at Trevin Dilfer Memorial Field in Aptos.
“We knew that was a really talented group and that we were going to have to play very well to contain their playmakers on the outside,” Hewett said. “We did a really good job of forcing them to sustain drives and then making plays when it mattered.”
The Mariners’ defense made its presence felt early on by making a stop on fourth down in the Knights’ opening series. From there on out they were pretty much in the driver’s seat.
“We knew they were going to be a good team offensively, running those bubbles, but our priority was trying to rally on those bubbles and make hard tackles, hit them hard. I think we did do that job,” said Nate Garcia, a senior running back/linebacker.
On the ensuing play following the turnover on downs, Garcia blazed past TKA’s defense for a 21-yard score that gave Aptos a quick 7-0 lead just under four minutes into the first quarter.
The Mariners extended the lead in the second stanza when Ryan Solorio caught a beauty over his shoulder off a 20-yard arching pass from quarterback Joshua Bermio.
Gavin Boston recorded the first turnover of the game after stepping in front of a pass attempt from TKA quarterback Reid Black for the interception.
The Mariners’ special teams unit also caught a couple of big breaks, starting with a high snap that sailed over TKA kicker Joe Waters and forced him to punt the ball just 10 yards.
“Coming into halftime with a lead and getting the ball, that helped a lot. There was definitely a momentum shift here and there, but I think we had it in the bag the whole time,” Garcia said.
The Knights were on the verge of stealing the momentum when Aaron Duncan was home free to the end zone on a kickoff return. Instead, Duncan lost the ball after Damian Suchil popped it out for a forced fumble and recovery.
As a result, Aptos marched down the field to take a 21-0 lead going into halftime. The drive began with a 40-yard run from senior Casey MacConnell, then capped off with a TD run by Garcia from 20 yards out.
“Our energy was always high the whole game, we were making plays. Obviously we have a lot to improve but it’s a great first game and a great start,” MacConnell said.
MacConnell also had a big play on defense with an interception at the goal line that stalled a potential scoring drive by TKA.
“Those guys make the world go round because Damien and Casey are such tremendous athletes, they’re so smart, they play the game so hard,” Hewett said. “They let us do what we’re doing on the defense.”
The ball may have slightly bounced in the favor of the Mariners for most of the evening, yet they did leave some points on the board. The interception by Boston led to a punt, followed by a turnover on downs shortly after the botched punt.
There was also a short moment of implosion in the second half.
It started when Garcia had the ball stripped away by TKA junior Kyle Welch while Duncan scooped up the loose ball. The Knights capitalized on the turnover with a 12-yard TD run by freshman Trey Monroe, cutting the deficit to 21-7 in the third.
Aptos turned the ball over on downs with 4:55 remaining in the third, giving the Knights even more life.
“The momentum was definitely on their side, and they did have a chip on their shoulder,” Garcia said. “Our defense came back strong and we worked. And our offense came back strong and we ended up putting more points on the board.”
The Mariners’ defense caught another break when TKA sophomore Drew Martinez coughed up the ball for a fumble lost—their fourth turnover of the game.
And this time it was MacConnell’s turn to make the Knights pay as he hit the running lane and took off 51-yards for the score.
“I just ran out, saw the gap, almost tripped and fell, then cut in and just saw green grass. Make sure to hold on to the ball tight,” he said.
Fellow teammate DeSean Gomez capped off the scoring with a 43-yard run to the end zone that made it 34-7 late in the fourth quarter.
Despite the small errors, the Mariners still found a way to get in the end zone.
“I was telling the boys it’s not often where you get to say we won 34-7, and we got a lot of stuff to fix,” Hewett said. “There’s a few moments where it’s kind of like just kiss your horseshoe and be glad when the luck is on your side.”
Next up, the Mariners will host West Catholic Athletic League powerhouse Mitty High in non-league action Sept. 6 at 7pm.
