It usually takes some time for football players to get back up to speed following a bye week late in the season.
Monte Vista Christian senior Jordan Ramirez hardly showed any signs of rust as he finished with a game-best 111 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns in a 24-9 victory over Scotts Valley High in front of the home crowd Friday night.
With the win, the Mustangs improved to a 1-1 record in Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission North Division play. They also snapped a two-game losing streak, and put themselves in prime position for an automatic berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs.
“For us as a team, it meant more than anything,” Ramirez said. “We’ve been working towards it all week practicing, playing as one team. Tonight, we really went out and did it.”
Teammate junior Brandon Hagen added 53 yards on the ground and one TD for MVC, which ran the ball effectively throughout the evening.
“We had to find a way,” said MVC head coach Joe Sturdivant. “We’re so small up front, everybody looks like giants to us. We have to find a way to churn out first downs to get ahead of the chains so we can pass.”
Sturdivant said their pass game was a lot more effective simply because they were able to get yards on the ground.
“I just felt the energy of our line, especially,” Ramirez said. “We give it up to our O-line and our quarterback for keeping us all on the same page.”
Senior quarterback Evan Vessey tossed for 123 yards. Emilian Tenwinkel hauled in four receptions for 68 yards, while teammate James Tipton caught three passes for 39 yards.
Junior linebacker Reece Walker led the Mustangs with eight tackles, while teammate Rocco DeBernardo recorded one sack. Jannik Bley added one blocked kick on an extra point attempt by Scotts Valley, which showed signs of life early in the fourth quarter.
Senior quarterback Bryce McDonnell connected with senior wide receiver Nick Acton for a 10-yard touchdown that cut the deficit at 24-9.
The Falcon defense also did a great job of making a couple of stops when they needed to.
But MVC’s defense came up clutch with a pair of interceptions from both Gabe Figliomeni and Kai Bergthold that helped prevent any type of a comeback.
“[McDonnell] threw some beautiful passes, and we’re trying to get some double teams on it. But he put the ball on the spot,” Sturdivant said. “That’s always been the mindset: bend, don’t break. Don’t make bad decisions on defense. Keep the ball in front of you as best you can and make the other team earn it.”
Scotts Valley was already without star player senior Jake Locatelli, who didn’t suit up due to an injury. They also lost key starters Casey Gates and Ben Lukey for a majority of the second half after they left the field with leg injuries.
Apart from a depleted roster, the Falcons had trouble converting on 4th and short situations. The turnover on downs resulted in 14 points for the opposition.
“Hats off to Monta Vista, they took it to us,” said Scotts Valley head coach Louie Walters. “We were in the red zone four times, three in the first half, and we came out with the field goal. We just got to finish drives, and that’s what we’re not doing.”
Scotts Valley (4-3, 1-1) will attempt to bounce back against Watsonville High (3-4, 1-1) on Senior Night at Harbor High School on Oct. 23 at 7:30pm.
“We just got to get better this week,” Walters said. “The bye week, I felt hurt us a little bit because we just sat around. Next week is senior night, so hopefully it’ll be a big night to honor our seniors.”
MVC (5-2, 1-1) hopes to keep things rolling against San Lorenzo Valley High (2-5, 1-1) in Felton on Oct. 24 at 12:30pm.
“Proud of them, but we got to make smart decisions and play smart football, and sound football, and get rid of the extracurricular activity,” Sturdivant said. “We gotta go 1-0 each week. We’ll get back on the board for next week, another great team to play.”
At Pajaro Valley 14, Greenfield 13: Adrian Mendoza reached the end zone with just one second remaining on the clock to help lift the Grizzlies past the Bruins in PCAL Santa Lucia Division action Oct. 17.
The senior running back bull dozed his way for a 5-yard touchdown run on fourth down for the go-ahead score. With the win, Pajaro Valley improved to a 2-3 record in league play.
Greenfield suffered its first loss in league play, and dropped to 4-1 in the Santa Lucia Division standings tied with Seaside (5-3, 4-1) and Marina (5-3, 4-1).
Kicker Aaron Solorzano made both of his extra point attempts, including the game-winning kick.
Teammate Iran Garcia punched in a 1-yard touchdown run during the first half for PV (4-4, 2-3), which hosts Rancho San Juan (3-5, 2-3) in Santa Lucia Division play Oct. 31 at 12:30pm.
Greenfield (5-2, 4-1) plays at Lynbrook (2-4) of San Jose in nonleague play Friday at 7pm.
