Going into last week’s league-opener, the focal point for Watsonville junior lineman Luis Marquez was to contain Monte Vista Christian’s passing attack.
It was the same attack that saw Mustangs quarterback Dominic Pierini set Santa Cruz County records against the Wildcatz in last season’s meeting.
On Saturday night, Marquez and the rest of the defense got the job done en route to a 36-15 victory in Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division–North action Sept. 21.
A stifling and ferocious defense got to Pierini early and often, sacking him five times and forcing him to throw a pair of interceptions late in the game.
“There’s a lot of emotions going on, 1-0 in league. It’s great,” Marquez said. “We played all four quarters like a team. I believe that’s one thing we worked on this season, and it’s proven itself.”
The Mustangs were without offensive lineman Josh Durst, who left the game early with a foot injury. Other key players missing included two-way player Brady Cortez and standout linebacker Max Torres, who was a game-time decision scratch.
“Watsonville played a really, really good game and they had a good game plan for us. Players win games, coaches lose them, and I feel like we just got out-coached,” MVC head coach Spencer Ferrari-Wood said. “We didn’t adjust very well…on the opening snap, we just were off, out of sync. Couldn’t complete the normal stuff we normally complete.”
At first, it was the ‘Catz who looked all out of sorts. MVC’s Dima Bieliaiev recovered a fumble on Watsonville’s first possession of the game.
Yet, it took little to no time to recover for Watsonville, which took an early 6-0 lead on a drive led by all run plays and capped off with a 28-yard rushing touchdown for sophomore Alex Paniagua.
Paniagua also had a stellar game on defense with tight coverage on MVC star receiver Nico Downie for most of the evening.
“We knew a lot about [Downie], our game plan pretty much was to guard him and put pressure on the quarterback [Pierini],” Marquez said.
Marquez and his teammates got game film on MVC as early as Monday, which led to a great week in practice for Watsonville.
“We were gonna be put to the challenge, we’re gonna find out who we are this week,” Watsonville head coach Manny Contreras said. “That was the whole goal going into this. We knew No. 1 [Downie] and that quarterback [Pierini] were something special. We shut them down, and we did it.”
Watsonville’s defense line was a constant headache for Pierini, who continued to feel the heat as the defenders freely got to him throughout the evening.
“Like most teams we play, they’re bigger than we are up front, especially in the trenches,” Ferrari-Wood said. “And when you do it over four quarters, and things aren’t going really your way, it can be tough.”
Lalo Garcia knocked in a 39-yard field goal that extended Watsonville’s lead at 9-0 in the second quarter. They were looking to add more points on the scoreboard just before the break, going on a 2-minute drill behind the arm of junior quarterback Anthony Razo.
He made a pair of nice throws including a 30-yard bomb to senior receiver Patrick Miller-Brown, who blazed past his defender for the catch. Watsonville wasn’t able to punch it into the end zone, though, and settled for another field goal attempt by Garcia. However, the kick was blocked and it gave MVC the momentum going into halftime.
The Mustangs came storming out of the gate. Pierini connected with Downie on a screen pass that turned into a 62-yard dash for a TD, cutting the deficit at 9-7 just 49 seconds into the second half.
The momentum continued to sway in their favor after Miller-Brown coughed up the ball on the ensuing kickoff, setting up MVC for the potential go-ahead score.
Instead, the Wildcatz got the ball right back when senior Victor Ramirez recovered a fumble by the Mustangs’ Max Arce.
Watsonville orchestrated another long scoring drive using the big boys up front as the leading force in the rushing game. Junior Abraham Martinez capped it off with an 8-yard TD, using his shoulders to barrel his way through defenders and into the end zone for a nine-point lead at 16-7.
The Mustangs were on the verge of making it a one-score game as they lined up for a 24-yard field goal, but the snap was mishandled by Enzo Owens, who couldn’t pick up the loose ball.
That’s when Xavier Esqueda swooped in to snatch the ball and sprinted 78 yards for the scoop and score, giving the ‘Catz a bigger cushion at 23-7.
“All-around team win, I’m so thrilled. It’s not a guy that you bring up, and then he just came out of nowhere. Unsung hero,” Contreras said about Esqueda.
Pierini tossed his first interception of the night after Miller-Brown tipped a pass attempt into the air, and the ball fell into the hands of junior Miciah Davis.
Alex Arevalo made his return to the ‘Catz after missing the Belgard Kup game against Pajaro Valley on Sept. 21. He scored from 3 yards out late in the fourth, while Miller-Brown turned on the jets for an 85-yard kickoff TD return to cap off the scoring.
Gunner Sorenson added a 1-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth for MVC (2-3, 0-1), which plays at Alisal (1-3) on Oct. 4 at 7:30pm. The Trojans are coming off a bye week.
Watsonville (3-2, 1-0) hosts a red-hot St. Francis (4-1, 1-0) squad that has won four consecutive, including last week’s 48-20 win over Seaside (0-4, 0-1) in league play.
“That O-line is awesome, they are great and it’s gonna be a great week going into this game. We’re going to get some guys back. I’m excited for what we’re going to bring and it’s our Homecoming,” Contreras said.
Prep Football Week 5 Scoreboard
Friday (Sept. 27)
Hollister 35, at Aptos 14
Pajaro Valley 28, at Marina 19
Saturday (Sept. 28)
At St. Francis 48, Seaside 20
At Watsonville 36, Monte Vista Christian 15
