OAKLAND — As memorable as last year’s magical run at perfection was for Adrian Gallegos, the Monterey Peninsula College first year head football coach can’t get 2018 out of his mind.
“I always think about that year,” Gallegos said. “I was the linebackers coach here for coach Rasmussen. We started the year 4-0 and finished 5-5. I reminded the kids about that tonight.”
That’s because the Lobos are 4-0 for the second straight year, putting together arguably their best game of the season in a 41-14 rout of Laney College in Oakland.
“We have to wash our hands and move on,” Gallegos said. “You have to keep your foot on the gas. We can’t get complacent. Each week is an opportunity to improve ourselves.”
Ranked No. 11 in the state coming into the non-conference game, the Lobos, who visit Redwoods next weekend, extended their state-leading winning streak to 15 games. Just eight teams in the National Division remain undefeated.
“Our kids wanted to play four quarters of football,” Gallegos said. “We hadn’t done that to date. We have started well, finished well. But we have had these lows in the middle.”
Gallegos was referring to MPC’s last two games, in which it squandered a 19-point lead at Shasta, needing late dramatics to pull it out two weeks ago, and nearly letting a 17-point cushion slip away last week against Santa Rosa.
When the Lobos opened up a 27-point lead in the third quarter on the strength of Simon Manuel Lopez’s 238 passing yards and four touchdowns, Gallegos didn’t change his game plan.
“I think the difference tonight is I was very aggressive,” Gallegos said. “I didn’t want to be conservative today. I was frustrated with how our play calling had been.”
The architect behind last year’s Lobos offense as the offensive coordinator, which averaged over 45 points a game, Gallegos aired it out, with his quarterbacks completing 22 passes.
“I’ve never called that many passes,” Gallegos said. “We took a lot of one-on-one balls. If people want to challenge our receivers, I will take that gamble. I think we have the best receiving core in the state.”
Even after a pick-six had the Lobos staring at a 7-3 deficit, Gallegos was rewarded for his confidence in his quarterback as Lopez went right back to the air, hitting a receiver for 40 yards.
It snowballed from there as the Lopez connected with Karendus Poe on a pair of touchdown passes, while Marina graduate Julius Robinson and Ashton Murphy each caught one. Robinson finished with eight catches for 164 yards.
A four-point deficit became a 27-point lead in the third quarter as the Lobos ran off 31 unanswered points to drop Laney to 1-3 on the season.
“No one is talking about our defense,” Gallegos said. “We held them to like 180 yards. We forced four turnovers. That’s a team that has fallen to a couple of state-ranked teams.”
Gallego was referring to Laney suffering an eight-point loss to the states No. 3 ranked team in Butte, while beating Shasta 41-13 last week.
The Lobos, who have beaten two state-ranked teams in their 4-0 start, have held three opponents under 20 points this season.
“The defense was unbelievable,” Gallegos said.
The depth that Gallegos preached about before the season started has surfaced, with Harold Lusk intercepting two passes, while his cousin Hendrick Lusk added a pick along with Kyler Tweten.
Because of injuries, Harold Lusk — whose father set a school record with 18 interceptions at the University of Utah — has found a role with the Lobos, while remaining on the roster as a backup quarterback.
“This was our most complete game,” Gallegos said. “We had a 17-play, 92-yard scoring drive. That was signature Lobo football in my opinion.”
Former Monte Vista quarterback Dominic Pierini tossed his first college touchdown pass, completing 6-of-7, while Joey Fernandez kicked two more field goals for the Lobos.
Gallegos’ attention has already turned to Redwoods, a former American Division rival that beat MPC 24-10 back in 2023. It’s the final non-conference game before the Lobos begin play in the National Valley Conference.
“All games matter when it comes to chasing a playoff spot,” Gallegos said. “Last year a 9-1 team did not make the playoffs in this division. Every game is like a playoff game. I will be watching Redwoods tomorrow.”
