MONTEREY — It took eight years and numerous legal battles within the neighborhood before the lights at Monterey High could glow and glitter in the twilight of the evening.
Up until the lights sparkled in a ceremony that brought alumni back from 70 years, Toreadores head football coach Alex Besaw wasn’t concerned about it being a distraction.
“As soon as the lights came on, I could sense our focus slipping away,” the Monterey coach said. “I told the kids to be excited. But my message was keep your composure. We still have to execute.”
While a penalty on the first offensive play wasn’t ideal, the Toreadores quickly regained their focus, scoring on their opening drive Friday, beginning Gabilan Division play with a 33-14 win over Aptos.
For the second time in four years, the Toreadores are off to a 3-0 start, one of just three teams in the Gabilan Division that are still undefeated.
Since giving up 14 points in the first quarter in their season opener at Christopher, the Toreadores have outscored the opposition 99-29, turning to a tenacious defense that has started as many as five sophomores.
“We were relentless for four quarters on defense,” Besaw said. “We played phenomenal tonight. That is a credit to our scout kids getting our defense ready in practice. That’s not an easy offense to prepare for.”
Besaw was speaking about the Mariners throwback Wing-T attack, in which they run up to the line of scrimmage, with three backs in the backfield.
Last year Aptos went to the Central Coast Section Division III title game, where it fell 62-35 to eventual State Division 5 AA champ Carmel.
In three Gabilan Division meetings against Aptos, the Toreadores — who will visit Palma next Friday — are averaging 41.5 points a game, scoring four touchdowns in the first half on Friday.
“We always talk to the kids about being ready for their moment and taking advantage of it,” Besaw said. “We had a couple of kids tonight that certainly did that on defense.”
Besaw was speaking about linebackers Craig Prewitt and Charlie Storelli, who were all over the field, each recording a handful of tackles, including a pair for losses.
“He (Prewitt) hadn’t seen a lot of action in the first two games,” said Besaw, who has taken Monterey to the playoffs three straight years. “He got his number called and made some huge plays for us.”
With three straight games of over 100 yards rushing, Ethan Bonilla is emerging into one of the more prolific running backs in the Pacific Coast Athletic League.
Coming into the season with just one carry on his resume, the senior ran for 168 yards on just 15 carries, producing the team’s first three touchdowns.
“What you’re seeing is what we saw when he got opportunities in practice last year,” Besaw said. “He did a lot of this on our scout team. He’s stepped into this role.”
The 5-foot-9, 205-pound Bonilla was playing behind two-time all-county tailback Enobong Wirth last fall, who is now showing off his craft at Monterey Peninsula College.
“He’s sneaky fast,” said Besaw of Bonilla, who has 401 yards and five touchdowns in three games. “He’s a physical runner. He makes it tough in terms of their (defense) pursuit angles. He was bouncing off guys. He’s hard to catch.”
Twice Bonilla broke tackles at the point of attack, before escaping into the open field and outrunning the Mariners secondary to the end zone for touchdowns of 51 and 49 yards in the first half.
That only opened the offense up, where quarterback Branson Gulley took turns finding receivers Kai Vaughn, Dekota Ordonio and sophomore Isaiah Gonzalez.
Vaughn caught a pair of touchdown passes, while Gonzales had a huge first quarter for the Toreadores, going across the middle for a 32-yard reception.
“Isiaah is a pretty dynamic kid,” Besaw said. “He’s extremely athletic. It’s another good problem to have, finding all these athletes’ ways to get the football.”
With the teeth of its schedule in the Gabilan Division about the heat up, trimming the amount of penalties is something Besaw is preaching, not only in practice, but during the games.
Monterey was flagged eight times in the first half, including 35 yards on one Aptos drive that helped set up their first touchdown, which tied the game at 7 in the first quarter.
“We preach this stuff all the time,” Besaw said. “The kids are aware of it. We have to understand we can’t do that consistency and expect good results. We have to change what we’re doing in practice because it’s happening too often.”
