PEBBLE BEACH — Seldom are non-league games circled on a calendar. Most games in Week 4 don’t offer a playoff-type feel, or are fueled by a moment from the past from two teams that don’t have much of a rivalry.
If there was any animosity built up from last year after accusations were made about tactics, Stevenson sent a message early with its offense, then turned to its defense to make a statement.
“We believe SLV had this game circled because of how that game ended last year,” Stevenson coach Kyle Cassamas said. “I think we delivered a message today.”
Welcoming back 12 players to the field, who were late arrivals, the Pirates are one of six teams still undefeated in the Pacific Coast Athletic League after Saturday’s 34-6 win over San Lorenzo Valley in Pebble Beach.
“I think last year the atmosphere we walked into was a lot to be a part of,” Cassamas said. “It left a bad taste in our mouths. But I felt SLV was all class today.”
Cassamas was making reference to the Pirates 24-14 win over the Cougars, which clinched the Santa Lucia Division title. After the game, the seventh-year coach had to defend himself and his team over accusations of dirty play.
“I don’t coach like that,” said Cassamas, who celebrated the birth of his third child 48 hours earlier. “I felt an olive branch was extended today after the game by SLV.”
The Pirates (3-0) have moved to the Mission Division South this fall, while San Lorenzo Valley (2-1) has become a member of the Mission Division North.
“I think for us, it’s a week-to-week kind of process,” Cassamas said. “How can we keep our standard and keep improving between ourselves. We have the talent to take care of business any week. Can we hold each other to that standard?”
Getting 12 players back — who decided a week into the season to return to the football team — in uniform for the first time certainly improves the Pirates depth, as 29 players suited up.
“Having them back allows us to move people around,” Cassamas said. “A lot of them were returning players. We’re getting them back up to speed. The bye week helped. We can put them in positions to be successful.”
Cassamas, the only football coach at Stevenson to win two league titles, put together a defensive game plan that held the Cougars to just six points, turning to defensive lineman Cody Thacher and Zryan Morgan to create havoc up front.
San Lorenzo Valley came into the game averaging 40.5 points a game, while the Pirates were averaging 42.5 points through their first two games.
“Zryan helped control the line of scrimmage,” Cassamas said. “That made it easier for the linebackers to identify the plays. And our secondary got some good work in. Having Reggie (Bell) back there was a plus.”
An offense, engineered by offensive coordinator and former Canadian Football League receiver Maurice Mann, continues to pile up yards and points, as Stevenson scored on four of its first five possessions.
For as dominant as the passing attack has looked, it was tailback Tono Borgamini that set the tone with a 53-yard touchdown run on the Pirates first offensive possession — one of two touchdowns for the senior.
Stevenson turned to its bag of tricks in the second quarter when Finn Mink tossed a backwards pass to Derek Diniz, who turned and found a wide-open Caden Olson for a touchdown.
Olson, who caught three touchdown passes, was on the receiving end of a 50-yard scoring strike from Mink just before halftime to stake the Pirates to a 24-6 lead, a lead that extended by 10 in the second half.
About the only thing that didn’t go right for Stevenson, who visits Monte Vista on Friday, was that it failed on four conversation attempts in the first half.
“I think we do a good job of identifying what the other team likes to do and take that away as much as possible,” Cassamas said. “The offense is in a good rhythm. The coaches and students were locked in.”
North Salinas 49, Carmel 26: Inserting a freshman at quarterback was out of necessity. The moment for Jayen Gutierrez, though, clearly was not too big.
The left-handed quarterback — all 5-feet-7 and 150 pounds of him — tossed three touchdown passes as the Vikings ended a losing streak to Carmel that dates back 2008.
“We didn’t have a plan for him to jump in,” North Salinas coach Ben Ceralde said. “It was more to work him in. He’s been calm and a great leader in practice. The kids are buying into him.”
It’s hard to argue with the results as the Vikings erupted for a season high in points in sending defending state Division 5AA champ Carmel to its second straight Gabilan Division loss.
“I think we improved in a lot of areas,” insisted Carmel coach Golden Anderson. “We ran the ball better. We were a little more in concert on the offensive line. We were good in spurts. We just kind of wore down in the second half and made mistakes.”
After going 15-0 last year and winning a league, section and state title, the Padres, along with North Salinas, were bumped to the Gabilan Division to create a nine-team division.
“To be clear, we don’t make the decision on what division we play in,” Anderson said. “That decision was made for us. We’re still the same-sized school with a closed district. We have not had to play at this level, which is a significant step up.”
The Padres lost 10 starters to graduation, three of which are playing Division I football this year. Just one player that started at a skilled position last year has returned in Stanford-bound pitcher Matt Maxon, who rushed for three touchdowns.
While North Salinas had made two straight playoff appearances out of the Mission Division South, it got shoved into the Gabilan Division despite not winning a league title in the last decade.
“We know we’re the underdogs,” Ceralde said. “No one expected much from us coming from the Gabilan. We’re the ninth team in the Gabilan. And we’re going to play it like that. The only ones who believe are the ones within. That’s all that matters.”
North Salinas, who normally plays its home games at Rabobank, moved the game to its campus, which Ceralde felt created an adrenaline rush and a spark among his players.
“There is nothing like playing on campus,” Ceralde said. “Walking in and out of your own locker room. Having a field to call home on campus is something we’ve never really had the luxury of. We’re hoping our last two home games will be on campus.”
With lights on the horizon, the goal is for North Salinas to eventually move all its games to campus. Dating back to 2021, it is 3-0 on campus.
Gutierrez opened the game with a confidence-building drive, climaxed when he connected with Xander Gonzalez on an 7-yard touchdown pass. His 41-yard scoring strike to Romeo Williams staked the Vikings to a 27-21 halftime lead.
“We’re going to have low moments,” Ceralde said. “How do we bounce back. We tried to stay evenly keeled. The kids believe we could win this game. We believed that last week. There’s a lot of confidence. But there are a lot of things we have to work on.”
The Vikings physicality began to wear down Carmel in the second half, outscoring them 22-6 in the second half as Williams caught his second touchdown pass, while Canelo Gonzalez accounted for two touchdowns.
“We have to clean things up defensively,” Anderson said. “That’s our job as coaches. You can’t work on every facet of your game. You work on what you feel needs the most attention and hope they retain stuff. A lot of guys are learning on the job.”
A turnover in the second half killed one drive for Carmel, while it failed to convert on two four-and-short situations. In two league games, it has given up 98 points.
“I’m happy that we’re competing,” Ceralde said. “We’re behind the eight ball. The joy of being a coach is trying to figure out how to make things work.”
Pacific Grove 39, St. Francis, Watsonville 23: Beyond the concerns of playing a Saturday afternoon game on the road against an undefeated team, stopping St. Francis’ run game was an emphasis at practice all week for the Breakers.
Instead, it was Pacific Grove’s running game that dictated the tempo, piling up over 400 yards — 335 on the ground in improving to 3-0 for the third straight season.
“The first two games were disappointing from the offensive side of the ball,” Pacific Grove coach Jeff Gray said. “We felt like our defense had carried us in the first two games.”
Which it had, allowing just 14 points in wins over Seaside and Greenfield — two teams that are currently winless on the season. St. Francis came in undefeated, erupting for 43 points in a win over Greenfield.
“We’ve had some trouble in defending the run,” said Gray, who started last fall 5-1 and the previous year 6-0. “We thought it would be a big challenge.”
Of course, when your own running game is getting a 218-yard rushing effort from Garrett Kuska and is controlling the clock with time-consuming drives, possessions were limited for the Sharks.
Kuska’s career night also included three rushing touchdowns, while sophomore Northrop Kirk added 100 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.
“The offensive line opened some holes,” Gray said. “Our quarterback was untouched. From a leadership standpoint, I thought Ersi stepped up in a big way.”
Gray was speaking about quarterback Ersi Kullolli, who was inserted into the position after a season-ending injury before the year started to Brody Edmonds.
Kullolli has been efficient when called upon to put the ball in the air, connecting with Abram Lopez for his third touchdown pass of the young season.
Kirk put together another big defensive effort for the Breakers, while Isaac Sanchez and Ryder Gamecho were menaces up front in limiting St. Francis to its lowest point total of the season.
“The bye week gave us two weeks to prepare for a really good team,” said Gray, whose squad visits Watsonville next Friday. “It got some of our guys off the injury block. We had two really good weeks of practice.”
Trinity 58, BASIS Independent 0: The Warriors are off to their best start in 12 years in 8-man football, improving to 3-0 with their second straight game of producing 50 or more points.
Having already equaled last year’s entire win total, Trinity has outscored its last two opponents 108-6.
Daniel Dirkes tossed a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for three for the Warriors, with Eli Robertson accounting for 138 yards in total offense and three touchdowns
Robertson finished with 89 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, and added an interception and fumble recovery on defense for Trinity, who forced five fumbles.
Brady Ramones caught one touchdown pass and deflected three passes, while Seth Ramones scored his first touchdown for the Warriors, who will visit Kings Christian on Friday.
Marina 29, Pajaro Valley 27: Deangelo Reynolds’ tackle for a loss on a two-point conversion attempt with 59 seconds left enabled the Mariners to remain undefeated on the season and on their magical new field.
Marina, who has a bye next week before opening Santa Lucia Division play at Rancho San Juan, is 3-0 for just the second time in the program’s 15-year existence. It has never started a season 4-0.
“I told the kids celebrate this win tonight,” Marina coach JD Dennis said. “The last time we were 3-0, it was our best season. But the team that beat us and ruined our undefeated season was Rancho. Whose next on the schedule? Rancho.”
Marina has never beaten Rancho San Juan, falling 47-0 in 2022 and 20-7 in 2023.
All three wins have come on the Mariners sparkling new turf field and stadium, where packed houses have created an electric atmosphere.
“Pajaro Valley traveled well,” Dennis said. “Their side was loud. It was a good environment. It was electric. The kids are feeding off this. One of our kids yelled ‘We have to play better. We have the city behind us’.”
Marina and the Grizzlies (2-1), who agreed to play a non-league game despite being in the same division, will meet again at the end of the Santa Lucia Division season, this time in Pajaro Valley.
Marcel Covita accounted for three rushing touchdowns for Marina, while Chris Juarez added a touchdown. Adriano Guzman’s field goal in the third quarter turned out to be the difference in the game.
Archie Williams 42, Seaside 21: Despite exceeding their point total from the previous three games combined, the Spartans will go into league play winless after falling to Archie Williams of San Anselmo.
Seaside will look for a new lease on life on Friday, when it opens Santa Lucia Division play, hosting Gonzales.
The Spartans (0-4) took their first lead of the season in the first quarter when Peter Manikham got into the end zone for a brief 7-0 lead.
Archie Williams (2-2) answered with 35 unanswered points before second-half touchdowns from Josiah Escort and Elijah Romero provided momentum for Seaside heading into its league opener.
