SALINAS — There have been multiple league titles, section crowns, a county record for wins as a coach — not to mention a state title on the resume of Jeff Carnazzo.
Yet, in 25 years of being Palma’s head football coach, one thing that has eluded Carnazzo is perfection in the regular season — in terms of an undefeated season.
“It’s something I’ve thought about,” Carnazzo said. “It’s hard to do with our schedule. We have put ourselves in a situation to go 10-0. I’m super excited for the kids and the program. But we’re not there yet. ”
The Chieftains are one step from achieving perfection after ending Soquel’s run of 17 straight Gabilan Division wins with a 28-21 decision Friday at Rabobank.
Palma, who will close the regular season next Friday at Hollister, came close to going unbeaten in 2011, with its lone loss coming ironically from the Balers in the season finale, which cost them the league title.
“Coming off a super emotional, high-energy game, we can’t have a letdown against Hollister,” Palma tailback Eli Dukes said. “It’s a big rivalry game.”
A rivalry that dates back 50-plus years to the early 1970’s.
“I reminded the kids on the bus we’re not done,” Carnazzo said. “There’s still one more regular season game. We are not interested in sharing the title. We didn’t talk about a title all week. Our focus has been solely on winning this game.”
Next week’s game will also have ramifications for the Central Coast Section playoffs, as a win by the Chieftains will likely give them a top-four seed in the Open Division and at least one home game.
“We need to take care of business against Hollister if we want a high seed,” said Dukes, who rushed for 235 yards on 38 carries. “We believe we can compete up there against those elite teams in the Open Division.”
Hollister, who sits at 3-4 in the Gabilan Division, hasn’t missed the postseason since 2008. A loss, however, will end its 17 year playoff streak. Palma has won the last four meetings between the two teams.
“We haven’t been league champions for a while,” said Dukes, who has an offer on the table from Oregon State. “Soquel had a lot of hype. For me, this win ranks up there with our state title. There is something different about this team — the passion and energy.”
With backup tailback David Garcia lost for the season to a broken collarbone, Dukes knew his carries were going to go up against the Knights, whose average margin of victory in six Gabilan Division games had been 29.8 points.
“Oh, I embraced this moment,” said Dukes, who is 165 yards shy of 2,000 yards for a season. “I love the pressure. This is what I play to do.”
Yet, what changed the complexion of the game occurred just before Soquel took a 7-0 lead when quarterback Sam Whelan limped off the field with an ankle injury after being sacked by Joe Viarengo in the first quarter.
Whelan, who has thrown for over 2,000 yards this season, stayed on the table with ice on his left ankle the rest of the first half and never returned to the game.
“I talked to him after the game,” Carnazzo said. “I told Sam I’ve been coaching a long time. He’s probably the best quarterback I’ve gone up against in 35 years. Any college would be lucky to have him.”
The Chieftains still had to maneuver through a Soquel defense that had allowed just 64 points in six league games, holding Palma without a point in the first quarter for the first time all season.
Dukes swung the pendulum with one play when he skirted through a small seam, broke to his left and outran the defense 51 yards for the first of his four touchdowns to tie the game at 7.
“After that, we knew we could hang with these boys,” said Dukes, who is also drawing interest from schools as a lacrosse player.
The touchdown was just an appetizer as the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Dukes added another touchdown run behind and offensive line anchored by senior Job Barroso to take the Chieftains into halftime up 13-7.
“The moment was big,” Carnazzo said. “Eli put the team on his shoulders. When we took him out for one play, he was pissed. And what happened? We turned the ball over.”
As dynamic as Dukes is as a runner, his receiving skills were on display in the third quarter when he caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Driscoll to stake Palma to a 14-point cushion, before rushing for his 27th touchdown of the season.
“On the touchdown pass, it was fourth-and-seven,” Carnazzo said. “We’ve worked on that play all year. We were waiting for the right time. I wanted to keep it for a big game. Patrick came up and made a big play.”
