This weekend, CHS vs. Monterey; GHS vs. North Salinas
Tough, marquee matchup awaits Cougars
CHS received word Wednesday that its football team is now officially 3-0 this season after Sobrato High School had to forfeit its two wins due to playing an academically ineligible player, CHS athletic director Darren Yafai said. According to Morgan Hill Times reporter Scott J. Adams, Sobrato reported the situation to the Central Coast Section on Saturday, which in turn handed down its ruling.
The Bulldogs defeated the Cougars 40-26 in the season opener on Sept. 3. Statistics from that game remain, however the final score goes into the books as a 6-0 CHS victory.
The bit of news, though, took a back seat at practice as the Cougars continued preparation for a crucial Monterey Bay League showdown against the defending champion Monterey Toreadors on Friday night in Gilroy.
Head coach Tim Pierleoni refrained from calling it as such, but for all intents and purposes, tonight is a big game for the Cougars. And, coming off a bye week, CHS has had two weeks to prepare for the challenging MBL opener.
The Toreadors are a year removed from playing in the CCS Division III championship game, and coasted through the MBL with a 6-0 record, including a physically dominating 37-0 victory over the Cougars.
Though they lost leading rusher John Wyatt-Williams (2,347 yards and 27 touchdowns) to graduation, the Toreadors rough-and-tumble Veer offense has hardly lost steam. Ambrose Chioini leads the Toreadors’ core of runners with 337 yards on 34 carries. Jimmy Hill has 236 yards and four scores on 29 touches.
“They have an extremely good coaching staff. Tom (Newton) does an excellent job. They have some very good football players. They are the league champs and until they aren’t the league champs anymore, that’s how they will be known,” Pierleoni said. “They are going to be extremely prepared for us. They know that they are an established program and that may give them some confidence. But I think our kids believe they can play with them. This will be a good way to see if we can play with a good team like that.”
Monterey is the fourth consecutive run-first offense the Cougars’ defense will have to contend with this season. So far, stopping the run hasn’t been much of an issue. Defensive coordinator Tim Lemos’ unit has surrendered 40 points – and that was just against Sobrato. The Cougars have pitched two straight shutouts thanks to keen game planning and the players’ understanding of the system, Lemos said.
The Cougars’ offense will have its hands full with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Shaunne Katoa.
The Toreadors (2-1) have wins against John F. Kennedy–Fremont (34-13) and Pacific Grove (37-7). The lost came against Tri-County Athletic League member Alvarez, 14-7.
Mustangs looking to shore up defense vs. N. Salinas
The Gilroy High football team has yielded 1,025 rushing yards in three games.
The Mustangs have had two weeks, following a bye last Friday, to right the ship as they host North Salinas to peel open the Tri-County Athletic League portion of the schedule Saturday.
“Defensively, we have to play better. That’s still the main issue for us. We have to run to the ball and tackle,” GHS head coach Steven Lo said. “We have some issues to fix and we have had a lot of time to do that. We are going to show something a little bit new and extra in our package – something more aggressive to get our kids to play faster. That’s what our main focus was over the break.”
North Salinas’ (1-3) is coming off of a 40-14 loss to Santa Cruz.
“They put in a new offense this year. They work a lot of zone-read stuff out of the (shot) gun,” Lo said. “They are well coached up front.”
The Mustangs’ offense hasn’t had much trouble putting up big numbers. Where the hiccups have occurred: the second half and capping productive possessions.
“Offensively, it’s just finish drives out, limit our mistakes, ball control. That’s or biggest issue right now offensively, coughing the ball up,” Lo said. “If we limit the mistakes mentally, we are there.”
After a dismal 0-6 effort in the TCAL a year ago, Lo said the players appear more motivated this year to get off to a positive start as they transition out of non-league play.
“As the schedule gets further into the league, we go through the meat grinder at the end,” Lo said. There’s a sense of urgency that we have to rip off a couple early on to keep our playoff hopes alive.”
TONIGHT
CHS (3-0) vs. Monterey (2-1), 7:30.
– Last year: Monterey 37, CHS 0.
– Through three games, CHS has scored 116 points. In 10 games in 2010, the Cougars had 182.
– After missing the first three games, tight end/defensive end Manny Avila will be available.
– Junior Varsity starts at 5.
SATURDAY
GHS (1-2) vs N. Salinas (1-3), 5.
– Last year: N. Sailnas 35, GHS 16.
– Receiver Jourdan Soares (24 catches, 522 yards) is on pace for 1,500 yards this season.
– Gilroy’s last league win came in the 2009 Prune Bowl.
– Junior Varsity starts at 2.
