CHRISTOPHER COUGARS
Record: 5-1 overall; 2-0 in the Monterey Bay League Pacific Division
Last week: Christopher beat Monte Vista Christian for the first time in program history in a 28-21 thriller.
Next up: The Cougars hit the road to play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Alisal. The Trojans lost 37-14 to Watsonville last week.
Coach Tim Pierleoni’s comment: “When we were going 2-8 that year (2012), we were thinking ‘this will be worth it in a year or two. It’ll be OK because of how good we’re going to be.’ We’re at where we think we should be. Of course we want to be perfect all the time and that’s what we’re trying to practice. I tell them practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.”
On offense: The Cougars continue to find success in the air and are averaging 274.5 yards per game. QB Matt Adamkiewicz went 20 for 30 for 235 yards and three touchdowns against the Mustangs, finding Alex Pacheco twice for two scores. The junior quarterback did, however, throw three interceptions and will need to display better ball control this week. The Cougars only had 82 yards on the ground against MVC and Pierleoni said they are looking to improve on that as the season rolls on—starting with the Trojans.
On defense: Christopher’s defense stood on its head against the Mustangs and racked up 86 tackles two sacks from Jacob Moen and Tyler Parsley. MVC had a chance to change the game late, blocking Christopher’s field goal attempt, then recovering and bolting down the field only to be cut off by Joseph Lujan to save the score. Moen also forced two fumbles and the Cougars recovered three. As long as Christopher can continue that high level of play, they should be successful for the rest of the season.
Keys to the game: Pierleoni said the key for his team is to avoid the let down. After a big win it’s easy for a team to rest on its laurels, but the Cougar coach said he’s doing what he can to ensure that doesn’t happen. Turnovers and penalties will always be key, but Christopher did a good job limiting penalties only drawing three in the game. If they can do all those things, the Cougars should be 3-0 in league following this game.
GILROY MUSTANGS
Record: 2-5 overall; 2-1 in Monterey Bay League-Pacific Division
Last week: North Monterey County rained on Gilroy’s homecoming parade and handed them a 14-10 loss.
Next up: The Mustangs will play at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Monte Vista Christian. MVC lost 28-21 to Christopher.
Coach Brian Boyd’s comment: “We know we’re still in the hunt. That game last week really hurt us a lot, but we know we’re still in the hunt for our goals.”
On offense: Gilroy took a big blow to its offense with the loss of running back David Montes in last week’s game. Back-ups DeAngelo Kamber and Anthony Bollendorf will now split time in order to maintain the spread offense. The Mustangs need David Munoz to find his groove in order to do some damage in the air, which is where Christopher was successful against MVC last week. Munoz was 11 for 24 for 111 yards against NMC.
On defense: The Mustangs do a good job of holding stopping the run inside which will be crucial this week as they take on a run-first offense. MVC features duo of strong backs in David Polomino and D’shawn Hopkins who will cause trouble if not contained. MVC also runs multiple different formations, but Boyd said his staff is doing its homework to help limit surprises in tonight’s game. “We think if we’re able to stop their run game—especially outside and keep everything between the tackles—we should be all right,” Boyd said. “We think we can play with them, but we’ve said that all year long. We think we can play with anybody that we’ve lined up with this year.”
Keys to the game: Stopping the run game and limiting penalties will be crucial for the Mustangs this week. After two straight weeks of showing discipline when it comes to penalties, Gilroy drew 14 last week. Every yard will be crucial, so the Mustangs can’t afford to lose any due to yellow flags.
