In the Monterey Bay League-Gabilan Division it starts and ends with the Palma High football team.
Since the equity league formed in 2012, Palma has won three of the four league titles outright and were co-champions the other.
Palma will again be among the top teams in the Central Coast Section this year but that doesn’t mean the rest of the league are a bunch of slouches either.
“The league is very tough,” North Salinas coach Darren Spence said. “The teams in our league are very competitive and do pretty well. I think we have what it takes to be very competitive in all our football games.”
North Salinas enters the Gabilan fray this year after winning the MBL-Pacific Division title last year.
The Vikings replace Monterey who went 2-8 overall and 1-5 in league play the previous season.
Being back in the Gabilan is where North Salinas wants to be despite graduating 20 of the teams 32 players.
“When they moved us up (to the Gabilan) I was pretty nervous,” Spence said. “Our kids have done a tremendous job in the offseason. Obviously everybody is going to have bangs and bruises and injuries but if we could stay predominantly healthy then I think we can be competitive in all our games.”
Palma will have the benefit of having the most explosive player in the league returning in three-year starting running back Emilio Martinez.
Martinez is back healthy after missing nearly two thirds of the season with a hamstring injury.
The 5-foot-9 185-pound back has rushed for 2,456 yards and 33 touchdowns the past two seasons.
With a healthy Martinez and typical stout defense, the Chieftains will again go into the season as the favorite in the MBL-Gabilan but that doesn’t mean the rest of the league is ready to bow down to the reigning four-time champions.
“We want to play those great teams and are looking forward to playing them,” Salinas coach Steve Goodbody said. “It’s what we look forward every season.”
Alvarez (4-7)
Alvarez will look like a different team this season. With a new coach and a new offensive system the Eagles look to improve off last season one that resulted in a CCS playoff birth.
Brad Mendes will install a new up-tempo offense to go along with a defense that returns some key pieces.
Senior defensive lineman Alan Llamas, who led the team in sacks last year while linebacker Matt Martinez who patrol sideline to sideline and defensive back Michael Ramirez will lead the secondary.
Christopher (2-8)
Christopher didn’t shy away from the Gabilan, in fact they wanted to stay.
After going 0-6 in league play last year the Cougars very easily could’ve taken the demotion down to the Pacific but simply didn’t want to.
“We’re excited to be back and be in the best division we can be in,” Christopher coach Tim Pierleoni said. “We believe that iron sharpens iron and being in the league that we are in is a very sharp division.”
Senior quarterback Ryan Adamkiewicz returns and is the sole man in charge of Pierleoni’s pass-first spread system. Ryan split time with his older brother Matt Adamkiewicz who missed the final two games of the year due to injury.
Pierleoni learned that you can’t pass nearly every down and be as successful like in the Pacific.
“We’re going to do a few things differently,” Pierleoni said. “We’ll still throw the ball but to be in this kind of division we’re going to have to dominate at the line of scrimmage and be able to run the ball a bit more.”
Christopher will visit crosstown rival Gilroy to open its season before beginning MBL-Gabilan play on Sept. 23 when they visit Salinas.
Monte Vista Christian (10-2)
Monte Vista Christian won’t sneak up on teams this year. Following an impressive run to the CCS Open Division III semifinals and a surprising second place finish in league the Mustangs are a team to be reckoned with in one of the toughest leagues in the section.
While MVC will have a lot of talent they will have a very small roster — 25 players to be exact — so staying healthy is extremely crucial for David Reese’s team.
Six-foot-3 senior Devon Daich will lead the offense and when Daich isn’t throwing it he’ll be handing it off to the diminutive but shifty running back James Castillo (5’6 160 pounds).
John Zheng will anchor the defensive line while Cody Paresa and Jackson Collins will be quite the formidable linebacker duo.
The Mustangs will open their season on the road at King City before hosting four straight games including its homecoming against Trinity Christian of Addison, Tex. and its MBL-Gabilan opener against North Salinas.
North Salinas (9-3) * played 2015 season in the MBL-Pacific
Normally a promotion to the Gabilan has meant bad news for teams that previously came from the Pacific but following MVC’s run to a second place finish last year, North Salinas to looking to follow suit.
“The real thing that makes me believe that we can be competitive and stay up in the Gabilan Division is that our kids made a tremendous commitment to the weight this offseason,” Spence said. “It’s a tremendous commitment by these young men.”
The Vikings return star quarterback Timothy Burkhardt who garnered co-Most Valuable Player honor last year as well as some talented linemen.
Senior Fabian Hunkin (6’2, 275 pounds) was co-Most Valuable Offensive Player and is being recruited by UC Davis along with Jimmy Weaver (6’1, 230), who will play both sides of the ball.
Burkhardt will look to get the ball into running back/wide receiver Bart Garcia’s hands often according to Spence.
North Salinas will take on the likes of Piedmont Hills and Milpitas in its non-league slate before beginning MBL-Gabilan play on Sept. 23 at MVC.
Palma (10-2)
The reigning four-time MBL-Gabilan champions look to make it five straight.
Palma returns a healthy Emilio Martinez and one of the most sought after lineman in the CCS in Drew Dalman (6’3 265).
Joining Dalman on the defensive side of the ball will be returning starters Robert Hernandez, Josh Rawson, middle linebacker Stan Smith and safety Tristian Wahl. The Chieftains will replace quarterback Jack Richardson, who is now at Stanford with senior Zach Flores.
The Chieftains open its year at Sutter before a pair of home games of two of the CCS’s top teams in St. Francis and Sacred Heart Prep. Palma wraps up its non-league slate with a visit to reigning three-time CCS champions Aptos before beginning MBL-Gabilan with on Sept. 30 vs Alvarez.
Since the equity league was formed Palma has gone 23-1 with its lone loss coming to San Benito whom they visit in its regular season finale Nov. 4.
Salinas (6-5)
Salinas took care of business against the teams it should’ve last year but couldn’t quite get the victories against the teams it should’ve.
The Cowboys lost to Aptos, MVC and Palo Alto by a combined 13 points.
This year Steve Goodbody, who last season became the winningest coach in program history, returns a lot of talent from last season looks to improve off of last season’s short comings.
Salinas returns all five starting offensive lineman from the previous year including center Adan Hernandez who was a first-team all-MBL selection.
“We return all five of our starting lineman so we feel real comfortable there,” Goodbody said. “We return our first-team all-league center and feel good about our receivers and running backs.”
While Goodbody wouldn’t disclose who his starting quarterback will be just yet, whoever gets the job will be throwing to the likes of Jabari Smith, Cooper Smith and Jeff Weimer.
Goodbody raved over junior running back Ritchie Cerda who came up to varsity for the playoffs after leading the junior varsity team who went 10-0 last year in rushing.
The Cowboys will kickoff the CCS season when they host Aptos on Thursday. Salinas will visit the likes of Pioneer and Salinas in their non-league slate before beginning league play on Sept. 23 when they host Christopher.
San Benito (7-5)
San Benito will have a new look this season on the sideline. The Haybalers, for the first time in 23 years will not have coach Chris Cameron who retired after 22 seasons as coach last year.
San Benito turns to a familiar face in Bryan Smith who will lead the only team to have beaten Palma in league since the MBL-Gabilan formed in 2012. The Balers will have the benefit of returning one of the best backs in the tri-region in senior Hunter Nye who rushed for 1,384 yards and 21 touchdowns last season.
Senior Michael Camacho, who garnered first-team all-MBL honors in his junior campaign will anchor the defense. In all San Benito will return 13 starters (five on offense, eight on defense) from a team that made it to the Open Division I semifinals.
Like tradition San Benito will again play a brutal non-league slate before beginning MBL-Gabilan play. The Balers open up with a Saturday afternoon game at SHP in Atherton, before hosting Palo Alto then visiting Los Gatos before hosting Wilcox in its final non-league contest.
“For us there’s no reason to play anyone of a lighter magnitude,” Smith said. “We want to play the best competition and at the end of the night if our guys provided their best effort and gave it all they got then we got better and we’ll continue to get better week end and week out.”
San Benito begins MBL-Gabilan play on Sept. 23 when they visit Alvarez.
