Considering location and demographics, it would be fair to assume that the McClymonds Warriors and Aptos Mariners have few shared traits entering Saturday’s CIF Northern California 4-A Championship.
As it turns out, they actually have a handful of things in common. Not only have both programs established tremendous legacies in recent years, both are headlined by sensational two-way players and have the ability to rip off big plays at a moment’s notice. They also have widely respected head coaches, with Michael Peters, father of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Marcus Peters, in his seventh year at McClymonds and Randy Blankenship in his ninth at Aptos.
For McClymonds (10-2), look for San Jose State-bound Adi Anderson at running back, along with Jarmar Julien. K’aun Green is the Warriors’ quarterback, but he’s also a standout defensive end.
While the Mariners’ skill players are also key on defense, most do their work in the secondary. Expect quarterback Hunter Matys and running backs Marcos Reyes and Josh Powell to be defending passes for Aptos (11-2). Reyes has put up eye-popping offensive numbers this season as well, with 1,815 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 196 carries out of Blankenship’s lightning-quick wing-T offense.
Though Aptos is a methodical wing-T team, the Mariners also have a few tricks up their sleeve. In a late-season loss to Salinas, Blankenship pulled out one of the most daring and brilliant calls of the year, with Matys deliberately bouncing a lateral to backup quarterback and wide receiver Fisher Johnson, who threw to Reyes in the end zone for a touchdown.
Similarly, as McClymonds has lit up the scoreboard, the Warriors have made their way on to highlight reels with sheer athleticism. There should come a time in Saturday night’s showdown where one of the highly-esteemed coaches makes an ingenious call, and it may very well decide the game.
