SOLEDAD, CA – In an intense Mission Trail Athletic League game, the Carmel High School football team entered the game being the favorite to win over Soledad High. However, it was the Soledad Aztecs who triumphed with a 9-3 victory.
The game came down to the battle of defenses when ultimately, a stop early in the fourth quarter produced by the Soledad defense on a fourth and goal play at the 7 secured its win over the Carmel Padres.
“That stop was exactly what we needed, it gave our offense the opportunity to get the ball back and it prevented them [Carmel] from scoring,” safety Robert Lopez said.
For the first time in 15 years, Carmel has fallen to Soledad. The last time Soledad (6-2, 4-1 MTAL) defeated Carmel was back in 2000 when Soledad’s very own head coach, Frankie Berlanga, was in a uniform. Berlanga told his team to carry the intensity from this win into the rest of the season and to remain humble.
“The intensity was at a high level and felt like a playoff game,” guard Ricky Silva said.
Carmel’s exhilarating offense that has been averaging nearly 50 points a game was unable to reach the end zone this Friday. Their only points in the game came from a 23-yard field goal from Zach Rossi late in the first quarter. Soledad’s defense held quarterback Jonathan Hugo and his offense in the red zone multiple times, once even at the 1-yard line. This marks Soledad’s fourth game this season in which they haven’t allowed a single touchdown all game.
A surprising 38- yard field goal by Jesus Zamora tied the game for Soledad towards the end of the first half. Emmanuel Ortega rose to the occasion as he sprinted down the right side of the field and into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown, giving Soledad a 9-3 lead in the third quarter.
“We worked hard all week, and it paid off tonight,” Lopez said.
Carmel’s offense remained unresponsive in the red zone because of consistent penalties marked against them. Even after attempting and going for fourth downs on three separate occasions, Soledad’s defense shut them down shy of the end zone.
Soledad made a statement this Friday night as they are now looking to be contenders for the MTAL title. Carmel is now tied alongside Soledad in second place; both trail undefeated Pacific Grove.
“Everyone doubted us," Silva said. "Our time came tonight when we shocked the world. Beating a great team like Carmel, boosts our confidence and just demonstrates that we can hang with the so-called tough teams."
Carmel (5-3, 4-1) travels to King City next Friday at 7:30 p.m and closes its season by playing Pacific Grove in their traditional Shoe Game match up.
