Aptos has just a few hours to get ready for its game against Palo Alto in the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs on Friday night.
As both teams finalize their game plans and strategies, they are also getting ready for a fight in the rain, which is expected to start just minutes before the game.
Coach Zach Hewett and the rest of the Aptos team had buckets of water on hand during this week’s practices so that the players could work on wet ball drills and ball control. He said, “I’m sure Palo Alto will have a plan too.”
The Mariners (6-5) are ranked seventh and will play the Vikings (6-5) in the Bay Area. The game is set to start at 7pm.
With 1-4 scores, Palo Alto tied for fourth place with Sacred Heart Prep in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division, which is the “A+” level of the league’s five divisions.
Hewett said, “They’re a lot like us.” This is a good team with good players in a tough league.
Aptos, Hollister, Palma, Monterey, Salinas, and Soquel—which won the Gabilan Division of the Pacific Coast Athletic League this year—all made it to the playoffs.
They were Sacred Heart Prep, Menlo School, Menlo-Atherton, Los Gatos, and league winner Wilcox. All of them made it to the CCS playoffs.
Hewett said, “I can’t say it’s like looking in a mirror, but it’s clear that they’ve been through the same thing we have.” “They’re just as beat up and scarred from battle.”
For the first time since 2009, Aptos did not make the playoffs in 2023. With a record of 2-4, they came in fourth place in the PCAL Gabilan Division, which is the “A” level of the league’s four divisions. The fourth and final guaranteed spot in the playoffs went to them.
The Mariners shocked everyone by beating No. 2 Willow Glen of San Jose in the first game of the D-III playoffs last week.
Palo Alto’s attack is strong when they rush. Running backs Joseph Kessler and Isaiah Phillips are in charge of them.
This season, Kessler has run for 68 times and scored five touchdowns, while Phillips has run for 72 times and scored six scores.
Junior receiver Jake Wang has also been a threat in the backfield. He has scored four touchdowns on the ground in just 11 runs, which means he could be dangerous near the goal line.
By keeping the Wing-T attack going strong, the Mariners have a strong running game. Dylan Guisado, Casey MacConnell, Damian Suchil, Nate Garcia, and Gavin McDonald, a junior, should use speed and trickery to keep Palo Alto’s defense off guard.
Palo Alto has some big kids playing defense, but Hewett said, “If we can get them to hesitate and attack them with angles and fakes like that, then we feel like we can play with anyone.”
The Vikings’ defense will have to keep an eye on junior quarterback Justin Fung. He completed 63 percent (134 for 212) of his passes this season, completing 134 for 212 passes for 1,655 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Senior receivers Jeremiah Fung and Wang are his top targets. Each of them has caught four touchdowns.
Wang has 45 receptions for 405 yards, which is the most on the team. Fung has 33 receptions for 607 yards, which is the most on the team. The Mariners will also need to pay attention to junior Dylan Robinson, who has 13 catches for 220 yards and three scores.
Aptos has been famous before. They’ve won five section titles, in 2003, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018. Four of those were won by head coach Randy Blankenship, who just retired last week and was there to watch their playoff win over Willow Glen.
During the Mariners’ title runs in 2018 and 2015, when they won a D-III and D-IV title, Hewett was on the coaching team. He knows how to get a group to the top of the mountain.
Hewett said, “It’s not always the best team that makes it to the next round.” “Sometimes it’s just the team that doesn’t want to stop playing together.” When two teams are close, it’s hard to let each other down, and it’s scary to think that this could be it. Different teams will either go out with a bang or just give up.
