Cover 3 Sports Podcast
The Cover 3 Sports Podcast is a weekly show that highlights local sports in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.
Cover 3 Sports Podcast
Recap of Week 1 and girls flag football previews
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In today’s episode, Juan Reyes and John Devine will recap Week 1 of the prep football season.
Then they'll chitchat with Monterey High football coach Alex Besaw to talk about the upcoming Battle of the Bay.
And finally, the guys will end the show with a look into the girls flag football season and teams to watch for in the fall.
We’ll have all this and more on… the Cover 3 Sports Podcast.
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You are now tuned in to the Cover Three Sports Podcast, your leader of sports coverage for the Pry County area. And now your hosts, Juan Reyes, and John Devine. Hola, damas and caballeros, friends, family, everyone. Welcome, welcome to the Cover Three Sports Podcast. Week one of prep football and college is in the books. And boy, did we have some surprises and disappointments from over the weekend. Just uh a lot of stuff going on. Man, what a week.
SPEAKER_02No question. I mean, the upsets too. I mean, I don't know if you can even call them upsets in week one, particularly when they're rivalry games. I know we'll get to that in a little bit. Um, but just down to the wire, you know, one-point type games.
SPEAKER_00Yep, yep. That was yeah, we had some good stuff. Like you said, uh, some close ones, some thrillers, and some blowouts as well. But uh, no, we have plenty to talk about here, so let's just uh jump right into it. In this week's episode, John and I will recap week one of the prep and college football season. Then we'll chit-chat with Monterey High football coach Alex Beastall to talk about the upcoming Battle of the Bay. And finally, we'll end the show with a look into the girls' flag football season and teams to watch for in the fall. We'll have all this and more on the Cover 3 Sports Podcast. Man oh man, what a time to be alive. You and yours versus me and mine. That's just a little rap song. It's one of the one of the few songs that I like by Drake. And that's only because it has future. Uh hey, what do you what are you bumping these days, John? I mean, some what? Some Travis Scott, Blueface, the baby. Come on. God, Travis Scott, didn't he play in the Super Bowl Maroon 5 in Atlanta and the whole show sucked? I I I don't remember, but yeah, he's he's had some trouble, uh, especially with that concert. I forgot where it was, and yeah, he's he's got some legality issues, but uh I I guess I guess for me, I'm still you know, it's it's been three weeks since uh went to that ACDC concert at Levi.
SPEAKER_02And I don't know if it's just that my ears are still buzzing, but that concert was freaking unamazing. I mean, just 78-year-old dude still out there hammering away, running up and down a stage. That's that's my goal 15 years from now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, it must have been a show, man. You keep talking about it. And I know we were talking uh about Tom Petty as well, uh another uh classic icon. I mean, we got Z Z Top. I mean, there's nothing like classic rock, man. It's it's uh yeah, that those those those those are the best for sure.
SPEAKER_02They are, but man, we're losing all of them.
SPEAKER_00I know, I know, I know, man. I I guess I gotta get out there and and watch some of them, huh, while we can for sure. Uh speaking of classics, what about that shoe game between Pacific Grove and Carmel? Man, last second touchdown by the Breakers, giving them a 26-22 win over their rival. I heard I heard the officials may have missed the call, though, something about a muff punt that advanced. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02You can't advance, yeah. You can't advance a muff punt, but that's neither here or there. You know, the thing is, is I don't know why people are completely surprised by this. If you take a look at the last two meetings between these two teams, and I want to go back to 2024 when Pacific Grove actually had them on the ropes and then fell 44-41. That was during Carmel's 15-0 season in which they won a state championship. And then last year, you know, they're down 17 to 3 at one point before they rallied to come back. And it looked like they were going to do it again. I mean, they took the lead there, I think four minutes and thirty seconds left. And and I think if you're over there on the Pacific Grove side, you're probably saying, Oh God, here we go again. But it wasn't that way. I mean, this is a group of I think they suited up 26 kids, and they were cramping in the fourth quarter. You know, they were they were dog tired, and but yet they found a way to win that game. They moved the ball downfield, you know, with a sophomore quarterback and Charlie Edmonds, you know, throwing a touchdown pass to Ben Kelly, but I think eight seconds left, and and they won the game, and the shoe's going back to Pacific Grove for the first time in 11 years.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Yeah, the shoe. And I remember we were talking about the shoe, right? Like, who does it belong to? Like, what shoe are they actually fighting for? But uh turns out I guess there's some stories out there. I really want to get down to it though. Like, I want to know what shoe are they fighting for.
SPEAKER_02I told you the story, didn't I? Yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_00I don't know if I did or not. Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that that shoe does belong to somebody from 1949.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, we gotta f yeah, we gotta we gotta dig deeper though. We gotta find out why why they picked that shoe. Oh man. Well, over in Watsonville, I uh the Wildcats, I mean, they must have gone hibernating after that first quarter because they went ahead 7-0, then allowed 23 unanswered points. And and I and I know, I know we briefly talked about Santa Cruz coming off that Santa Lucia division title run last year. But I don't know, it seems like things haven't really slowed down for them. And and I they had guys coming up for them. Quarterback Ryder Pearl. I mean, he he he came through. AJ Da Costa had a nice TD run. That kind of set the tone for the Cardinals that night, and uh good good win for them. And and and they snapped that that three-game losing streak to uh to Watsonville. I mean, not nice. Well, one, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I I think momentum is a dangerous tool. And obviously, Santa Cruz, as you mentioned, winning that Santa uh San Lucy division title last year. And I know they lost some key players, but they've got some back. The cover wasn't bare. And I think this is a group of players now that hey, believe we can win games. And they showed it in their opener, and um there'll be an there'll be a contender again in the San Jose this year.
SPEAKER_00Yep, for sure. No doubt, no doubt. Yeah, like I said, good good win for them. Nice way to start the season there. And then over.
SPEAKER_02You know, I'm sorry, I want I just want to add one last thing to that. Keep in mind, three years ago, Santa Cruz couldn't score a point. Yep, yeah, and now here they are, not only a defending league champion, but uh, you know, showing that you know it's not a fluke, what happened last year. And again, this is if there's anything good about the equity, which we can get into some other day, but at the lower levels, lower divisions, it works.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for sure. And yeah, these the Santa Cruz trying to make a name for themselves, trying to prove that, hey, maybe we do belong in that mission north. And we'll get into that uh this next episode uh when we when we break down some of the games for next week. But uh again, congrats to Santa Cruz. Uh nice win for them. And and then uh it looks like over in Salinas, uh Alvarez High, nice way to start the uh season there. 13-2 win over Alisal, one of those teams from the Gabalin division. Uh you know, the lower division came out on top on this one. Uh basically a shutout for the Eagles. And and God, I'm what impressed you the most about this win for Alvarez?
SPEAKER_02You know, maybe for the fact that how things ended last year was pretty messy and ugly, and it got chippy again this year. These are these are two schools that are uh become legitimate rivals right now. But keep in mind that LSL averaged over 35 points a game last year. And I know they had Jaden Duarte and he's gone now. And you know, he was arguably one of the best players in the entire tri-region. But this is a tribute to Alvarez and head coach Jason Chicone was in his first season. One of the things he told me before the year started is he said, I need these kids to just play football, stop the chirping, and let's cut down on the penalties. Now, there's there was still some talk, and that's kids being kids, right? But they did cut down on some of the unsportsman-like penalties that just crippled them last year. Nobody got ejected, which is good for them.
SPEAKER_00Good.
SPEAKER_02And uh, and uh it's just a step in the right direction because you know there's there's a lot of talent at Alvarez, but you've got to find a way to channel all of that talent and energy on the field and not off the field.
SPEAKER_00No doubt about that. Yeah, you you hit it on the head right there, John. I mean, discipline, right? And that's that goes a long way. That goes a long way. Like you said, no, no ejections. Uh, and that's and that helps. And look, look what happens. You get on you get a nice win one and oh, start off the season. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And I don't think LSL is the best football team. You know, I saw them because I saw everybody, and I came away thinking, wow, they're gonna be quicker, they're gonna be faster, they're gonna be stronger. They got more so again, this is more of a tribute to Alvarez and and just you know that Jacone's got them believing that, hey, if we play the right way, we're gonna have some success.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no doubt about it. Hey, speaking of uh, you know, buying into the system, believing in your coach, uhho Valley head coach Ray Myers, he picked up a win number one in his uh debut with the program. Uh again, nice way to start off the season one-on-one. You can't you can't ask for anything better. And uh and they they did it pretty good. I mean, they they they uh they got to uh gun. They won, uh I believe it was 24 to 7. And uh again, nice way to start off uh the season, Landon Manzi, Adrian Valdez, and Noel Rincone each scoring touchdowns for the Grizzlies. And then we got uh yeah, I like I said, I saw these guys in practice a couple weeks ago, and they seem to have uh bought in what what Ray and his coaching staff is selling.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, here's something for you, Juan. What's up of first-year coaches? Okay, Jay Earhart at Pacific Grove, Mark Ramos at Nord Slainist, Jason Jacone at Alvarez. You mentioned Meyer at um Pajaro, and then the the new guy at Mona Vista, I can't pronounce his last name.
SPEAKER_00Joe Sturdivant forgiving that Joe Sturdervan.
SPEAKER_02All five, all five of those coaches made a debut and they all won their openers.
SPEAKER_00That's awesome. Hey, we'll put a round of applause, little cheer here for these guys, right? Nice, nice. And hey, you know what? It looks like Rancho San Juan, they they they got a nice little season opener win right there. First time they've uh started 1-0 since 2022, I believe. Uh the Trailblazers got a nice 22-21 win. Nice little motivator for the kids, no?
SPEAKER_02Well, and how it ended too. They blocked the field goal right up the middle. The time was expiring to win that game. So, yeah, you mentioned that last time they won a season opener. That's the only time they've ever won a season opener up until last uh Thursday. So kudos to head coach Andrew Serrata, who apparently, you know, has got these kids, you know, pointed in the right direction. This is his second season there now at Rancho as a head coach. And again, I I go back to Rancho and I don't want to dwell on it. The one year they went eight and two, you know, they had an incredible talented running back in Peyton Hatton, who ran for over 1,800 yards and I want to say 37 touchdowns. Um I don't want to call it a fluke, but he was a one-man show. He was 235 pounds and he was carrying people everywhere back then when they had a there was the Cypress division.
SPEAKER_00Oh wow.
SPEAKER_02And truth be told, though, that Rancho should have never been in that division when they opened up. They should have been in the Santa Lucia, which is where they are now, and they're getting an opportunity to build this program, and I think we're starting to see some of those results.
SPEAKER_00Equity, baby. Uh let's see here. Uh and finally we have uh Monta Vista Christian, who you mentioned, um Joe Sturdevant uh getting his his first win in his debut. Uh they beat Seaside 16 to 8. Uh the Mustang defense came through in that one at the end. Uh Jordan Ramirez. Seaside played well too, though, right? No, they did. I'm gonna give them their props for sure. But uh again, you know, uh Mustang. It was actually uh I was impressed with with that with the MVC's uh the way they played defense just because last year they did give up a lot of points and and this year it was like it's a whole different it's a whole different uh scene. And uh again, at the end uh it was Jordan Ramirez with the interception uh who sealed it uh for for the Mustangs. And and man, it yeah, again, the defense looked good, although it did take Monta Vista a while to get going on offense and and it and I they skipped the scrimmages uh from the previous week and it showed you could tell. I mean, penalties, turnovers, uh not being able to move the ball upfield. I I will say this though, uh Seaside has some big bodies in the trenches, and and it's they they gave the Mustangs some trouble all night long. I mean, they were getting to to uh quarterback Evan Vesey, and they they they made it hard for for the running backs to get through, and it it was it was a good it was nice to see Seaside be competitive and it was it was awesome.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You know, I did talk to head coach Ayava for the Battle of the Bay this week when they play Monterey, which is something we'll talk about later. But the one thing he told me is he said, you know what? Monta Vista did a nice job in terms of they stacked the box and they dared us to pass the ball. And he said, right now we don't have a passing game, it's it's a work in progress. And so they knew what we were gonna do and they stopped it. And he said, if we don't learn how to run the ball, you know, you we're gonna have trouble scoring points. And as you saw, they didn't score until the fourth quarter, I believe, in that game.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. A nice, nice little couple drives there. Yeah, they almost made a little comeback. Uh uh, I believe it was uh Josiah Escort. I think he scored there, um, got got in the end zone. And they got the ball back actually with like about three minutes or so left after a fumble. And they they were driving downfield, but again, the defense came through for uh Monta Vista and and uh got uh Joe his first his first win as a Mustang head coach. Um well, I mean, it's only week one though. So so you know, a lot of time left. I know some teams seem to be on the right track, and and others still kind of need to iron out the kinks, so to speak.
SPEAKER_02But uh I w I want to say something real quick that you mentioned it earlier, and I thought I thought it was a really good point. I mean, you said Monta Vista didn't have a scrimmage and and it kind of showed in how they performed early in the game. I'll make the same argument for for Carmel, who backed out of their scrimmage for North County against North County, and I believe that was supposed to be um uh um St. Francis.
SPEAKER_00St. Francis. Right.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and they had their reasons, and I get it, but I think it showed in the first half their offense was anemic. Uh they had two turnovers, they fumbled the snap twice, uh they couldn't convert on a fourth down, and and maybe you know there is something to say about you know getting the cobwebs out with either albeit a scrimmage or a jamboree, just to get players you know acclimated to the conditions of a real football game and out of practice.
SPEAKER_00Yep. I mean it's i i it it it it uh it matters. The scrimmages do matter, you know. I mean, it's like like like you said, it penalties, all that stuff, getting not being able to convert all of that. I mean, it it it is apparent for some of these teams that like that that they didn't get that uh head start for you know at the beginning. And I don't know. I there could be trouble looming for some programs if if they don't turn things around quickly, but again, it's early. We got nine weeks long way to go. Long way to go, for sure, for sure. I I I did want to touch a little bit on on the junior colleges. I know we had our three local teams compete here over the weekend. Not not so good uh result here for us. Uh over on my side, um uh Cabrill fell 80 to 13. They lost to uh Chabot. Uh that was that was a rough uh evening for the guys there. Um I I know I I know they they have a couple quarterbacks, so they went uh they went back and forth. Uh so I don't know. It was just just a just a rough one for the guys. And and then uh I I know you had uh a couple of teams there, Hartnell and MPC. Uh they kind of had a a tough time uh kind of trying to rebound or or try to get into the game, as they say. Um just kind of talk about what happened with those uh with those two teams, John.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, let me start with Hartnell first, because they were down 17-3 in the fourth quarter and were struggling offensively. Uh head coach Art Balanga inserted a different quarterback, gave him a little bit of a spark. And they actually came back and tied that game at uh 17 before Delta or yeah, Sam McKean Delta kicked the field goal late in the game. But the Panthers had the ball and they were driving as time was running out. And if you watch the sequence of plays, which I have on that last drive where they just it it looked like at least a second down, they were in the end zone. It looked like the running back was in the end zone. Officials ruled them down. The next two plays they didn't get in, and that's how the game ended. I do think that's a confidence build result for Hartnell, because if you go back to last year, they got beat something like 44 to 14 in Delta. This is a game that they could have won, probably should have won. Uh, I think that it just provides a little momentum going into their home opener uh this Saturday against Chabot, which will also be the first game ever played on Partnell's campus.
SPEAKER_00Wow, that's pretty cool. So, like ever, huh? In the history of the program. That's pretty nice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they've always played either at Slans High or obviously for the last whatever 15-20 years at Roble Bank. Uh they've never played on campus because there really isn't, well, there hasn't really been a field worthy of being on, and now they've got this maroon and gold field, which if you've ever seen it, it's uh blinding you. Um but it is an all-weather turf field, and next year they're gonna put stands in and make it a place worth to watch. Uh looking at MPC, they theirs was a little more disappointing. In fact, that they they fell behind early, really struggled with some turnovers, uh, some penalties, and just didn't really get their offense going until the second half. I think they had four turnovers total, and it they got beat by Laney. And again, in the junior college level, you know, you can turn a program around real quickly like that in a year. And Laney last year was not very good. They were two and eight. Obviously, this is not the same Laney team that they faced last year. And I did like what uh the NPC head coach had to tell me after the game. He said, you know, last year we started six and oh and it got in our heads. We're all in one now. Now it's time to get back to work. And they will host San Jose City in their home opener on Saturday at one o'clock.
SPEAKER_00All right, all right, going up against the uh 47-year-old uh defensive lineman there, huh? Jags. All right, folks, that was your recap for week one of the young high school football season. Hey, you know what, John? Dang, I I did forget to mention one other team that I that I thought might still be kind of a work in progress, but they came in, handled business, and perhaps turned some heads while doing so. And I'm talking about Monterey. They had a solid 27-26 win over Christopher, uh a formidable opponent, and uh making that stop on the two-point conversion, uh is that right? Is that how they got the win? Yep, yeah, yep.
SPEAKER_02I you're right though. They I I do think they are still a work in progress. Keep in mind they're the they're a Gavin division team, and it's not gonna get any easier in the next couple of weeks, and they're a roster hovering around 34 players right now, which is probably the smallest roster in the Gablin Division. But it was a good win for them just because they showed something, you know, they they withstand Christopher's early onslaught and then built some momentum with their defense. Actually built a 27-7 lead before I I think fatigue began to set set in in the fourth quarter on Christopher, who is a good football team by the way. They've been to the playoffs the last five years. An opportunity to get back in the game, which they did. Um I'm not sure why Christopher went for the lead with you know three plus minutes left in the game, but they did. And kudos to the Monterey defense for making that stop. That was something you know that they were doing early in the first half to shut down Christopher, and they found enough to get one more stop to win that game. A lot of positive things for Monterey in that game. They started a sophomore quarterback, he made some decent throws. Uh Bronson Gully, who was the quarterback last year, was just a demon on defense as a defensive end, creating a pass rush, and also caught a couple of big passes as a tight end. And uh Nishon Mitchell, keep an eye on this kid as a running back. He was up in the JBs last year, ran for 127 yards, had some big runs in the first half, had extended drives, scored a touchdown, and they have a little depth at the running back position, which uh, you know, they're gonna need going over the course of the season.
SPEAKER_00All right, well, uh why don't we invite someone who was actually standing on the sideline watching everything unfold there? Uh our our next guest spent nine years as an assistant at both Palma and Selena's high schools. He was also a former pitcher at Oregon State, who was then drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. John, I hope I'm not forgetting anything else here? Is that good?
SPEAKER_02Incredible knowledge, man.
SPEAKER_00Now, now he's the head uh football coach at Monterey High, which is off to a one and oh start this season after a solid, solid win over Christopher. Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Alex Bisaw to the Cover Three Sports Podcast. Hey Alex, congrats on the win, man, and welcome to the uh cover three sports podcast.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thank you. I appreciate you uh you guys having me on here.
SPEAKER_02Hey Juan, I just want to add that I was on the sidelines too last Thursday.
SPEAKER_00I know, I know, I know, but but we wanted to get uh you know a a first uh first hand perspective of of how uh you know, from a coach and see see how it all went down and what what a way to get it done there. Awesome, awesome job, uh Alex. And can can you just, I don't know, quickly hit the rewind button and just maybe take us through that moment during the two-point conversion attempt. What was going through your head at that time?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well um, you know, first thing kind of was thinking of how our game last year with Christopher came down to a very similar situation and we were on the offensive side going for two and uh we were on the road and I had my mind made up right away last year that we were going for two. Went for it. We were able to get it and then get a defensive stop. So I was hoping that uh rolls were reversed, the situation would be reversed as well. And um luckily our defense stepped up big time and next thing I knew we had like four or five green jerseys on the ball carrier and then from there I was hoping they just didn't get a late push and we were able to get them down to the ground just short of the goal line. So super proud of the defense for even though giving up a touchdown they didn't quit they they responded right away played the next play and made a great stop. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_00That's awesome.
SPEAKER_02Hey Alex I want to I want to piggyback off of Juan a little bit here and going back to that game before we jump into the game the reason why we're calling you today. Yeah but one of the things you told me after the game and even a little bit uh when we talked earlier today was your concern about uh your depth in terms of wearing down a little bit in the second half if people don't know you had a a a three touchdown lead in that game and Christopher kind of came back a little bit. How do you combat that going forward?
SPEAKER_01Yeah well one I think for us as coaches is just uh strategically um putting kids in the right position throughout the game and um yeah and then might need a spell guys at certain times or spell guys for special teams. Uh but yeah when it comes down to having 32 guys you know pretty much everyone's gonna be playing and for us the emphasis has been being in great condition and so it actually helps us it it really should benefit us the way that we practice with having great urgency and great tempo and you know every individual period and group period and team period is conditioning for us. And then obviously finishing off practice with a little bit of extra to make sure that um we can play four quarters and uh you know we're not gonna tire out and we can finish strong as opposed to kind of coming off the gasp a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Right. So what's practice been like this week obviously it's the 61st meeting of the Battle of the bay um it's a rivalry game even though you guys are no longer in the same divisions and you know you you you probably hear more talk on social media than you do among the players. But uh how have you been able to kind of try to keep things in perspective at least the first couple of days this week you know we've just addressed it how it is and it is a rivalry game so you know we accept it as far as being a kind of rich tradition on the pr uh on the peninsula it brings a lot of families to the field and brings a lot of uh conversation to the table that's for sure as we've got families that have played on both sides in both locker rooms throughout the years.
SPEAKER_01So it's pretty neat in that aspect just how uh how many people are connected to this game. And then for us, you know, where we're at right now currently is just keeping our kids focused on the present moment and focused on committing to the process and you know the message today after practice was that external factors don't dictate the standard in which we play. So just because of a scoreboard or an opponent it's not going to change who we are and and the manner in which we play and that that goes for an intense rivalry game like it is this week. So um it should be fun. It's always fun playing against seaside and being part of the rivalry now that I'm going into my fifth year and uh it's even more fun if you can come away with the win.
SPEAKER_02Now you're unbeaten as a head coach in this rivalry at 4-0. Of course the last three games have been a little lopsided. I go back to your first meeting where was it came down to a you know I think you guys won by two and you needed that win to get in the playoffs if I'm not mistaken.
SPEAKER_01Yeah that was that was a huge win. They they had a a great team that year with a great quarterback and uh I can't remember names very well but I they had a great receiver who was also a free safety. I think we threw an interception on the first play of the game we got down early and we had to come back late and we had to make a stop late uh to hold the lead so that was a fun introduction to uh Battle of the Bay for sure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Hey I gotta ask you this question. Your quarterback last year he's your defensive man this year. Uh you don't see a transition like that or I mean how did that come about in terms of Brandon Gully going from you know a quarterback for the at least I think three or four games before he got hurt last year to now being a pass rush pass rush pass rusher. I asked that only because when I spoke to Seaside head coach Al Avalon earlier this week one of the things he told me he says you know I think that kid found his niche as a defensive end.
SPEAKER_01Yeah and I don't know what it is about Monterey but since I've been here we've had like this pipeline of quarterback defensive end combos. I just never let him play defensive end because of how important the quarterback position is for our offense. So um this year there's been some competition at quarterback with Logan Vanderburgh Grace who's a sophomore and he did some um he showed a lot of great signs over the summer and really stepped into the role which kind of allowed me to slide Bronson back onto the defensive side of the ball and then also playing tight end for us too. So um that's a position that Bronson is very comfortable with that's definitely his niche and um I'm I'm sure he's excited to be back on that side. He he had a great game for us in week one and uh you know he's feeling himself out as far as uh being a tight end in our offense too. It took a a few drives to get comfortable with that but he's been doing a great job.
SPEAKER_02Yeah he looked good in that game against Christopher on both sides of the ball at that one of those uh a key clut uh key clutch catch to keep his drive alive during the first half.
SPEAKER_01Um when you look at Seaside what concerns you about them well Seaside always has great athletes um they've always got good speed they've always they're they're fast and physical kids and they play with the chip on their shoulder. Um and it looked like from film the last week, you know they they played tough the entire game against a a a Monta Vista Christian team that seems like you know they know what they want to do uh offensively and defensively. So I was very impressed with just the toughness and the uh you know just the manner in which they carried themselves for four quarters. They didn't quit and they were in it close for a long time and you know seaside uh you know can surprise people if if they hang around long enough. You know they they I they got kids that will be able to find a way to to win. So um that really you know jumped off the film is just how tough those kids are and they play with a chip on their shoulder and you always gotta account for someone on offense uh who's handling the ball for seaside uh to be dangerous out in space and so that's what we're preparing for.
SPEAKER_00Alright hey Alex before I go ahead I was going to ask yeah you know obviously we got uh PG Carmel they they play for a shoe and then we got the King City and and Gonzalez they play for a megaphone. Do you guys play for anything? I I don't know like the whole history but is there a trophy is there a shoe or anything that you guys play for?
SPEAKER_01Yeah no I don't know I there was something I think a while back I don't know I think in the first year we had a trophy and they came back to Monterey um you know but it that's not I don't know if it's even on display you know for me it's we play for pride.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_01So it's just it's just the uh the feeling of knowing that you know we beat we beat the team uh across town so that's that's enough for me for sure at least I'm sure the kids would love to see a trophy but at the end of the day you know um playing for pride is uh pretty motivating as well.
SPEAKER_02For sure and and folks in that area folks in that area let it be known too yeah definitely yeah hey hey Juan there is a trophy or there was a trophy at least the last time I saw it and essentially it's it's a helmet I believe and one side is painted moderate colors and the other side is seaside.
SPEAKER_01Yeah it it seems it's it seems outdated. It seems like there hasn't been a lot of uh record keeping on it so you know we might have to bring it out and bring it up to date.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Hey Alex before we let you go I'm I'm curious and we brought this up last week that when we talked to Golden Anderson about the shoe game you know regardless of the outcome you know you still have eight games left in the season you still have Gablin Division play. Do you worry at all about an emotional letdown after the game no I I don't think I'm not worried right now.
SPEAKER_01I don't think uh you know we're not this this game hasn't been circled for us at all. You know we we've got 10 games that are circled um and for us it's making sure that we're playing our best football as we get closer to November. So um like I said external factors aren't going to dictate uh how we play and the standards that we practice at and play at. So just because we win a big game like this doesn't mean we get complacent and we show up on Monday thinking we've arrived. So um there better not be an emotional letdown that's for sure. Uh we'll have to recharge and get back to it on Monday for a good overfelt team that's coming into town.
SPEAKER_00I agree. Awesome yeah awesome well said awesome thank you Alex thank you thank you thanks for coming on the show man we appreciate it thanks for taking time to chat with us yeah good luck uh this week and and good luck the rest of the way yeah thank you guys I appreciate you guys having me on thank you thanks Alex we'll talk on Saturday okay sounds good have a good one oh man well that that battle of the bay is is another one of those uh longtime rivalries that uh will probably never seem to die and uh but it it has been one-sided uh these last five so years uh do you see things changing do you see the tides changing in the other direction John you know I do think seaside's better than they were the last couple of years where they were just you know blown out in fact the last three years they've been outscored I think 135 to 27 it hasn't even been close um but again it depth is uh both neither one of these teams have a lot of depth but Monterey has a little more talent right now and and no one's gonna deny that I think the key for Seaside is how well they get out the gates and I've said this before in rivalry games there's an adrenaline rush before these games everybody's fired up they're jumping through the roof they can touch the goalposts but what happens five minutes into the game when that adrenaline wears off and now you got to play football do you have any energy left did you over exert yourself by getting so emotional in pre-games and that's the key.
SPEAKER_02If Seaside could somehow get out there and score early or at least keep Monterey from scoring on their first possession they have a little momentum and keep in mind this game is at Seaside although I hate Saturday afternoon games it's gonna be warm I think then they can hang with them. If Monterey jumps out on them quickly it could be a long day and you know going back to that five year losing streak that you mentioned the first two of those those games were nail biters two-point decisions that came down to the final minutes of the game. So Seaside has shown that it is capable of playing with what I would call a bigger program now based on where they are in divisions. But I think Seaside's got to come out they've got to play under control. They can't let their emotions get to them and again when that adrenaline wears off you still got to play football.
SPEAKER_00Yep exactly and our key word of the of the day has been momentum right so uh let's see if uh Seaside can can carry momentum into the game in in terms of trying to build it and and yeah try to try to try to make it uh a contest uh for Saturday you said saturday afternoon saturday two over there at Seaside right off the ocean there you go there you go well this should be a good test for both uh for both squads to see where they stand uh as a program hey folks welcome back to the cover three sports podcast so now that prep football is underway well and underway why don't we talk a little bit about some flag football let's give these girls some recognition for their hard work on the field and I know Watsonville recorded a shutout in its season opener with a commanding 33-0 win over Marina. Head coach Zach Cook told us the offense was nearly flawless as he put it uh posting 229 total yards zero turnovers across eight drives and then uh on uh for the cats we had freshman quarterback Zoe Zelda had 118 yards passing two touchdowns uh Ayala Arellano added a couple of scores uh quarterback as well and then we have junior running back Isabella Reed uh she got in on the fun with the one touchdown and then on the defense uh playing pretty solid there uh multiple stacks led by senior rusher Taylor Alvid and uh Alvid Lopez sorry uh she had two stacks uh uh in that uh in that contest against Marina and I didn't realize John that uh but now I guess the PCA is split up into three divisions uh the cats uh along with Paho Valley are in the that mission and then also in my area we have uh St. Francis are in that top tier gablin division which uh which they uh they they belong in for sure and uh yeah they should be in good shape with several several returning players from last year's group uh and uh yeah and it looks like uh your teams are pretty spread out all over the divisions uh throughout the peak I'll know well we have those divisions now because as you mentioned it just the growth of flag football you know not only across the country but obviously here in the Tri-County area has just been massive there are two schools of pulling they would never have it and now they have it so I mean uh girls like flag football it's exciting and it's a popular sport and yeah one school had over 80 kids try out for flag football as people don't know and there's only seven that can be on the field at one time so you the rosters aren't going to be like a a football team where you you can have 75 80 kids you probably can't have more than you know 3540 for two levels and so they had to have cuts but that just gives you an idea of the popularity of the sport.
SPEAKER_02North County is the team that I'm looking at right now. Danae Diaz who last year was one of the national leaders in interceptions as a freshman uh quarterbacked them to uh an easy win over Alvarez last week uh she threw for two touchdowns ran for a touchdown compiled over 300 uh passing and rushing yards and added a pick to her day so she's still playing defense as well uh they're gonna be a team to be reckoned with and and again maybe the one surprise for me though was seeing Pajero knock off Ali Sale. Ali Sale's got some incredible speed on their team a lot of those girls play softball as well um again first game you don't want to put too much emphasis into it but these do count and that's a great win for the Grizzlies program.
SPEAKER_00Yeah no no doubt about Pajero Valley is going to be one of those teams uh to look out for uh talking with uh head coach Caesar Rojas um I I can't off the top of my head I I I can't remember the players but I know they have some ballers uh coming in from last year I know they lost some seniors uh from that graduating class but I I know I know they were pretty heavy in terms of the junior class and they had a couple sophomores who are now who bumped up right who are now seniors and juniors and uh yeah no I think PV is going to be one of those teams to look for like you said. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I will say this I still think St. Francis and Aptos are the two teams well in terms of you know my top ten rankings that I put out yeah I just at this point in time I just think they're a little bit a level above everybody else but I would not sleep on Salinas or Palma.
SPEAKER_00Yeah yeah no doubt you you mentioned Aptos uh they they asserted themselves uh a dominance in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League uh beating Scotts Valley in their opener 52 to zero uh that's um yeah that's a pretty pretty pretty uh pretty good way to start off the the season for the Mariners and I know uh this is going to be a very very good squad like you mentioned they got some key returners with uh Ellie Marta uh Mila Appleby Autumnist uh Julia uh Perejo sorry if I pronounced that wrong and uh and Ellie Correa uh those are just to name a few um they've got they they're pretty deep in terms of roster and and they got numbers um like like you mentioned it the the sport's getting popular it's it's it's uh there's girls are lining up to to get to want to be on these teams and uh uh I know there's some schools out there that are still kind of struggling with numbers but they're getting numbers and and and and slowly but surely they're they're building programs and Ap Tots has actually been one of those that uh you know if you want to talk about uh top tier football flag football teams I I think this is one of them for sure. Mark mark my words Juan uh girls flag football at some point is going to be a Friday night affairs yeah yeah it is I I believe it I mean without a doubt and it is getting that popular and I have seen crowds uh go out there and watch watch these girls perform and they can put on a show for sure and and um aptod's head coach uh denise rusto uh he brings in a new offensive uh system with with the offensive coordinator uh Scott Rusto who also works with the tackle football team and then they got a coaching staff that's pretty deep so like I said I mean this is uh this is this is a pretty elite uh flag football program and um they're gonna be uh they're gonna be one to beat for sure and uh you know and despite the loss uh uh for Scott's Valley I I I I talked to the girls I went out to their practice on uh Monday uh and and despite the loss I they they seem pretty optimistic I mean and and they do have some some good players I did I was able to go out there and watch the practice a little bit uh they have uh Natalie Murray Scalan who uh who's also on the softball team and and watching her sling the ball uh you you can see why why first year head coach uh Marcos Arribas has her uh tossing the football this season and uh and they got some other some other names to uh to look out for um teen years uh Lucy Dunton and Sofia for Fortunato and then uh they also have a pair of sophomores in uh Brooke Lesniak Lesniak sorry Brooke Lesniak and uh Lila Rebert uh sorry these some of these sometimes these names kind of tongue twisters for me but uh again my fault uh if if I get it wrong uh but uh but they are gonna play um they're gonna try to rebound here they got a game against San Lorenzo Valley uh they'll be at the harbor high school and and um again you know just trying to trying to bounce back off that loss just remember Juan one game does not define a season no not at all not at all same same goes for SLV you know and kind of speaking of uh one of those programs that kind of grew overnight uh yeah SLV they they last year they had maybe um seven sometimes eight girls out there uh on any given day and uh from what I counted uh yesterday's practice uh they're about 15 to 17 deep and and and kudos uh kudos to to the uh cougar head coach uh uh Kannon uh Pikler for uh for her ongoing effort uh to recruit even fundraise uh she's been uh trying to get GoFundMe pages to get new equipment like jerseys uh the little small hurdles for the agility training all that good stuff and and uh they lost they lost the the season opener 25 zero but uh but the cannon was impressed i mean he was uh especially off uh off of last year kind of again just trying to build that program and then to get to where they're at now he was uh yeah he was pretty excited to see and and yeah they they had uh let me see they had to kill i think uh they were only down six zero at the half and so that that's uh that's that's pretty good i don't know that's uh in terms of especially trying to rebuild from the from the ground up yeah yeah but uh no but uh kudos again to to them and uh yeah i i talked to a couple of the captains uh savannah robertson and and and emily petrov both of them so they're they're excited for the upcoming season and yeah it it it's pretty cool to see all the buzz on campus again trying to trying to get these uh trying to get them excited uh uh for the sport and and it looks like they are all right it looks like that's all the time we have for today join us again Thursday as we preview some marquee matchups for both prep and college football and please make sure to subscribe to the Cover 3 Sports podcast on Apple and Spotify and don't forget to leave us some feedback or give us some love. Either way we're cool with it. Thanks again for listening Asta Love East baby
