Aptos-Palma football

Friday's game
Aptos (1-2) vs. Palma (2-1) at Rabobank, 7:30 p.m.
 Both these teams scheduled monster non-league games with a purpose. Both feel they're state caliber teams in Division III.
 It would not surprise me if a rematch occurs at some point in the Central Coast Section Division III Open playoffs.
 Aptos, who came into the season having not lost to a team in the CCS in two years, has dropped two straight to West Catholic Athletic League powers Mitty and Bellarmine.
 For the Chieftains, this is their fourth consecutive game against a reigning section champion, having beaten Sutter and Sacred Heart Prep, who were a combined 26-1 last year.
 It's no secret that the results are different when Emilio Martinez rushes for over 100 yards for Palma -- or as has been the case this year, 200 plus yards.
 Martinez has rushed for 216 and 213 yards in both of Palma's wins, on a total of 32 carries, with six touchdown runs.
 Over the last two years, the Chieftains are 10-0 when Martinez rushes for over 100 yards, 1-4 when he doesn't -- if you count the glorified playoff scrimmage they had last year with Serra.
 Liam McMillin has become one of the premier receiving tight ends in the area with 13 catches while Jack Richardson was nearly flawless last week in throwing for 175 yards.
 Aptos comes at you with five different running backs sharing the carries. It's shown a little more of a passing game this year with Gavin Glaum throwing for 481 yards.
 Both teams would like to see their defenses improve. Palma has given up 28 points in each of its last two games while Aptos has allowed 69 in its two losses.