Palma football

The injuries have continued to mount for Palma.
 Emilio Martinez, who rushed for a sophomore record 1,500 plus yards last year, and had nearly 700 yards in four games this fall, has missed most of four games to various injuries.
 Starting receivers Wesley Johnson and Josh Keselica have both been lost for the year. Quarterback Jack Richardson is playing with a broken left thumb.
 And defensive back Vince Fratangelo, whose interception salvaged a win over Monte Vista on Oct. 16, hasn't played since after suffering a concussion.
 That doesn't count the off-the-field adversity the Chieftains have had to deal with this fall.
 Yet, look who is going back to the postseason for the 31st straight year, and can be looked upon as the team to beat in the CCS Open Division III playoffs in two weeks?
 Depth has come to the forefront for Palma.
 Accept, like a number of schools in the county, the numbers in the program are slightly down.
 Palma has persevered through some hardships to remain unbeaten in the Gabilan Division going into its annual showdown with rival San Benito next Friday.
 That's when you start to look at the coaching staff. Most of head coach Jeff Carnazzo's staff has been intact since he took over the program in 2000.
 Granted a number of players have stepped up, namely Jared Torculas in the backfield and Stan Smith in the secondary, not to mention the boys in the trenches.
 Yet, there is something to say about stability in a system. And that starts with the staff.