Carmel football

Carmel (10-1, 7-0)
 More than 50 years went by before the Padres won the programs first league football title.
 What has transpired since is seven more Mission Trail Athletic League crowns in Golden Anderson's eight years as the head coach.
 No program outside of Palma has won as many league championships in the last decade.
 But could it be coming to a halt?
 The MTAL will end operations after the 2017-18 year, joining the Monterey Bay League in an effort to create better equity.
 Meaning Carmel could end up in an 'A' division for football in 2018.
 "Some coaches would like to see us up there,'' Anderson said. "I'm not sure we would belong there. I read where one coach has 75 kids on his roster. I have 74 in my entire program.''
 For now, the reigning league champions are concerned only about this year, where the MTAL got a lot stronger with the additions of five schools from the disbanded Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League.
 As a result, there are two divisions this year in the MTAL. Gone are the glorified scrimmages. There will be no looking past an opponent in the MTAL's upper division this season.
 "We like the target on our backs,'' Carmel safety Zach Dezee said. "But our focus is on ourselves. I don't worry about the pressure of defending a title. We're a prideful group.''
While graduation took the teams leading rusher, receiver and multi-purpose quarterback, the Padres are still regarded as the team to beat in the MTAL.
 "We lose guys every year,'' Anderson said. "We replace guys with similar skill sets. We feel we have a group of players that can do the job. It's just no one knows their names right now.''
 While an emphasis has remained on the passing game, returning tailback Luke Melcher will get his share of touches.
 In three starts last year as a sophomore, Melcher rushed for over 100 yards in each game. He also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns.
 There is size in the trenches to create holes for the powerful Melcher to blow through, starting with returning starter Dalton Quilty.
 "The group of guys we have this year have never played together, so they have never won anything together,'' Anderson said. "The term we emphasize in practice is 'get better'.
 The quarterback duties could fall into the hands of sophomore Kai Lee, who looked sharp in seven-on-seven events, possessing a strong and accurate arm.
 The receiving position was bolstered with the addition of transfer Dakota Mornhinweg, who caught 35 passes last year as a freshman at Stevenson. Rashaan Ward added 17 catches last fall.
 "They (new players) have the same high expectations as the last guy that was in there,'' Anderson said. "We are just trying to improve in every facet of the game before we play next week.''
 The Padres and their up tempo attack have been an offensive juggernaut during the Anderson era, having compiled two of the top 50 offensive performances in the state.
 That's not likely to change, even with the new faces. However, the strength of this team this year might be its defense, starting with returning all-league lineman Christian Stapleton.
 Joining him in the trenches is Robert Brown, who looked like a one-man wrecking crew in practice earlier this week.
 Solidifying the front seven is all-league linebacker Zach Rossi while Dezee provides stability in the secondary as a free safety.
 No program in the county has won more games in the last eight years than Carmel, who has 81 wins, three section final appearances and one CCS title. It didn't happen by accident.
 "The younger kids coming up have to jump in and be ready,'' Dezee said. "Our practices are intense. It's all about tempo. They learned that as freshman. So there are no surprises when they come up.''