Projected finishes
Gabilan Division
1. Salinas: Can this talent laden team mesh in big games?
2. Palma: Has a career mark of 29-1 in the Gabilan Division.
3. San Benito: The only program to have beaten Palma in league.
4. Seaside: Moving to the Gabilan while replacing 3,000 offensive yards is a tall order.
5. Aptos: The reigning SCCAL champions have the challenge they want.
6. Alvarez: Missing the playoffs for the first time in three years didn't sit well.
7. North Salinas: For the second straight year, replacing a senior laden team.
8. Monte Vista: A new era for the Mustangs also means a retooling phase.
Pacific Division
1. Christopher: Winless in the Gabilan, might be unbeatable in the Pacific.
2. Gilroy: Two dynamic running backs return from last year's DIV semifinal team
3. Monterey: Might be the most improved team in the Pacific Division.
4. Alisal: Building off last year's strong finish has the Trojans aiming higher.
5. North County: May play 18 straight road games before finally coming home.
6. Watsonville: Didn't score a touchdown in its last three games last season.
7. Pajaro Valley: Snapped a 17-game league losing streak last year.
Mission Trail Athletic League
Mission Division
1. Carmel: Could be more explosive offensively this season.
2. Soledad: Building off last year's CCS Division IV championship.
3. Scotts Valley: Provided Carmel with its biggest challenge in the preseason last year.
4. King City: Has the best quarterback-receiving tandem in Tommy Stephens and Clay Barbree.
5. San Lorenzo Valley: Will be a sleeper team a more competitive league.
6. Pacific Grove: In a retooling stage with most of the roster being underclassmen.
7. Stevenson: Over 90 percent of its offense has departed from last year.
Coastal Division
1. Gonzales: A renewed energy has created realistic expectations on campus.
2. Santa Cruz: The Cardinals are not a sleeper team in this division.
3. Greenfield: Flying under the radar in the newly created Coastal Division.
4. St. Francis, Watsonville: Back in a league after four years of independent football.
5. Soquel: Looking to bounce on defense after giving up nearly 400 points last year.
6. Marina: Keeping their quarterback healthy will keep the Mariners competitive.
7. Harbor: The disbandment of the SCCAL may have saved the Harbor program.
John Devine has been writing about high school sports in Monterey County since, well, practically since he was an athlete at King City in the days just after leather helmets. In PrepNation, John has even more in-depth analysis of the latest results and news he's brought to you in The Herald and in his weekly videos.
Follow Me
The Monterey County Herald reserves the right to edit posts and delete any comments that violate the Terms of Service & Privacy Agreement.
4 comments:
Aptos played a tougher schedule last year (which included both Palma and Salinas), you obviously didn't take the time to check.
What??
Aptos should be ahead of Seaside. And Maybe Aptos beats Palma this year. Palma is very young and lost a lot to graduation. They might lose a few games in league this season. But Aptos 2016 schedule wasn't tougher than Palma's! Palma dismantled Aptos last season so any talk of their schedules is moot point. John covers a lot of stuff for our kids and nobody is ever right all the time. Which was proven with your schedule comment. Aptos has a good program with good coaching and talented athletes. Im sure they will shake up the rankings a bit.
I didn't say Aptos' schedule was tougher then Palma's, I said Aptos' schedule last season was tougher then it will be this season. You can check on calpreps, takes 2-3 minutes.
Post a Comment