Gabilan Division
Palma (7-5, 5-2)
The longest running postseason football streak -- 34 and counting -- appeared in jeopardy of coming to an end last fall.
Six games into the season and the Chieftains were 2-4, having scored just 34 points in four losses -- 13 in the first half.
The final four games became must wins if Palma was going to keep its Central Coast Section record streak alive.
"From that point, each game became a playoff type game," Palma receiver Jon Jon Berring said. "We could not lose another game. We had to push even harder."
What Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo did was stay the course. He expected to take his lumps with an inexperienced roster. He ignored the criticism.
Yet, not even the veteran head coach, now in his 18th season, could have envisioned the change in directions that the Chieftains offense dramatically took.
"The maturation process kicked in," said Carnazzo, who brought up seven sophomores last year. "It takes time. There was a growing period. We finally figured it out."
Palma won its final four Gabilan Division games, averaging 36 points a game, beating playoff bound Seaside and San Benito, reaching the Central Coast Section Open Division III semifinals.
"We hate the situation we're in now of having to bring up sophomores," Carnazzo said. "We are not the only school. It's reality. We're bringing four more up this season."
What's different this fall is Palma isn't replacing its core at the skilled positions. Quarterback Grant Sergent had a full season to grasp the offense.
And tailback Anthony Villegas put up numbers worth repeating, chalking up a sophomore record 1,648 yards and 17 touchdowns last season for Palma.
"He has Division I potential," said Carnazzo, in speaking about the 5-10, 175-pound tailback. "He understands how to practice. The sky is the limit for Anthony."
Palma was 7-2 last season when Villegas rushed for over 100 yards, with one of the losses coming in the CCS Open Division III semifinals to Terra Nova.
Sergent threw for just under 1,700 yards last year. The senior did not throw a pick in his final 138 attempts.
"Grant just got better and better as the year went on," Carnazzo said. "People may look at me funny when I say this, but he reminds me of David Fales with his accuracy."
Fales, who prepped at Palma and set numerous passing records at San Jose State, is in his fourth year in the NFL as a backup quarterback with the Miami Dolphins.
"With Grant, we'll be able to open the offense up a little more this year," Carnazzo said. "We speak the same language. We're going to do some things we haven't done in a while."
One of Sergent's favorite targets will be Berring, who caught 19 passes last year and added 215 yards on the ground, mostly on sweeps.
"No doubt, we can build off of last year's finish," Berring said. "We may not have the deepest team in terms of numbers. But we have 40 quality players."
A revamped offensive line will likely include two sophomores being thrown into the mix. Again the process means patience.
"I wish we didn't have to throw them into the mix," Carnazzo said. "But they can help. It gives us a little more depth up front."
Of course, all-league lineman Michael Lizaola will solidify the trenches on both sides of the ball. An all-state wrestler, the senior moves piles and protects the quarterback.
The Chieftains have 20 players back from last year's roster, including Mateo Martinez, who gives them a shutdown cornerback -- arguably one of the best in the county.
Unlike last year, Palma will not open the season with an inexperienced roster against two of the top powers in the CCS in Menlo-Atherton and St. Francis.
"Part of our struggles last year also had to do with our schedule," Carnazzo said. "We played a St. Francis team that played for a state title. It was trial by fire for a lot of these kids."
A fast start in the preseason will be critical in establishing confidence, as for the first time since the Gabilan Division was formed, Palma isn't coming into the year as a defending league champion.
"You know what I like about this team?" Berring said. "We're all on the same page. We all have the same common goal. We're still young. But the growing pains are gone."
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