Salinas-Palma advance

It’s an adrenaline rush that can’t be emulated. A rivalry game and league opener wrapped in one. Yet, what happens minutes into the game when that high wears off?

"You play football," Salinas High football coach Steve Zenk said.

Practices may be approached the same this week. But the energy on campus paints a different picture when Palma and Salinas square off Friday at Rabobank Stadium.

"I don’t remember anyone mentioning the name Palma," Zenk said. "I didn’t see any extra motivation in practice."

Perhaps that’s because no one needs a reminder of who’s on the calendar this week as the two collide in their Gabilan Division opener

"It’s a rivalry game. And it’s the first game in league," Palma coach Jeff Carnazzo said. "So it’s not just another game. To say it’s not a special game wouldn’t be portraying the truth, at least for us."

Having its run of 14 straight wins over Salinas snapped last year provides a little extra incentive for the Chieftains, who failed to win the Gabilan Division title for the first time since it was formed.

Palma, though, isn’t playing with a chip on its shoulder. Instead, it’s playing some of the best football in the Central Coast Section at 3-0, having knocked off Menlo-Atherton two weeks ago.

"The strength of what we have done over the years is we don’t gear up for just one team," Carnazzo said. "Losing last year to Salinas was tough. But it’s what drives us this year."

While the Chieftains have shot out the gates, Salinas spent the first two weeks of the season figuring out who it was before awakening last week with a 25-0 win at Milpitas.

At 1-2, the Cowboys are in the same position they were in last fall going into league play, when they rattled off a single-season school record 10 straight wins to capture the CCS Open Division I title.

"Of course, you have doubts when you’re 0-2," Zenk said. "You start to wonder if you are doing the right things. I felt I didn’t do a good job of coaching the first two weeks."

That all changed last week when Salinas went on the road and dominated Milpitas in a rematch of last year’s title game, bullying them in the trenches.

"I felt like we grew up and came together last week," Zenk said. "It was the first game all year that I got on the bus and wasn’t worried at all. I like how we treated it as business as usual."

Perhaps boarding a bus is the secret to Salinas’ success. Dating back to last year, it has dropped its last three home games, but has rattled off six straight road wins.

"I think it’s more that we have our identity now," Zenk said. "There is an understanding it’s about the team and we’re going to do what’s best for the team. We’ve had a great week of practice.’’

Carnazzo echoed similar sentiments as Palma had an extra week to gear up for its neighbors just to the east.

"The bye was good for us," Carnazzo said. "It was an emotional game against Menlo-Atherton. The bye came at a perfect time. It allowed us to evaluate what we’ve done and build on it."

The Chieftains put together two impressive wins, ending a seven-game losing streak to teams from the West Catholic Athletic League with a 17-14 win over Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.

Yet, going on the road and defeating a previously undefeated Menlo-Atherton squad in overtime on a 10-yard touchdown run from Anthony Villegas raised a few eyebrows in the CCS.

Villegas will come into the game having put together eight straight games of rushing for over 100 yards. Last year against Salinas, he was held to 46 yards.

"Obviously they run the ball well and do a good job of who they are in every facet of the game," Zenk said. "They have their identity and that’s who they are. I respect that."

Zenk also feels Salinas found its identity last week, turning toward the strength of the team in the offensive line, pounding the ball for 206 rushing yards, 82 from Abraham Hernandez.

"I’m a math teacher," Zenk said. "If you don’t put an extra guy in the box, I like eight versus seven all the time. We played to our strengths last week and that was run right at them."

Palma has been vulnerable against the run this year, having allowed 448 rushing yards and two backs to rush for over 100 yards.

Last year Salinas rushed for 180 yards in a 21-7 win over the Chieftains.

"Salinas is running a lot of the same stuff as last year," Carnazzo said. "It is a different quarterback. His strengths are different. But he can still move around in the pocket."

Carnazzo was speaking about Carl Richardson, who has thrown for 462 yards this season, with John Mendalla having caught 17 passes.

As dynamic as Villegas has been for the Chieftains the last two years, quarterback Grant Sergent has not tossed an interception in his last 91 attempts.

"Being balanced is a part of our game," Carnazzo said. "We have to eliminate the dropped passes. Grant has to make good decisions. We need him to have a big game."

Zenk called the game a chess match.

"They (Palma) do a lot of things to make you guess," said Zenk, a Palma graduate. "Adjustments will be made on the fly. You do that in any big game. We try and make adjustments every series."

Lost in the offensive hype is both teams put up goal line stands in their last games, with Palma’s coming in overtime, and Salinas’ preserving the shutout.

Playing to Salinas’ strength means matching up with them in the trenches. The Chieftains have two sophomores starting on the offensive line.

"It takes time to jell," Carnazzo said. "We’ve taken strides in the right direction each week. We still need to improve. If we’re going to win this game, it starts in the trenches. I wish it was Friday."