Soledad-Carmel football

Saturday's game
Soledad (0-6) at Carmel (6-0), 2 p.m.
 While the Padres rise to the top has not come as a surprise, defending league champion Soledad's fall from grace is a shock.
 Two years removed from a Central Coast Section Division IV title and school record 10 win season, the Aztecs are winless for the first time since 2009.
 Soledad is just one of two teams to have beaten Carmel twice in the last decade in the regular season, posting a 23-21 win last season.
 Last weeks late fourth quarter setback to North Salinas was heartbreaking for a team searching for its soul.
 The Padres looked more like the offensive juggernaut they have been all fall, erupting for 47 points in a 40-point win over Watsonville -- the fifth time this year they have scored 45 or more points.
 What makes Carmel's offense so lethal is its ability to adjust to what defenses are attempting to stop. Last week it threw for over 300 yards and five touchdowns.
 Twice this year the Padres have thrown for over 300 yards, or rushed for over 300 yards, with Kai Lee throwing four touchdown passes last week.
 Lost in all these offensive numbers is Carmel's defense, which has allowed just two touchdowns in the first half in its last five games.
 Robert Brown has recorded nine sacks and a team high 48 tackles for Carmel while Lavar Edwards has three interceptions.
 Special teams have also been golden for Carmel, with Luke Melcher returning a kickoff earlier this year for a touchdown -- his fifth kickoff or punt return for a touchdown in his career.