Pacific Grove football

Pacific Grove (4-6, 2-4)

 History has a way of reincarnating itself.

A decade ago, Chris Morgan took over the Breakers program, won one game in a retooling year, then proceeded to improve in the win column five consecutive seasons.

Morgan went through a similar bump in 2017 when Pacific Grove went through severe growing pains in managing just one win with an inexperienced roster.

 "There are some similarities," said Morgan, who is beginning his 11th year. "We talk about doing the right thing. Be committed to being better. The rest will take care of itself."

 The Breakers bounced back last season with four wins. Yet, a 2-4 record in the Cypress Division saw them dropped to the Santa Lucia Division this fall.

 "We've struggled with numbers," Morgan said. "We only have two juniors in the program. We had 10 players turn out for the junior varsity over the summer. We were surprised by the freshman turnout."

 While the roster will hover around 26 varsity players, 24 are seniors. The belief is the Breakers can compete in the Santa Lucia, perhaps even chase a title and rebuild their program.

 "One of our goals is to get back to the playoffs," senior tailback Anthony DaSilva said. "And get the 'Shoe' back.

 Pacific Grove opens its season Friday, hosting Carmel in the annual 'Shoe Game'.

 The Breakers offense isn't without potential with the return of Blake Moore, who compiled nearly 1,000 rushing and receiving yards last fall.

 Versatile, Moore rushed for nearly 600 yards while catching 20 passes for three touchdowns when lining up on the outside as a receiver.

 "Blake gives us a lot of options," Morgan said. "We have some runners in the backfield. We can line him up in the slot. And he'll start for us on defense as well."

 Getting Moore the ball this fall will come from the right shoulder of Ben Minik, who is a two year starter at multiple positions for Pacific Grove.

 Minik was one of the teams top receiving threats last fall. But he also threw for over 500 yards as a sophomore, making him the logical choice to run the offense this season.

 "Ben is a good athlete," Morgan said. "He went through growing pains as a sophomore. We moved him around last year. He wanted to move back to quarterback. He's progressed at the position."

 Minik showed a nice touch with the ball in hitting his receivers in stride at a recent practice, having established chemistry with his receivers, including Moore and Parker McAnally.

 What makes the Breakers potentially lethal with their ground game is having a combination of speed, strength and agility with Moore, DaSilva and Chianti Carter.

 "We all kind of have different styles," said DaSilva, who rushed for nearly 400 yards last year before suffering a concussion. "We can mix it up."

 While the skilled positions are equipped, depth in the trenches is critical to the Breakers competing for supremacy.

 "This is one of the biggest offensive lines we've had in a while," Morgan said.

 Depth is another issue.

 Mae Tulua provides a physical presence on both sides of the line while Jake Murray will call the line signals at center. 

An injury in practice last week, though, showed how quickly things can change, forcing Morgan to be resourceful with his roster.

 Of the 24 seniors on the roster, 10 came up as sophomores during the teams 1-9 season, while the remaining 14 were part of a 9-1 junior varsity team.

 "We had to bring them up to fill out a varsity roster," Morgan said. "Last year the experience that was gathered began to pay off."

 Tulua is a run stopper on the defensive front along with Max Podell, while Murray and Minik will fill needs at linebacker and safety. Moore is one of the areas top returning defensive backs.

 "We want to build off of last year," Morgan said. "The goal is to improve in the win column. Lets be honest. It's how you're measured."