Monache at Kerman for quarters
After a big 50-28 win at fifth-seeded Liberty in a CIF Central Section Division IV opening round game, 12th-seeded Monache advanced to the quarterfinals where the Marauders will face the fourth-seeded Lions of Kerman on the road in Friday’s 7 p.m. game.
Against the Hawks (83, 3-1 NSL), the Marauders (4-6, 2-3 EYL) picked up what MHS head coach Chris Frankland estimates to be the program’s first playoff win in 12 years. The team qualified for playoffs with a 35-9 East Yosemite League win over rival Porterville on Nov. 3 in the annual Granite Bowl.
Monache’s offense, who Frankland said is capable of scoring a lot of points, recorded their highest score of the season against Liberty after quarterback Antonio Andrade hit Marlon Johnson for 174 yards and four touchdowns on six receptions for Johnson’s best game of the season. Running back Aidan Galvan also had an outstanding game, finishing with 122 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries for his first 100-yard game of the season.
“First couple of series they gave us some stuff defensively that we hadn’t seen them do on film, very similar to Porterville,” Frankland said. “I think we kind of adjusted and kind of figured out what they were doing and kind of took what they gave us and it worked out really well for us.”
Andrade’s ability to connect with his receivers and create the huge, clutch plays late in games is one of the main reasons the Marauders’ offense continues to be a threat. On the season Andrade is 142-of-272 for 19 touchdowns and 2,015 yards — the most passing yards in Div. IV. Johnson (578 yards) has been on the receiving end of eight TDS while Montrece Fields (689 yards) leads the team with 11 touchdowns. Tight end Daniel Baca is also a big, strong target
for Andrade and has recorded two touchdowns and 499 yards.
Kerman (9-1, 4-0 NSL) also easily dispatched Liberty 56-26 in a week 10 North Sequoia League game on Oct. 27. The NSL champion, fourthseeded Lions are undefeated at home and on a nine-game winning streak after starting the season with a 22-21 loss to third-seeded Selma (8-2, 3-2 Central Sequoia League).
The Lions’ strength is in their run game where they boast two 1,000-yard rushers, one of who is dual-threat quarterback Sean Chambers. Chambers is third in Div. IV
in rushing yards (1,314) and total touchdowns (16). In the team’s 10 games, he’s rushed for a 100 yard or more seven times. Through the air, Chambers has completed 65-of-128 passes for 1,333 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions.
“Their quarterback is very, very good,” Frankland said. “He was going to go to Rutgers, he ended up [committing] to Wyoming. Very big physical fronts, good athletes. Definitely have our work cut out for us this week.”
Of the Lions 29 rushing touchdowns not scored by Chambers,
running backs Christopher Acosta and Colton Smith account for 21 of them. Acosta has totaled 1,080 yards and 11 touchdowns with three 100-yard games while Smith has 518 yards and 10 touchdowns. Wide receiver Charlie Castellanos is Chambers’ main target and has 546 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
A win for Monache could possibly spell a week one rematch against top-seeded Golden West out of Visalia. In their preseason meeting, the Trailblazers (8-2, 4-2 West Yosemite League) routed the Marauders 49-14.